Driving across America is a dream many car enthusiasts have. There’s no better way to get an insight at the United States’ landscape and people – and, in a good car, the journey can be enjoyable. Alex Roy and Zach Bowman with The Drive, though, went in a different direction and decided to pilot a Morgan 3 Wheeler from Los Angeles to New York City in 2015. The journey, as you’ve guessed it by now, was hellish.
Any enthusiast in the U.S. has heard of Roy at least a few times, as he is known for going coast-to-coast in record times. His most famous run took place in 2006, when Roy and David Maher broke a 23-year old transcontinental record with a time of 31 hours and four minutes in a modified BMW M5. After Roy and Maher’s record was broken, he returned to complete the trip in 26 hours and 28 minutes in an Infiniti Q50 sporting the driveline of an R35 Nissan GT-R.
After that run, Roy set his mind on doing something different. Driving across the country in a modern car, at least to Roy, is no that alluring anymore. He wanted something more challenging: he wanted to complete the trip in a classic car without GPS, radar, or modern amenities, like the original transcontinental drivers did. So, he settled on a Morgan 3 Wheeler and elicited Bowman’s help.
The duo really wanted to set a quick time, even spending some time with a mechanic learning how to do basic repairs and getting a better understanding of what could go wrong. Unsurprisingly, for such an endeavor, some things did go wrong: they drove through sleet, had a breakdown where the vehicle spewed transmission fluid, and were stopped twice by the police for speeding.
Still, they persisted and managed to finish the run in 41 hours and 49 minutes. That may not seem impressive, but it’s easy to overlook the fact that they did it in a freaking Morgan 3 Wheeler — an open-top vehicle with a wooden frame. Roy claims that it’s the worst thing he’s ever done in his life, and after watching the video you’ll probably agree with him.