One of the dreams of many motorists is to drive Route 66 in a convertible with the top down.
David Loveall of Kansas City, Mo., certainly did — more than 555 hours’ worth on the Mother Road and other highways across the country, reported Automobile Magazine.
Loveall drives a Mini Cooper convertible equipped with a factory-installed “openometer,” measuring the number of hours the vehicle’s top was down. He accomplished all this between August and December 2009, giving him the title in Mini’s Open One Challenge.
Already frequently on the road for business, Loveall used the contest as an opportunity to see the entire continental U.S. in his Mini. Loveall packed his tent and sleeping bag, allowing him to camp over the five-month tour, which took him over Route 66 and the lonely U.S. 50.
“I took on the challenge for the story I’d get to tell,” said Loveall. “My Mini Cooper Convertible is the first car I have ever bought, and the experiences I have had within the first year of owning it have been amazing.”
Of more than 4,000 entrants in the contest, Loveall held the top spot in all the months he competed but one — and he was third in that one. Loveall won a trip for two to see the Mini factory in Oxford, England, in addition to $1,000 in gift cards.