If you own a supercar, have a lot of money, and want to take part in one of the most epic adventures of all time, you should probably sign up for Gumball 3000. The once underground rally has become a global phenomenon filled with parties, celebrities, and sightseeing at insane speeds.
The Gumball 3000 is an annual British 3,000-mile (4,800 km) international celebrity motor rally which takes place on public roads. It was started in 1999, when British designer and former racecar driver Maximillion Cooper gathered 50+ friends to take part in a 3,000-mile journey across Europe. The entry fee for the rally would be $8,700 and the rich participants would have to bring their own supercar. Cooper chose the term “Gumball” because Andy Warhol had used it to describe how the population chews up and spits out pop culture like a piece of gum. The entire event was supposed to have a rock ‘n’ roll feel to it. The first Gumball 3000 took drivers from London to Rimini, Italy and back. Each night of the trip would feature a stop with an epic dinner or party.
By the popularity of the 2001 and 2002 rallies, the Gumball 3000 became a global phenomenon for the next few years. There were a record numbers of entries from 2003-2006, highlighted by the 192 vehicles that took part in 2004. During these years, Cooper organized another trip through the United States along with a couple tours of Europe.
Anyhow, The Gumball 3000 has received a lot of criticism. Two pensioners died in an accident in Macedonia in 2007 Gumball, after their VW Golf was hit at speed of around 160km/h (100mph), by Porsche 911 Turbo driven by Nick Morely and Matthew McConville, Gumball rally drivers.
Participants have been stopped for speeding, have had their driving licenses taken by police, and had their cars confiscated. One of the highlights (or lowlights) happened in 2003 when a Koenigsegg CC85 received a speeding ticket in Texas for going 389km/h (242mph) on a 120km/h (75mph) stretch of roadway. It is believed to be the fastest speeding ticket of all time.
Dublin, Ireland, was the start point for the this year (2016) Gumball 3000 rally. From there was a quick pit stop in Belfast before hopping onto a ferry and into the Scottish highlands to shack up in Edinburgh for the night and continue to London.
Amazingly, the organizers at Gumball have managed to close down the whole of central London’s Regent Street for a day to allow members of the public to come down and see the cars, stars… and David Hasselhoff. After London, the route ticks off Germany, Prague, the Hungaroring, Budapest, and Transylvania before the chequered flag is waved in Bucharest.
But we all know the part that interests you is the cars. From multiple McLarens, a frenzy of Ferrari F12 TDFs, Hellcats, obligatory jacked-up G-Wagens, a Lamborghini-based Batmobile, somehow-street-legal F1 car and many, many more, all wrapped in lurid liveries and stickered up.
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