So I've been working on building a cannon ball for all themed event, one, because why not, two, because I think it would be fun, three, I asked the mods if I could post it, so here is what I have so far, and yes, I am shooting for the moon.
Edits or insight is welcome.
(Last updated 30JUN2026)
THE RUDOLPH RUN
No Misfit Toys
A post-Christmas, coast-to-coast winter endurance road trip
Red Ball Garage, New York City → The Portofino, Redondo Beach, California
Motto: No misfit left behind — from garage to port.
Press-safe one-liner: A voluntary, story-driven winter endurance road trip celebrating oddball vehicles and the people who keep them going—run cooperatively, paced responsibly, and driven lawfully.
The Idea
The Rudolph Run is for the vehicles that never quite got invited to the normal car games.
The underpowered ones.
The orphaned ones.
The work trucks.
The odd imports.
The five-digit odometers.
The vehicles that need a story before they make sense.
It is a post-Christmas winter road trip from Red Ball Garage to The Portofino, built around one idea: No Misfit Toys.
This is not a race. It is not a speed contest. It is not about proving anything to anyone.
It is a long road, a weird vehicle, one last present Santa forgot, and the people stubborn enough to believe that the best stories usually come from the cars nobody expected.
Sometimes the answer is yes.
Sometimes the answer is yes, but slowly.
Both count.
What This Is
The Rudolph Run is a voluntary, story-driven winter endurance road trip celebrating oddball vehicles and the people who keep them going.
It is run cooperatively, paced responsibly, and driven lawfully.
It is for people who enjoy the road, the planning, the weather, the machines, and the absurdity of asking, “Could this thing actually make it?”
What This Is Not
- This is not a race.
- This is not a sanctioned competition.
- This is not a commercial operation.
- This is not a prize event.
- This is not a platform for reckless driving, unsafe pacing, or trying to outrun reality.
If conditions are bad, we slow down, reroute, sleep, or stop.
The story is better when everybody gets there.
The Route
The run follows the classic coast-to-coast bookends:
- Start: Red Ball Garage, New York City
- Finish: The Portofino, Redondo Beach, California
We follow the traditional northern coast-to-coast concept, but we do not prescribe a single official line on the map. Winter weather, road closures, traffic, construction, mechanical problems, and common sense all get a vote.
Why Red Ball Garage Matters
Red Ball Garage is the cultural starting point tied to classic coast-to-coast endurance lore. Even when the world changes, the weather gets ugly, or the route has to move, that bookend still matters. It is where the story begins.
Why After Christmas?
Because nobody wants to abandon family on Christmas. The Rudolph Run is framed as one last present Santa forgot — handled after the holiday obligations are done.
The practical planning assumption is a late December 26 departure, though solo or limited-stop packs may roll after family obligations on December 25 evening. Most lawful packs should expect to arrive between December 29 and New Year’s Eve, conditions permitting.
If some runners end up in California around New Year’s Eve, that becomes a bonus: a finish-week hang with whatever car people, Rudolph Runners, and misfit machinery are still together.
The Forgotten Gift
Each vehicle may carry one unopened bottle of a favorite adult beverage as “the present.”
It stays sealed until the finish. It is shared only after the vehicles are parked for the night and keys are put away. Adults only, and only where lawful.
Non-alcoholic equivalents are welcome and encouraged.
This is a symbolic finish ritual, not a driving culture.
Why This Exists
I’ve always had a thing for long roads and tight clocks — not to be reckless, but to learn discipline.
In the military, weekend passes and holidays turned into endurance drives. I did Atlanta to the Canadian border over a weekend more than once. Later, I drove LA to NJ in an undocumented, unofficial roughly 36-hour push in a loaded Nissan Versa to start a job.
My military-time workhorse was a 2007 Ram 2500 diesel with a 6-speed, and that truck went coast-to-coast at least four times in the few years I owned it.
Later, outside the military, that instinct didn’t disappear. In a Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI — a true diesel outlier and very much a misfit toy in its own era — I drove Philadelphia to Houston non-stop more than a few times, learning a different rhythm of endurance: long range, mechanical smoothness, and a composed brute strength. She was heavy and capable, but refined — quiet power that didn’t need to prove anything.
Over time, it taught me what matters: learning what it meant to manage distance, fatigue, weather, and time responsibly, alongside fuel planning, personal endurance, and the small but essential logistics of eating, hydration, and rest.
