Tom Coronel gives launch slowest procession of cars in the world
On August 30, shots were fired in the woods on the Hoogevuurscheweg near tea house 't Hooge Erf near Baarn. Those shots were fired by driver Tom Coronel. Not that he wanted to end his life. He was there to kick off the slowest-moving procession of cars in the world. That afternoon they wanted to try to improve the record for the longest procession of funeral cars. That stood at 51 cars and 117 cars had gathered in Baarn. The vehicles collected were very diverse.
Old and new were mixed up. There were also trailers and even a truck and a bus. The bus was equipped with a bar and of course there was a spacious place for the plane. I complimented a lady from the organization on the turnout. She said that the large number of cars could be a reason that the record attempt would not succeed. Indeed, the first attempt failed. I then asked the English jury member Jack about the rules. They were allowed to try to set the record for as long as he was present. No gap greater than two “carlenghts” was allowed between the cars and the cars had to keep rolling and were not allowed to stand still. Not all cars present had to participate. As long as more than 51 cars would finish, the record was set. A few cars were taken out and they started again. Tom Coronel gave each competitor a few tips as they passed. This time the first car, a Rolls Royce driven by Mr Meijers, drove only 5 miles. This made it easier for the rest to follow. At such a speed, it takes a while before a route of 5,9 kilometers is covered by more than 100 cars. It got pretty dark when the Rolls came back. Jack held his counter and one by one the cars crossed the finish line. The Scania truck arrived last. It looked good, said Jack. But he still had to consult the witnesses and the other juror. Luckily nothing went wrong this time and the record with 107 participating cars was broken! I had already written an announcement about this record attempt on this site. Did you miss that then here is the link to that article: http://www.amklassiek.nl/bijzondere-recordpoging-guinness-world-book-records/41601/
Text and photos Jacques van den Bergh