If you lived through the 70’s then you will remember the Cannonball Run movie staring Burt Reynolds. It was a ridiculous movie with bad acting and a silly plot. But it was a huge success because it was meant to be pure campy fun.

What you might not know is that the cross-continent Cannonball race really did happen. In fact, it happened five times throughout the 70’s. Entirely illegal, it was the ultimate car lovers anti-establishment statement. For instance, renowned race car driver Dan Gurney (a winner in the 1971 race) was inspired to compete after reading Ayn Rand and feeling he had to express his individual rights. Whether it was an echo of the 1960’s protests, a statement about the 55 MPH speed limit, or an “in your face” statement to OPEC, this race was meant to shout freedom. The people involved in this race were making a statement the way they knew best: by driving really really fast.

Starting in New York, competitors had to drive across the United States to Redondo Beach, California. Best time wins. No set routes, no specific rules, and no restrictions on the type of car that could be entered (everything from Ferrari’s to Motorhomes entered the race). But it had to be driven, not towed or flown, and it had to be the same team of drivers in the car from start to finish.

Cannonball!: World’s Greatest Outlaw Road Race by Brock Yates is the book behind this crazy storyline. Yates was the founder of the Cannonball races and is a respected automotive journalist, so the book is well written and informative. He adds additional pages to the book by letting his fellow competitors write their version of the race. The pictures of the 1970’s clothes and hairstyles will make anybody in their 40’s or older wince a bit (and you younger folks will laugh). But that’s balanced by the photos of the great cars.

By the way, one of the competitors was Hal Needham, a movie producer. In 1979, he and Yates found an ambulance to enter and dressed themselves up as medics as they raced across the country. From this came the movie with Burt Reynolds.

For car lovers, this is a fun book. It’s a bit of Americana history. It is liberty expressed through civil disobedience by car nuts. Hard for me to resist that.