Australian adventurer Rod Wade and co-pilot Michael Flanders are aiming to drive America coast-to-coast in a 1930 Ford Model A in less than 60 hours in mid-October, according to Wade’s website.
Their planned route will take them along the Lincoln Highway, the pioneering American transcontinental route championed by Henry Ford, and part of Jackson and Cocker’s original crossing, as well as down sections of iconic Route 66.
They will mark the start of their non-stop journey, which begins on Columbus Day (October 14th) by filling a bottle with water from the Atlantic Ocean, just off Staten Island. The water will then be poured into the Pacific Ocean when the team arrives at Venice Beach, Los Angeles. That’s when the clock will stop and a new world record will be set.
The “Ocean 2 Ocean Challenge” pays tribute to the original coast-to-coast drive 110 years ago. Based on the map, it appears he and his crew will pick up Route 66 at Oklahoma City and stay on it to the Pacific Ocean.
So be prepared to wave to a 1930 Ford on Route 66 in mid-October. Don’t expect him to stop and chat, however. He’s on the clock.
Wade is no amateur in vintage-car challenges. He recently completed the Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge, traveling 8,000 miles on primitive roads in 33 days. And he’s planning a London-to-Cape Town journey — a distance of almost 10,000 miles.
Wade has been using the long journeys to raise money for kidney health awareness. His wife and daughter suffer from kidney disease.
(Hat tip to MSN UK; Image of a 1930 Ford Model A by Oliver Hammond, via Flickr)
Sounds like a great adventure and the ties to Jackson and Crocker are very cool. However, there seems to be little or no Lincoln Highway involved and they definitely need to look deeper into that “championed by Henry Ford” bit.