Any idea on theme for the 2026 Cannonball

[oldcarfan]

On 11/21/2025 at 8:17 AM, Beans said:

Don't remember if it was last year or the year before but there was a lot of interest in a RADwood type of theme.  Don't know much about it other than it is an 80's and 90's car culture type event.  

https://www.radwood.com/

 

 

A Radwood could be fun, either limited to things you might do in period, or taking an 80s-90s car and updating it. That could maybe stretched into a Fast N Furious early 90s tuner sort of thing. 

[tim08]

I like a lot of MeatMans ideas, the police idea is pretty cool too. Ohio has some pretty nice highway patrol units.

[stitchdup]

not to be that guy, but cop cars dont really fit the vibe of an illegal street race. cop cars done as racers does, but not plain cop cars. it would be fun coming up with far fetched incapacitants to use on other racers. maybe a generator in the trunk set up to turn ev cars into electromagnets or a stick for bike wheels. 

[MeatMan]

4 hours ago, stitchdup said:

not to be that guy, but cop cars dont really fit the vibe of an illegal street race. cop cars done as racers does, but not plain cop cars. it would be fun coming up with far fetched incapacitants to use on other racers. maybe a generator in the trunk set up to turn ev cars into electromagnets or a stick for bike wheels. 

That'd be an interesting theme, "Cheaters"!

[dust collectors]

I like the LeMons idea, Land Yachts could be cool too. 

[Pat Minarick]

A few ideas :

Animals , Cougar, Cobra, Mustang ,etc

4- Bangers ,any car that came with a 4 cylinder. 

Cartoons,Deals Wheels style. 

LeMons , Low dollar

Sleepers , done before but I enjoyed it.

Bug invasion, everyone build a VW bug from mild to wild. 

Rat rods.

''Street legal race cars''

Mid , rear engine. 

Edited yesterday at 12:47 AM by Pat Minarick

[Sam I Am]

How about pickups?  Tons of kits out there. 

[meechum68]

I like the following:

4 bangers-cars/trucks (This one the most cuz... 4 bangers .. nitrous, alchy, boost, so much boost and then you get Porsche/VW/Pinto/Vega as the traditional ones, plus the awesome imports from Japan) 

Landyachts

Pickups/vans

Fake cop cars 

The idea about the Alaska to SA run for another GB would be a blast as well.  So many options open up with that. 

[avidinha]

15 hours ago, stitchdup said:

not to be that guy, but cop cars dont really fit the vibe of an illegal street race. cop cars done as racers does, but not plain cop cars. it would be fun coming up with far fetched incapacitants to use on other racers. maybe a generator in the trunk set up to turn ev cars into electromagnets or a stick for bike wheels. 

A couple guys broke the Cannonball record in a car disguised to look like an unmarked cop car a few years ago.

 

[Mattilacken]

How about "Bring out your Dead CBR´s"? all previously entered builds are eligible! And then if some one want to join in and don't have an old build they can chose to build according to one of the last (say)2 years topics?

This would for my sake give me at least 4 different builds that I could finish!  

[stitchdup]

58 minutes ago, Mattilacken said:

How about "Bring out your Dead CBR´s"? all previously entered builds are eligible! And then if some one want to join in and don't have an old build they can chose to build according to one of the last (say)2 years topics?

This would for my sake give me at least 4 different builds that I could finish!  

that already part of it. less than half finished entries can be entered in any theme

[Mattilacken]

31 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

that already part of it. less than half finished entries can be entered in any theme

True that, but it feels more fun to do a new one when its a fun theme  

[MeatMan]

16 hours ago, avidinha said:

A couple guys broke the Cannonball record in a car disguised to look like an unmarked cop car a few years ago.

 

Great vid! A must watch.

[MeatMan]

Wow, the list of themes is getting long! Here's an update of the ones I've seen posted.
I personally like themes that are are likely to have more entrants, but that's me.
Let me know if I missed any.

