Cannonball Run 1979 Question | FerrariChat

Cannonball Run 1979 Question

Discussion in '308/328' started by timr, Dec 10, 2019.

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  1. timr

    timr Formula Junior

    Sep 24, 2006
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    Tim
    I am reading Brock Yates book about the Cannonball Run. In 1979 there were two Ferrari 308’s that ran the race. One was driven by Mark Pritch and Bill Cooper. It was listed as a black 1977 308 GT. The other was a red 1978 308 GTS driven by Chris Romine and Terry Baker.

    My question, does anyone own those cars now or know if they still exist?

    Thanks for the help!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  2. Ferraridoc

    Ferraridoc F1 World Champ
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    "Never thrashed, only driven on Sundays"
     
  3. sltillim

    sltillim Formula 3
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    Would be cool if someone has the Cannonball / US Express cars on here. One of the FCA annual meets in the early 90's featured the sea to sea cars.
     
  4. ragtop1

    ragtop1 F1 Rookie
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  5. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    I remember that, it was a 79 GTS and it was Gumball Rally race, cool movie.
     
  6. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    ?

    That pic is from the first Cannonball Run movie, and the 308 Sammy and Dean drove belonged to the director, Hal Needham. Gumball Rally didn't have a 308 in it.
     
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  7. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

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    Was that the one that ended in Northern California? One did about that time. If so I remember the red one. We stored it for a bit prior to being shipped back to the east coast. It had some interesting modifications.
     
  8. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Can you elaborate?
     
  9. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

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    Extra lighting and a back up alternator. It failed. The OE worked the whole way. It had radar detectors and CB and junk too.
     
  10. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Once in lifetime moment.

    The car has been making its rounds at various Ferrari events for a couple of decades now so seeing it has lost its novelty for me - but being asked if I want to sit in it by Brock Yates himself while he opens the door for me, then getting a picture is priceless.

    Gurney was there and on his way over but was delayed and I sat in it waiting for him to show up longer than I felt comfortable doing. I finally crawled out and wasnt 20 feet away when he appeared but I wasn't going to get back in and ask for another picture. Seemed pushy and rude so I didnt.

    But now I wish I had.
     

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  11. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    Gumball was a Daytona... the first Ferrari I ever saw. And the beginning of the "need factor."
     
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  12. timr

    timr Formula Junior

    Sep 24, 2006
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    The race ended at the Portofino in Southern California.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  13. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    It was at Amelia couple years ago. I'll dig up my pics
     
  14. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    No way!

    Seriously... my uncle took me to see that when i was... I dunno... 7-8? Would love to see pics of the actual car and send them to him... he'd get such a kick of of it (even though at heart, he's a Porsche guy.)
     
  15. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    You got it.

    PM me an email and I'll send you all I have. I took a bunch.
     
  16. Zeus

    Zeus Formula 3
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    Here's the pic of the Daytona from the Car & Driver article taken on the roof of the Red Ball Garage in Manhattan right before the start of the original Cannonball race in November of 1971. I'm standing in the middle of the photo, but my car is not in the photo. The Gurney/Yates Daytona came in first (they're standing behind the Daytona). We finished third (in 36:56 despite 6 police stops, 2 arrests at gunpoint and a court appearance, losing second place by 9 minutes).

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    This a photo of the Gurney/Yates Daytona at the Amelia Island show a few years ago.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
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  17. NYC Fred

    NYC Fred F1 Veteran
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    http://www.dontwashmine.com/

    Not to hijack, but Kirk F White sponsored the Yates/Gurney Daytona.
    Another larger than life kinda guy...good reading.
     
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  18. Jonny Law

    Jonny Law F1 Rookie
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    That is a great story, Car and Driver March 1972 issue.
    https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15143608/the-cannonball-baker-sea-to-shining-sea-memorial-trophy-dash-archived-feature/

    Gumball rally is my favorite car movie.
     
  19. Zeus

    Zeus Formula 3
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    Yup, Brock Yates' Car and Driver story about the original Cannonball race is really great, as is his book. This post is some "insider" stuff about that Cannonball race (which formed the basis for the movie), that I posted in the Racing section a while back:

    https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/144437282/
     
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  20. Thomas Magnum

    Thomas Magnum F1 Veteran
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  21. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    I was there.

    I was looking thru one of those big fat glossy British car magazines that covered the event and saw myself! I photobombed over by the Enzos
     
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  22. Jonny Law

    Jonny Law F1 Rookie
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    Hey Lawrence,
    Have you seen this?

    The Fastest Outlaw in History: 'I Drove from New York to LA in 29 Hours'


    Now granted they had a team of support vehicles, which one would need in today's age.
     
  23. Zeus

    Zeus Formula 3
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    Sorry Jonny, but IMO Ed Bolian is a fraud. He never ran in any of the Cannonball races, yet repeatedly claims to have set the Cannonball Run record. He even has the audacity to have the official Cannonball Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash emblem (the actual name of the race) and the claim to have set the Cannonball Run record, as well as his claimed record time, emblazoned all over his car. He gives speeches at car club events touting his claim to be the Cannonball champ. Give me a break!

    Running at a flat out 120 mph across the country in a real race (e.g., I passed Dan Gurney's winning Ferrari Daytona at 120 mph in a hail storm and we raced each other through the rest of New Mexico in ice and rain conditions) and battling the second place finishers (CanAm, Trans AM & LeMans veterans) nose to tail over the final 10 miles is totally different from just driving solo across the country as fast as possible in non-race conditions with $50K in car prep costs, GPS and state the art electronic aids, a traffic signal changer, multiple advance spotter cars to watch for cops ensuring no speeding or driving to endanger tickets, etc., etc. Other self-verified supposed "record holders" even had airplane spotters.

    Bolian claims in that video that breaking 29 hours was the holy grail. Can you imagine what our 36:56 time in a totally stock Sedan DeVile would have been if we had a tricked out car, GPS and other electronic aids, multiple spotter cars and/or airplane support to ensure that we didn't have 6 police stops, 2 gunpoint arrests, a court appearance and a police escort to a county line (with the admonishment never to return to that county again) all of which probably took around 10 hours? Plus the national legal speed limit when we ran was only 55 mph!
     
  24. Saabguy

    Saabguy Formula 3
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    Agreed. I had a buddy run in '80 or '81. He was supposed to run as co-driver but the driver's car had some problem so they ran in his then new Mazda RX 7. The driver had access to some NV goggles, a CB, and a ready credit card. Plans for eliminating waste while driving were useless as they had to stop for fuel so often. Named Will Wright, the guy who brought us "The Sims" games.

     
  25. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    The problem is you are comparing apples and oranges. You did it nearly 50 years ago.

    I hear you. I'm a fan. I'll cherish that picture of Brock and me in the car forever
    He signed his book for me that afternoon. They sit next to each other on a shelf in my office. I get it.

    But its 20XX, not the early 70's. Everything is different now.

    How long do you think it would take you now on the exact same route you took then with exactly the same car and setup?

    In other words, do you think you could break 36 hrs today in the same car you used then with nothing else but a pair of binoculars, a CB and a X band only Fuzzbuster?
     

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