2002 Mercedes Benz S55

Make/Model: Mercedes Benz S55 AMG
Year: 2002
Owner: Ed Bolian
Original Price: $I00.000+

About The Mercedes Benz S55 AMG

The Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash of the 1970s inspired lots of modern automotive events, but perhaps the most interesting is called the 2904. It was organized from 2006 to 2016 by John Ficarra of San Francisco, CA. The premise is a cross country race for less than $1/mile. Participants must buy, repair, prepare, and drive their junk cars across the country as quickly as possible.

After Ed Bolian set the Cannonball Record in 2013, Ficarra contacted Ed and asked if he might be up for joining the event. Ed went out shopping, hoping to find something in the vein of the CL55 that he set the record in. He found a 12 owners, 2 accidents. salvage title, frame damaged, airbags previously deployed Mercedes S55 AMG on Craigslist in Las Vegas.

The owner had lent it to her daughter to take to Hollywood and become a famous actress but unfortunately the car had broken down in LA, and she never became famous. Ed bought the car sight unseen for $1,500 with an electrical issue that was keeping it from fully functioning.

Dave Klink was the shop foreman at the Mercedes dealership that had serviced Ed’s CL55 before the 28:50 record run and he volunteered to help repair the $55 and co-drive on The 2904.

The two of them were joined by Chris Staschiak and went on to win the most competitive running of The 2904 with a record setting time of 32 hours 5 minutes. This improved on the record set in 1983 by David Diem and Doug Turner in a Ferrari 308 of 32 hours 7 minutes as the fastest NY to LA drive in a competitive event.

Their time was so much faster than the previous fastest time in The 2904 that it inspired “The Bolian Clause,” which stipulated that all future entries be OBD 1 or older, meaning pre-1995.

PLAN YOUR VISIT