Update: As has become obvious from the grainy, Photoshopped pictures, Alex Roy and Greg Ledet expended much effort fabricating this story about the record run – about as niche an April Fools' Day prank as there can be.
Apologies to those who got riled up about the danger of this, but the only potential victims, like Ed Bolian, the true record holder – were completely unfazed: "It was an elaborate ruse," Bolian said. Roy sent Bolian fake Facebook geotags showing the path of their run. Fun? Maybe, but as Bolian said, "It cheapens the pursuit."
From New York City to Los Angeles, a 2,811 mile-trip, in less than 27 hours. I'll do the math for you: This recent record-breaking cross-country drive averaged 106 mph—on civilian roads, where police are watching for speeders.
The vehicle: a modified 2014 Infiniti Q50 with the guts of a Nissan GT-R. The engine is tuned to 654 horsepower and gets 850-plus with full boost engaged. To cut down on stops for gas, it was outfitted with a 55-gallon fuel tank cell feeding into the main tank, giving the modified monster car a total range of about 1,000 miles per fill-up and allowing it to make only three fuel stops during the drive across America. The car also has a complete steering and pedal setup in the passenger seat, like a driver's ed car, allowing a second driver to take over seamlessly without stopping.
The driver: Alex Roy, who previously set the cross-country record in 2006 with a time of 31 hours and 4 minutes in a blue 2000 BMW M5. That record fell in 2013 to Lamborghini salesman Ed Bolian, who did the drive in 28 hours and 50 minutes with a modded 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG. Roy's time to get from Red Ball Parking Garage, 142 East 31st Street, New York, NY, to the R10 Social House at 179 N Harbor Dr, Redondo Beach, CA: 26 hours, 28 minutes. If you drove at legal speeds and there were absolutely no cars on the road, the route would take about 41 hours.
Making record time means avoiding police. Getting pulled over eats into the time, especially if they put you in the back of the car for going 150-plus mph on civilian roads. To steer clear of the cops, Roy added three Valentine One radar detectors (to spot police radar systems), night vision cameras, a half-dozen iPads and iPad minis running traffic apps, night vision cameras, laser jammers, aircraft detectors, police scanners, and two CB radios. You can check the full list of gear at The Truth About Cars. Roy and his co-drivers—David Maher (a banker and part-time Porsche driving instructor) and Greg Ledet, who holds the fourth-fastest cross-country drive record of 31 hours 17 minutes—swapped positions three times during the drive.
Roy explained to me via text that he won't release any photos of the car until this time next year, when "the criminal statutes" expire. After that time he can show conspicuous evidence of irresponsible speed, and he won't be legally culpable.
Of course, the inherent legal problems also gum up the official-ness of the record (how can you prove your time when you can't show off the video for fear of prosecution?). For now, we have data points and a GPS readout of the trip, but we'll have to wait a full year for the video and more evidence to confirm the trip.
Till then, check out some videos from Roy's first run, like this one, where he almost gets nabbed by the Oklahoma police:
As Editor in Chief, Alexander oversees all of Popular Mechanics’ editorial coverage across digital, print, and video. He has been a science and technology journalist for over 10 years and holds a Master of Arts degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He was previously Technology Editor for Popular Mechanics and before that, a contributor to publications including the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Outside, and was a product tester and reviewer for The Wirecutter. He has been called on to appear on live and taped broadcast programs including Today and programs on MSNBC. He lives in Pennsylvania and rides a 2012 Triumph Street Triple R motorcycle.