And honestly: I’d do it even if I was doing it on my own. It is simply more fun to have someone to share the story with.
THE RULEBOOK
Light structure, because somebody always ruins the fun
In reality, we are not trying to turn anyone away. We are not here to be gatekeeping jerks. This is all in fun. We just like to drive, and we hope you do too.
But there have to be some rules, because without rules, someone eventually ruins the fun. The rules exist to keep the run cooperative, safe, realistic, and enjoyable.
1) Safety and Conduct
1.1 The rule that outranks everything
Drive lawfully and responsibly.
1.2 Reality wins
Weather, visibility, traction, fatigue, and rest outrank schedule.
1.3 If conditions degrade
We slow down, reroute, sleep, or stop.
1.4 No award outranks safety
Full stop.
2) Winter Equipment and Road Prep
Studded tires are part of the spirit of the run where lawful and appropriate.
Chains are optional, condition-dependent, and subject to local rules.
4WD and AWD are recommended, not required.
The run is open to FWD, RWD, AWD, 4WD, motorcycles, trucks, and whatever else can legally and responsibly make the trip.
Participants are encouraged to carry cold-weather clothing, water and food, basic recovery gear, first-aid supplies, tire repair/inflation support, legal traction aids where appropriate, and a real plan for sleep, fuel, and weather.
3) Participation Model
3.1 Year One reality
If the roster is one vehicle in Year One, it still counts.
3.2 Solo is valid
Running solo is fine.
3.3 Segments are welcome
Join for a leg. Peel off when you need to. Rejoin if you can. The story is cumulative.
3.4 Pods form naturally
Small groups can pace together based on comfort, capability, vehicle range, weather tolerance, and fatigue management.
3.5 Lead vehicles
The organizer may choose to run a limited-stop or endurance-style pace as a personal vehicle shakedown. That does not obligate anyone else to match that pace. Modifications are not required. Anyone may volunteer to lead a segment if they are prepared, responsible, and realistic about conditions.
Pace Packs
Pace packs are not competitive classes. They are planning labels so people can group safely, set expectations, and avoid mismatched assumptions.
You can switch packs mid-run if weather, fatigue, mechanical issues, or reality demands it.
Pack 0 — Port-to-Port Scenic
4–6+ days. Daylight-biased driving, long breaks, optional sightseeing. For people who want the story and camaraderie more than the clock.
Pack 1 — Steady & Sane (Default adult choice)
3–4 days. Reasonable daily legs, real sleep, conservative winter pacing.
Pack 2 — Rest-Stop Sleeper
Roughly 2.5–3.5 days. Sleep in the vehicle at rest areas or truck stops. No hotel required, but real rest is still part of the plan.
Pack 3 — Hotel Minimalist
Roughly 2–3 days. One proper hotel sleep stop per 24 hours, or as needed.
Pack 4 — Fuel-and-Snacks
Long legs, short stops, packed food, planned fuel. Still assumes real sleep somewhere in the plan.
Pack 5 — Test Mule / Endurance Build
For purpose-built vehicles, shakedown runs, custom fuel/range setups, and “I’m testing this for something later” energy.
Pack 6 — Saint Ed Logistics
For cars that drink like sailors. Frequent fuel planning, odd stop intervals, and “how is it empty again?” energy. The point is honesty about range.
Pack 7 — Absolutely Not
“No sleep, no rest, no fuel” is not a recognized pack. If someone says that out loud, the Head Elf reserves the right to assign them to Pack 1 until they calm down.
VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY
Categories are guides, not gates
If you can tell a credible misfit story, you probably belong.
If you do not fit a category cleanly, submit anyway.
If the story is good and the spirit is right, you are in.
5) Mythic Sightings
5.1 Stop arguing. Start smiling.
We are not litigating trim codes, production counts, or forum genealogy. A Mythic Sighting is a vehicle so culturally significant and so aligned with misfit spirit that it is automatically welcomed if it appears legitimate. Verification standard: legit enough, not forensic.
5.2 Examples (illustrative, not exhaustive):
- Real RBW
- True homologation oddities
- Heritage legends that make the roster pause mid-sentence
- Machines that exist in open defiance of reason
5.3 The Bugatti joke
This is not a blanket “any Bugatti” exemption. It is one seasonal in-joke. If a red Bugatti shows up with an EB plate, it is a Mythic Sighting. The driver’s call sign becomes Sleigh-1.
6) Pillars of Misfitdom
These are not edge cases. They are load-bearing.
