The S6 That Set a New Transcontinental Cannonball Record
Import car dealer Doug Tabbutt and exotic car mechanic Arne Toman broke the Cannonball Run record (again) in a disguised and modified Audi S6 late last year.
2020: The Year of the Cannonball Run
The famous Cannonball Run Challenge is attempted multiple times annually by several drivers. And it seems that each year the record for the fastest transcontinental NY to LA trip in an automobile is constantly being broken in impressive fashion. In 2020, the quiet roads courtesy of the stay-at-home orders provided for unprecedented opportunities for attempts at breaking the world record. And it was done... several times.
Honoring Erwin "Cannonball" Baker
It all started in 1933 when Erwin "Cannon Ball" Baker set an unheard-of record of 53.5 hours in his trip from New York to Los Angeles. Decades later in the '70s, when renowned automotive journalist Brock Yates decided to protest the speed limit reduction to 55 MPH, he went about it in the most dramatic way he could think of. He put together a series of coast-to-coast races named the "Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash." And with that, not only was the term Cannonball Run Challenge coined but by 1979, a new record of 32 hours and 51 minutes was set.
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The Tradition Carries On
After 1979, Yates decided it would not be safe to continue chasing new records, and ceased the organization of the rallies. That didn't stop fanatics of the Cannonball dash from attempting their own runs. In fact, we now have the Coast To Coast Express, which embodies the spirit of Cannonball Dash. C2C limits contestants to low-budget vintage vehicles.
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Records Broken
And that brings us to veteran Cannonballers Doug Tabbutt and Arne Toman who put a stamp on 2020 with an incredible, record-breaking Cannonball run in November. Tabbutt and Toman aren't just avid Cannonball enthusiasts. They also know their way around a fast car. The duo had completed the run and set the new record with a modified 2015 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG in 2019. Little did they know, their illustrious record was about to be surpassed multiple times the following year.
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Sacrificed in Battle
Although Tabbutt and Toman likely didn't expect their record to be beaten so quickly, they were enthusiastic to offer their help with other runs. Toman volunteered to serve as a spotter, running ahead for a section of the path to inform the Cannonballers of any obstacles. And it was there, sadly, that the legendary E63 was hit by a tractor-trailer, resulting in the car being totaled. Our heroes didn't give up hope, though.
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Going Undercover
In their search for a new car to take cross country, and take advantage of 2020's light traffic, they were offered this Audi S6 by a fellow Cannonballer. They left no stone unturned in upgrading the performance of the Audi. But they also employed the genius strategy of disguising the car as an unmarked Police vehicle.
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A New Cannonball Record
With a massive performance bump for the S6, a Ford Taurus police car camouflage, several radar scanners, and other navigation aids, and of course, the help of a series of spotters planned through the route, Doug Tabbutt, and Arne Toman set a legendary new Cannonball record of 25-hours 39-minutes from NY to LA in November of 2020.
>>Join the conversation about this Cannonball Record holding S6 right here in the Audi World Forum!
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