New York to LA record for pre-war cars to be attempted again in a 1930 Ford

Australians Rod Wade and Michael Flanders will be making a second attempt to drive from New York to Los Angeles in less than 60 hours on Nov. 22, after their first attempt ended two weeks ago with their 1930 Ford Model A suffering a mechanical failure 38 hours into the trip.

That effort began in the early morning hours of Oct. 14, with the duo having departed from Staten Island, N.Y., with a plan to average about 50 mph across the country in their vintage Ford, stopping only for gas, on their way to Venice Beach, Calif. The car had successfully completed the Peking to Paris rally just months prior with Wade at the wheel, coming in 23rd out of more than 90 cars.

A day before their first attempt, we had a chance to speak to both drivers at the Linden, N.J., base garage where they were getting the car ready for the record attempt. The car had been running a little hot in the days prior to the start of the run. Even though the team lost several hours in Ohio trying to get the engine to cool down, about 14 hours into the record attempt, another mechanical problem ended their run on the afternoon of the second day -- a broken crankshaft.

"We were devastated when the previous attempt failed, but it did two things: taught us a few lessons that have helped us plan the second attempt, and made us more determined than ever to get the record set!" Wade said.

Jay Ramey
The 1930 Ford Model A is set to beat 60 hours from New York to LA.

When it comes to records, this will be an entirely new category, as it will be the first known attempt to set a New York to LA time in a pre-war automobile driving on modern roads. In 1933 the New York to LA time for a contemporary car driving on roads of the time was reported to be 55.5 hours.

Jay Ramey
The Ford Model A broke down just two weeks ago during the first attempt, and just days before the modern record was set by a Mercedes-Benz CL500.

Wade and Flanders will be completing a 2,947-mile route that will dip into parts of Route 66. They will be sticking to speed limits throughout the run (much safer that way, and no need to bring 100 pounds worth of electronic equipment or a spotter plane), so they'll only have to average approximately 50 mph to break the record. As anyone who has measured their average speeds on long-distance drives will tell you, one has to cruise about 10 mph faster than the average they're aiming for to compensate for fuel stops. That's not going to be a problem, as the 1930 Ford Model A, with a grand total of 20 horses under the hood, can only do about 65 mph.

"To average 80 kilometers an hour, we're going to have to sit around 100 [kph], and that's our plan," Wade told us as we were examining the Ford a day prior to his first departure. "We'll sit on 100 kilometers an hour and try and bank a bit of time because if we do have an issue like a flat tire or anything, that's time out, we've got make that up."

Jay Ramey
Rally driver Rod Wade knew that if the first attempt failed due to mechanical failure, that he'd be back.

One thing that will be different this time around is that they'll have a chase car with spare parts, a mechanic, and a media crew. As this will be a record attempt for classic cars, the chase car (quite appropriately, we feel) will be a retired 1988 Plymouth police cruiser. To answer your next question: no, the police cruiser will not be clearing the way for the Ford. Quite the opposite, it'll hang back and shadow the Ford in case of a mechanical breakdown. And it won't be carrying fuel to save time for refueling stops for the Ford -- we have a feeling that the Plymouth chase car is going to end up making more pit stops than the Ford just because of its own voracious appetite for fuel.

And being somewhat familiar with New York to LA record attempts, we have a feeling the occupants of the Plymouth chase car are not exactly going to have a swell time shadowing the Ford themselves, just due to the 60-hour driving time and the need to cruise in the mid-60s for 2,947 miles. It's a good thing it'll be crisp November temperatures, and not the heat and the traffic volume of the summer months. But let's face it: 60 hours in the back of a 1980s police car with limited time for bathroom breaks is going to be a trial itself for the support crew.

Jay Ramey
Flanders, a veteran mechanic in Australian V8 supercar races, is resolved to break the record along with Wade.

As with the first attempt earlier this month, the 1930 Ford Model A will be piloted by Wade and Flanders. Mechanically, very little has been done to it. Aside from a small electrical fan in front of the radiator, the cabin will carry a whole host of cameras, GPS equipment, and rally timers. About the only significant mechanical improvement, aside from the gearbox receiving an overdrive gear, will be a water tank in the back seat which the team will be using to channel water directly to the radiator via a flick of a switch in the cabin.

"Overheating-wise, we've got a 100-liter water tank in the back of the car where the back seat normally goes. So while we're on the run we've got a switch where we can actually pump into the car if there is an issue, we've got plenty of water that we can refill the car with. Apart from that, any major mechanical we're just going to have to do the best that we can, basically," Flanders said.

Jay Ramey
To beat 60 hours, the Ford Model A has to average just 50 mph and do six to seven fuel stops.

As on the first attempt, and just about every attempt before that going back to the 1930s (especially the 1930s), the greatest challenge will be driver fatigue. Staying awake for the 30-something hours on modern attempts was grueling enough, but 60 hours with just two people in the car? Mechanical issues aside, the car has done Peking to Paris, so a 2,947 mile jaunt across the U.S. on (mostly) good pavement is a pipe-clearing sprint at best.

Wade and Flanders plan to nap for a couple hours at a time while the other drives, but that's still the greatest challenge of the record attempt as far as we see it. Try playing your favorite racing video game with a partner for 60 hours straight on a loop, taking naps for about an hour every several hours and limiting yourself to six bathroom breaks, and tell us it's easy to drive 60 mph for two and a half days.

Wade and Flanders will depart New York in their 1930 Ford Model A on Nov. 22, taking a 2,947-mile route to Venice Beach, Cali. We wish them luck!

By Jay Ramey