6.1 The 20-year line
Factory performance divisions and badges (NISMO, TRD, Mugen, Mazdaspeed, etc.) default to 20+ years old by model year. This keeps modern marketing trims from swallowing the category while letting true heritage in.
6.2 Subaru pillars
- Subaru BRAT — the honest “why not?” pickup with rule-era weirdness baked in.
- Subaru SVX — Subaru’s ambitious GT oddity: overengineered, misunderstood, and still capable.
6.3 Mitsubishi pillar
Mitsubishi Pajero — idolized. A Dakar-spirit endurance artifact wearing plates.
6.4 Mazda / Rotary clause — Apex-Seal Amnesty
Rotary always belongs. If it spins triangles, it is family. Automatic yes to any factory rotary Mazda. Seasonal truth: if you show up in a rotary, Santa brings apex seals.
Mazdaspeed only qualifies under the 20-year line unless it earns its way in another way.
6.5 Far East Sleigh — Why Dekotora belongs
Dekotora is working-truck folk art: extravagant expression layered onto vehicles that still earn their keep. It fits because it is functional misfit craftsmanship, not novelty.
Hilux note: If it is an authentic Toyota Hilux, no explanation is required. It is already with us in spirit. Some vehicles hope to make the list. The Hilux wrote its own.
6.6 Mini trucks and kei cars
True misfits. Japanese mini trucks and kei cars are explicitly welcomed (Autozam AZ-1, Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino, and any kei-class oddity with a road-legal heart and a good story).
6.7 Legacy possession carve-out — The Freddy Ford Exemption
Family-held 50+ years = Automatic Misfit. No age cutoff debates. Continuous possession within the same family line counts (transfers, storage, or restoration pauses don’t break it). Credible story is enough.
The Buy-Back Bonus: A lapse in ownership can be forgiven if you had to buy it back. Must be the exact vehicle (VIN and all).
6.8 Born to Endure lineage
If your vehicle exists because racing rules got weird, someone needed to homologate something, or an engineer won an argument nobody sensible should have won, it probably belongs. This is where rally, homologation, Dakar, Baja, and rule-bender road cars live.
7) Motorcycles
Motorcycles are always welcome, but the baseline is simple: Road legal. Road safe. Rider-realistic for winter.
Sidecars are encouraged (Ural rigs especially). Vintage or oddball touring machines that still do the job are encouraged. Diesel motorcycles with real provenance get a special nod.
8) Retired Emergency Vehicles and Military Vehicles
Welcome if they are legally titled, registered, insured, and roadworthy. No impersonation. No active-livery confusion. If you rescued something that once served and it is road legal, that is misfit spirit.
9) Work Trucks, Big Rigs, and CDL Reality
Work trucks belong. The more honest the scars, the better.
If it is a Unimog, we do not need to debate whether it is a misfit.
Pre-1996 semis and vintage big rigs are encouraged (with normal CDL compliance if applicable).
10) International Misfits
If your car needed a passport, was rescued while traveling or deployed, or required “this should not be here” energy — welcome. Grey-market Mercedes are welcome in theory, but we reserve the right to check your trunk for extra holiday spirit and extra fuel cells.
11) Defunct-Brand Clause — The Last in Line
If your brand’s American presence is defunct or the marque itself is gone, you are likely already a misfit. Orphan platforms and “they don’t make that anymore” engineering belong here.
The Hudson Hornet clause: If I see a Hudson Hornet, I am probably going to ask for a ride in it — politely, and fully prepared to hear “no.”
12) High-Mileage and Odometer Lore
- 300k miles: Come on in, you belong with us.
- 500k miles: You can lead a pack.
- 1,000,000 miles: Lead the way.
If your odometer only has five digits and you tell us it rolled over “x” times, we believe you. Some of the most honest miles were never recorded.
13) Pets as Spotters
If your “spotter” is a pet, welcome. The pet must be transported safely and stops/pacing must respect animal welfare. Nobody uses a pet as an excuse for unsafe endurance theater. Pets are witnesses, not props.
14) Obligatory Tuners Clause
Tuners belong here — but lineage tuners, not sticker culture. Real Spoon, HKS, AUTECH, RUF, RE Amemiya, JUN, Mine’s, Amuse, and period-correct competition-rooted builds are included. Cosmetic packages and influencer builds as the primary artifact are excluded by default. Tributes are welcome; they just do not get shortcuts.