Wagons
Off-road
Movie cars, no limits
Cannonball Run, 1980s edition. The last official Run took place in 1979
Run-What-You Brung Part 2
Work/Service vehicles. Entries disguised as work vehicles but prepared for the Run
Low-Budget Build (LeMons)
Unlimited
RADwood - a celebration of the '80s and '90s lifestyle
Hot wheels 
Cars from movies/TV
Cars from songs
Monster garage show
Land Yachts....  any car that meets a minimum overall length.  
Wild and crazy. Sky would be the limit.
Race cars (non-streetable)
Combine land yachts with station wagons/panel cars, 4 doors
Animals , Cougar, Cobra, Mustang ,etc
4- Bangers ,any car that came with a 4 cylinder
Cartoons,Deals Wheels style
Sleepers
Bug invasion, everyone build a VW bug from mild to wild
Rat rods
Street legal race cars
Mid/rear engine.  
Pickups
Bring out your Dead CBR´s

 

[MeatMan]

18 hours ago, meechum68 said:

I like the following:

4 bangers-cars/trucks (This one the most cuz... 4 bangers .. nitrous, alchy, boost, so much boost and then you get Porsche/VW/Pinto/Vega as the traditional ones, plus the awesome imports from Japan) 

Landyachts

Pickups/vans

Fake cop cars 

The idea about the Alaska to SA run for another GB would be a blast as well.  So many options open up with that. 

I can do two out of the four. I don't have a kit that'd fool anyone that its a cop car, and no 4-bangers.

Edited 20 hours ago by MeatMan

[stitchdup]

7 minutes ago, MeatMan said:

I can do two out of the four. I don't have a kit that'd fool anyone that its a cop car, and no 4-bangers.

my local cops had a purple focus for the unmarked car

[MeatMan]

19 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

my local cops had a purple focus for the unmarked car

Well, if I got the intent correct for the CBR, it would need to be fairly obviously a police car to be disguised as one, yeah?

[Pat Minarick]

11 minutes ago, MeatMan said:

Well, if I got the intent correct for the CBR, it would need to be fairly obviously a police car to be disguised as one, yeah?

I could be an older cop car right? 4-door 69 Satellites, ex- Mayberry car ...

[oldcarfan]

19 hours ago, meechum68 said:

I like the following:

4 bangers-cars/trucks (This one the most cuz... 4 bangers .. nitrous, alchy, boost, so much boost and then you get Porsche/VW/Pinto/Vega as the traditional ones, plus the awesome imports from Japan) 

Landyachts

Pickups/vans

Fake cop cars 

The idea about the Alaska to SA run for another GB would be a blast as well.  So many options open up with that. 

I wonder if a second limited time limit group build maybe a three month build or something would be popular without taking away from the annual Cannonball competition?

That could cover an Alcan Alaskan Highway Rally, Panamerica or Baja 500 Mexico style rallies, or even a Paris to Dakar style rally. 

[MeatMan]

12 minutes ago, oldcarfan said:

I wonder if a second limited time limit group build maybe a three month build or something would be popular without taking away from the annual Cannonball competition?

That could cover an Alcan Alaskan Highway Rally, Panamerica or Baja 500 Mexico style rallies, or even a Paris to Dakar style rally. 

Someone would have to propose it and see what responses they get. My rep on those things is shot, so it won't be me, but I have a kit bash perfect for it.

[MeatMan]

31 minutes ago, Pat Minarick said:

I could be an older cop car right? 4-door 69 Satellites, ex- Mayberry car ...

True, so yeah, I got one of those.

[oldcarfan]

All the ideas seem good so far. I could go for any, but a 4-bangers Run would be cheap, as I have a lot of Japanese cars. lol.

Street legal race cars could go a couple of ways, a stock body on a race car chassis, or a race car with added lights to make it street legal.

There is also precedent for Pickups in Cannonballs, both movie and real life. Work trucks might be cool in the same kind of way.

[MeatMan]

1 minute ago, oldcarfan said:

All the ideas seem good so far. I could go for any, but a 4-bangers Run would be cheap, as I have a lot of Japanese cars. lol.

Street legal race cars could go a couple of ways, a stock body on a race car chassis, or a race car with added lights to make it street legal.

There is also precedent for Pickups in Cannonballs, both movie and real life. Work trucks might be cool in the same kind of way.

After the 2025 vote, I'll repost the list and ask everyone for their three favs. Then we could use it to get a list of three to vote on.
How's that sound?

[Beans]

21 minutes ago, oldcarfan said:

I wonder if a second limited time limit group build maybe a three month build or something would be popular without taking away from the annual Cannonball competition?

That could cover an Alcan Alaskan Highway Rally, Panamerica or Baja 500 Mexico style rallies, or even a Paris to Dakar style rally. 

This group build a little while back gained some good participation so there is no reason any of you ideas couldn't be done.

 

[stitchdup]

has gymkhana been suggested?