Imagine driving from New York to Los Angeles and not encountering any significant traffic, construction delays, weather issues, or speed traps.
Ed Bolian, 28, doesn't have to imagine it, because that's how smoothly his recent cross-country drive turned out to be.
It went so smoothly, that the Atlanta man and two companions were able to shatter the unofficial record for fastest drive from New York City to Los Angeles, with a time of 28 hours and 50 minutes.
They accomplished this modern-era "Cannonball run" with an average speed of 98 mph and a top speed of 158 mph, making extensive use of GPS directional units, police scanners, radar detectors, and a switch to turn off the break lights.
The excursion, earlier this month, is said to beat the previous record, set in 2006 in a 2000 BMW M5 by Alex Roy, by more than two hours.
With Bolian, a Lamborghini sales manager and Sunday school teacher, were co-driver Dave Black and support passenger Dan Huang.
Their odyssey, in a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG, began on October 19 in New York City at 9:55 p.m. The 2,813-mile journey was complete when the trio pulled into the Portofino Hotel and Marina in Redondo Beach on October 20 at 11:46 p.m.
"I've thought about doing this for the last 10 years" Bolian, who this week began sharing details of the expedition, told FoxNews.com. "This was always to me sort of the holy grail of American automotive car culture."
The three men stopped only three times for refueling and restroom breaks, because the car was outfitted with two extra 22-gallon gas tanks. Bolian did not divulge specifics of the route, but said that much of it was along the east-west U.S. Route 40, which traverses 12 states.
Interestingly, these sporadic high-speed cross-country record pursuits began way back in 1933, when Edwin "Cannonball" Baker drove from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hours and 30 minutes.
"No one knows Baker's motivation for the run, but his 50 mph average was high impressive, considering the interstate system was not yet built," states the website Jalopnik.
The record got whittled over the years as more Cannonball runs were attempted, and Roy's mark seemed as though it was safe until Bolian came along.
–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv
–Top photo: Ed Bolian (center) poses with co-driver Dave Black (right) and support passenger Dan Huang at the conclusion of their 2,813-mile odyssey from New York to Los Angeles. Courtesy of Ed Bolian. Second photo shows average and top speed
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