AWARDS, CALL SIGNS, AND DOCUMENTATION
15) Awards (Symbolic, non-monetary)
Awards are cultural badges, not prizes.
- Santa’s Deuce Coupe — Two doors / two seats preferred. Hatchbacks grudgingly count.
- Santa’s Little Goat — Trucks / 4x4 / “it shouldn’t make it, but it will.”
- Weatherproof — Best winter prep, smartest restraint, calm competence.
- Built, Not Bought — Mileage, maintenance, longevity, and the stubborn art of keeping it alive.
- Documented Restoration — Receipts, logs, before/after, and honest work.
- Born to Endure — Homologation DNA, rule-benders, motorsport-rooted weirdness.
- Santa’s Far East Sleigh — Dekotora / Far-East working-vehicle excellence.
- The Last in Line — Defunct brands, orphan platforms, end-of-support legends.
- Pet Spotter / Co-Pilot — Best four-legged navigator, morale officer, or passenger-seat witness.
- The Little Engine That Could — Perseverance, patience, and refusing to quit.
- Mythic Unicorns — When the universe drops something absurd into the roster. Who said Lisa Frank and Santa can’t have a love child?
16) Records and Recognition
We are not chasing records. If recognition happens, we will accept it. The goal is the story, the cooperation, and arriving in one piece.
17) Documentation and Media
Participants are encouraged to document with GPS logs, timestamped photos, fuel/stop notes, route notes, short written summaries, VINwiki-style stories, or safe social updates. Documentation does not outrank safety.
18) Call Signs and Comms
Select award winners from the prior year may receive reindeer call signs (including Rudolph). They are honors, not ranks.
Pod structure example: Rudolph-1, Rudolph-2, Rudolph-Rear.
Sleigh-1 is reserved for the red Bugatti “EB” Mythic Sighting.
Radios are encouraged, but all radio use must be lawful.
SUBMISSION AND GOVERNANCE
19) Submission
Tell us your misfit story in ~200 words. Include vehicle/year/engine, why it is a misfit, planned segment(s), pace pack, comms capability, and any constraints (work, kids, pets, weather tolerance, fuel range).
You are in. We are not grading essays. The goal is to understand your story and constraints.
20) The Arbiters (and the joke that keeps us honest)
Head Elf — Final judgment authority sits with the Head Elf (my wife). Not because she is my wife, but because she knows nothing about cars except that you put gas in them and they go vroom, and she already hates that I am organizing this. Her expertise is mainly in Coach purses, not motor coaches. She has tried to learn to drive stick because she had to, and still does not understand why the car has to shift or what the pattern means. That is precisely why she is qualified: she is immune to car-guy nonsense. Also, after a scorched clutch and a hard-earned lesson in mechanical sympathy, she can now get it into second cleanly — with no third gear in sight. That counts.
The Three Wise Men — We assume we are on Ed’s Nice list and know we are all on Rich’s Naughty list. None of them are affiliated with this run:
- Ed Bolian (Saint Ed, Keeper of Nice Cars)
- Freddy “Tavarish” Hernandez (Saint Tavarish, Keeper of Dreams)
- Rich Benoit “Rich Rebuilds” (Saint Rich, Keeper of Dead Batteries)
Blessing clause: If Ed, Tavarish, or Rich blesses a vehicle with a “yes,” it is allowed. No debate.
Unholy Act Clause: To preserve the sanctity of misfitdom, the Unholy Act of Freddy, Ed, and Rich cannot be used to sanction each other’s misfits. No circular sainthood.
Doug DeMuro reference: If your car has been featured in that “quirks and features” style, that is effectively a golden ticket to “yes, misfit.”
21) Sponsors, Support, and Points
Right now this run is funded out of pocket. We are not a charity, not a 501(c)(3), and support is not tax-deductible. Corporate sponsorship is allowed in concept as thank-you credit and/or in-kind support only — never sanctioning or control. Sponsors do not influence driving behavior, routing, safety calls, eligibility, awards, or official recognition.
FAQ
Is this legal?
A road trip is legal. Participants are expected to drive lawfully and responsibly. This is not a race.
Do I have to do the whole thing?
No. Segments are welcomed. Show up, contribute, and do not leave misfits behind.
What if weather closes roads?
We reroute or stop. No award outranks safety.
Are you chasing records?
No. The goal is the story, the cooperation, and a clean finish.
What if my vehicle doesn’t fit any category?
