US coast to coast driving record broken by Holden Commodore

A true blue Aussie Holden has just been used to break an insane driving record in the US. And no, it wasn’t exactly legal.

Australia’s Holden Commodore has become the first vehicle to cross the US in less than 24 hours.

Three friends claim to have driven from Jacksonville, Florida on the US East Coast to San Diego, California on the West Coast in 23 hours and 35 minutes, setting an unofficial – and illegal – record while reaching speeds in excess of 270km/h and maintaining a moving average speed of 167km/h.

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Three American friends set a coast-to-coast speed record in a Holden. Picture: YouTube/VinWiki

Texan petrolhead Bronson Justice gave an interview on the popular VinWiki YouTube channel explaining how he, Christopher Michaels and Rob Spectre recently set a coast-to-coast driving record on public roads.

Justice picked a 2017 Chevrolet SS for the job.

Built in Adelaide as the last of Holden’s Commodore SS, the 6.2-litre V8-powered sedan was exported in relatively small numbers to the US.

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The Holden-built Chevrolet SS reached speeds over 270km/h. Picture: YouTube/VinWiki

It combines the muscular punch of a Chevrolet Corvette with a practical four-door body that isn’t easily recognisable on the road.

The trio put a 22 gallon (83 litre) fuel cell in the boot, and filled the back seat with a “bat cave” of computers, GPS sensors, radar detectors and other equipment linked to friends that served as spotters on the highway, along with a remote “mission control” office tasked with plotting the ideal route.

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An additional fuel tank helped them get the job done. Picture: YouTube/VinWiki

Justice told VinWiki he always thought it “would be pretty cool to be able to run across the country in 24 hours” and “figured it was time”.

“I said, it’s now or never. Somebody is going to do it before I get a chance to do it,” he said.

“We just had to trust our equipment, trust mission control and go for it.

“We were the first team to cross the country in one day under 24 hours. It’s been a dream of mine to get it done for two or three years. We accomplished it.”

Folks who follow so-called “Cannonball Run” records will note that Justice and his team did not use the traditional start and finish points, the Red Ball garage in New York and Portofino Hotel in California, as they were shooting for a shorter trip.

The team had a false start when their auxiliary fuel tank proved troublesome, prompting a restart of their record attempt.

The drive across the US didn’t go perfectly to plan, with a high-speed tyre delamination and a speeding fine for 97mph (156km/h) in a 60mph (96.5km/h) zone sapping time from the run.

“I’ve got out of quite a few tickets,” Justice said.

“This guy wasn’t having it.”

Sophisticated sensors and maps played a starring role. Picture: YouTube/VinWiki

Justice said his rare “unicorn” Holden was ideal for the trip. It follows in the wheel tracks of crews who claim to have set speed records across the US in V8-powered machines including the BMW M5, Audi S6, Mercedes-AMG E63 and Ford Mustang.

Though unofficial, the current record is generally agreed to be held by Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, and Dunadel Daryoush who maintained a 180km/h average in a twin-turbocharged Audi S6 during the coronavirus pandemic.

The trio claim to be the first to cross the US in less than a day. Picture: YouTube/VinWiki

Justice and his team provoked mixed reactions on YouTube.

“I love this part of our American culture. Let’s see how fast we can drive across our big ass country lol. I hope this never dies,” one person said.

“I really need to stop watching these cannonball videos. They are going to end up landing me in jail.”

The Holden attracted comments praising it as an “awesome car to do it in”.

Others were “not impressed” with one person pointing out that they put “hundreds if not thousands of peoples lives in danger just for internet fame”.