Ever since his aging Honda Accord broke down a decade ago and he couldn't afford a replacement, 56-year-old James Robertson has been making 21 miles of his daily commute to his factory job on foot.

But not being able to afford a vehicle isn't a problem any more - after $230,000 of donations poured in to an online fund to get him a new ride.

Americans touched by images of Robertson battling through the snow on his daily reached for their wallets to help out the dedicated worker, whose intimidating commute never stops him making it in for his $10.55-an-hour wage.

Scroll down for video

Trudging on: James Robertson, 56, walks 21 miles a day to get to his $10.55-an-hour factory job in Detroit, Michigan

Helping out: Robertson, who is now the recipient of a $230,000 pot on the GoFundMe website, is pictured above with college student Evan Leedy, who started the project

All he wants: The modest Ford Taurus, above, is the car Robertson has said he'd most like to spend his money on

Robertson, who lives 23 miles from his job, and has worked 2pm-10pm shift for the past 12 years, never missing a shift.

As only part of his journey is covered by bus routes, he puts in 21 of the 46-miles round trip on foot.

He walks eight on his way in way in, while on the way home he faces a 13-mile trek, since some services have finished.

However, the punishing, all-weather hikes now look like a thing of the past for Robertson, whose surging total on a GoFundMe donations page passed $230,000 Tuesday evening.

That amount of cash in the bank could get Roberston some of the flashiest motors on the market - including a convertible Aston Martin V8 Vantage (around $138,000), a Maserati Granturismo ($132,000), or, at a push, a Lamborghini Gallardo (from $181,000).

Rain or shine: Robertson has a perfect attendance record at work, and has battled heat, rain and cold alike to make it on time for the past 12 years

Tough life: Robertson takes a bus for just over half of his 46-mile-a-day trek, but still puts in almost half on foot

But the machine operator, who said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press that American manufacturers are more his style, has said all he wants is a Ford Taurus, which will set him back some $27,000.

He said: 'I'm a Ford fan. I remember the Taurus. They look comfortable, nothing fancy. They're simple on the outside, strong on the inside — like me'.

'I'm 6-foot and I think the Mustang's a little tight,... I mostly stay with Americans cars - Lincoln, Fords, GM, Dodge.'

The fundraising campaign for Robertson was started by Evan Leedy, 19-year-old college junior who read his story and decided to raise money for him - initially with a $5,000 goal.

Over just two days, 6,750 people have donated, with individual contributions as high as $2,000.

Moment of rest: In the above photo, Robertson stops to pray during a break at the factory in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills where he works

Leedy and Robertson met Monday night at a bar in Rochester, Michigan, ahead of a round of national press interviews.

At the encounter, Robertson said: 'I'm always going to be in your debt — I will never forget this.'

The teen responded by showing him some comments left alongside the donations - many of which said that he deserved the money for his decades of hard work.

Although the fund was originally just meant to get Roberston - whose last ride was a decrepit Honda which gave up in 2005 - a new set of wheels, the fund could now do much more.

As well as the car itself - which some local dealers have offered to give to him for nothing - the cash is likely to help with medical and dental expenses, as well as longer-term commuting expenses like gas, repairs and insurance.

The interviews and meeting were orchestrated by Blake Pollock, a UBS banker who saw Robertson's commute, sometimes gave him lifts, and first told the press about him.

The finance expert has now assembled a group of advisers to manage the ever-growing fund, which is now 17,500 times larger than his annual wage - or equivalent to eight and a half years' work.