Ferrari Dino 246 GTS Cannonball Run icon
Jack May appreciates vintage Corvettes and Porsches as much as any enthusiast They re iconic he s owned several and he still drives them But none are as revered as the wagon the retired U S Army Ranger long-time real estate developer and race car driver is about to sell Fifty years ago May now age and Rick Cline now drove a Ferrari Dino GTS from Red Ball Garage in New York City to Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach in hours and minutes The gang completed the -mile haul while averaging miles per hour It s often called the Cannonball Run The official name for the unofficial trek is the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash The Cannonball reference is the nickname given by George Baker a vaudeville performer pioneering motorcycle racer and event promoter in the s The infamous illegal Cannonball Run was held five times emulated a large number of times and is still often talked about since it was last held in Among plenty of Ferraris and other rarities the car May and Cline drove will be for sale at Mecum Auctions Monterey The three-day event one of a half-dozen auctions during Monterey Auto Week is scheduled Aug - at the Hyatt Regency Resort and the adjacent Del Monte Golf Syllabus I know I am going to cry when it goes stated May in a latest telephone interview I ve owned it since November set the record in it driven it all these years and loved it The recording-setting organization remained friends for countless years until it was geographically challenging May lives in Texas and Florida Cline left Florida for Georgia and is in declining soundness Sold under the Dino marque between and the GT GT and GTS are V mid-engined rear-wheel-drive sports cars The vehicles were the first Ferraris manufactured in substantial quantities about were made including GTS models They re often cited among the top sports cars of the s May bought his Ferrari new Less than two years later he was driving it across the country The legend of the high-speed haul involves avoiding and sometimes not avoiding law enforcement and incidents with wayward jackrabbits Mechanical issues were common Driving fast mattered bulk May wasn t required his car s purchase price or a predicted selling price Hemmings Motor News the renowned classic and exotic car magazine notes the Dinos of the era cost about new The main reason I m selling it is that I m getting to be an old man revealed May But also the mechanic who has taken care of the car all of its life is in her s I d rather have the car out there being enjoyed by everybody There were problems during the record run a fuel leak to a fouled spark plug The duo was briefly arrested by an Ohio State Patrol officer who eventually provided help Mecum presented more lasting interest in selling the car than various of the other brokers May commented of the pending auction he plans to attend It s sort of a friendship situation I think they can sell it as well if not better than anyone else The Cannonball Run s legend was the impetus for the action-comedy film of the same name and starring Burt Reynolds In up-to-date years documentaries have also been made about various record cross-country attempts including the project APEX The Secret Race Across America There have been plenty of similar adventures but it s sort of a fully different thing announced May It s now people running entirely independently and countless of those people have been known to cheat My record is at least officially certified It s a record that cannot be broken Now the time might be broken and presumably people have driven it faster But certain of those guys have used helicopters and advanced cars to see if the cops are up there We just drove the car James Raia a syndicated automotive columnist in Sacramento also contributes business lifestyle and sports content to several print and online publications E-mail james jamesraia com