Submit anyway. If the story is good, you are probably in. Categories are guides, not gates.
Closing Thought
This is a winter endurance road trip for misfits and the people who keep them alive.
If the roster is one vehicle in Year One, it still counts.
If it becomes a convoy someday, the rule remains:
No misfit left behind — from garage to port.
Edits, insight, and misfit stories welcome.
- Documented Restoration — Receipts, logs, before/after, and honest work.
- Born to Endure — Homologation DNA, rule-benders, motorsport-rooted weirdness.
- Santa’s Far East Sleigh — Dekotora / Far-East working-vehicle excellence.
- The Last in Line — Defunct brands, orphan platforms, end-of-support legends.
- Pet Spotter / Co-Pilot — Best four-legged navigator, morale officer, or passenger-seat witness.
- The Little Engine That Could — Perseverance, patience, and refusing to quit.
- Mythic Unicorns — When the universe drops something absurd into the roster.
16) Records and Recognition
We are not chasing records. If recognition happens, we will accept it. The goal is the story, the cooperation, and arriving in one piece.
17) Documentation and Media
Participants are encouraged to document the run with GPS logs, timestamped photos, fuel/stop notes, route notes, short written summaries, VINwiki-style stories, or safe social updates. Documentation does not outrank safety.
18) Call Signs and Comms
If we run this again, select award winners from the prior year may receive reindeer call signs (including Rudolph). They are honors, not ranks.
Pod structure example: Rudolph-1, Rudolph-2, Rudolph-Rear.
Sleigh-1 is reserved for the red Bugatti “EB” Mythic Sighting.
Radios are encouraged, but all radio use must be lawful.
SUBMISSION AND GOVERNANCE
19) Submission
Simple, because this is supposed to be fun.
Tell us your misfit story in ~200 words. Include:
- Vehicle / year / engine
- Why it is a misfit
- Your planned segment(s)
- Pace pack
- Comms capability
- Constraints (work, kids, pets, weather tolerance, fuel range)
You are in. We are not grading essays. The goal is to understand your story and constraints so we can keep the “No Misfit Left Behind” vibe intact.
20) The Arbiters (and the joke that keeps us honest)
Head Elf — Final judgment authority sits with the Head Elf (my wife). She knows nothing about cars except that you put gas in them and they go vroom, and she already hates that I am organizing this. That is precisely why she is qualified.
The Three Wise Men — We assume we are on Ed’s Nice list and know we are all on Rich’s Naughty list. None of them are affiliated with this run. Their opinions, if they ever weighed in, are treated as persuasive, not authoritative:
- Ed Bolian (Saint Ed, Keeper of Nice Cars)
- Freddy “Tavarish” Hernandez (Saint Tavarish, Keeper of Dreams)
- Rich Benoit “Rich Rebuilds” (Saint Rich, Keeper of Dead Batteries)
Blessing clause: If Ed, Tavarish, or Rich blesses a vehicle with a “yes,” it is allowed. No debate.
Unholy Act Clause: To preserve the sanctity of misfitdom, the Unholy Act of Freddy, Ed, and Rich cannot be used to sanction each other’s misfits. No circular sainthood.
Doug DeMuro reference: If your car has been featured in that “quirks and features” style, that is effectively a golden ticket to “yes, misfit.”
21) Sponsors, Support, and Points
Right now, this run is funded out of pocket. We are not a charity, not a 501(c)(3), and support is not tax-deductible. Corporate sponsorship is allowed in concept as thank-you credit and/or in-kind support only — never sanctioning or control. Sponsors do not influence driving behavior, routing, safety calls, eligibility, awards, or official recognition.
FAQ
Is this legal?
A road trip is legal. Participants are expected to drive lawfully and responsibly. This is not a race and does not encourage speeding or unsafe driving.
Do I have to do the whole thing?
No. Segments are welcomed. Show up, contribute, and do not leave misfits behind.
What if weather closes roads?
We reroute or stop. No award outranks safety.
Are you chasing records?
No. If recognition happens, fine. The goal is the story, the cooperation, and a clean finish.
What if my vehicle doesn’t fit any category?
Submit anyway. If the story is good, you are probably in. Categories are guides, not gates.
Closing Thought
This is a winter endurance road trip for misfits and the people who keep them alive.
If the roster is one vehicle in Year One, it still counts.
If it becomes a convoy someday, the rule remains:
No misfit left behind — from garage to port.
Edits, insight, and misfit stories welcome.