The Gumball 3000 is an annual 3,000-mile international road rally taking place on public roads, with a different route around the world each year. Founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, it sees an annual entry of over 100 cars. Organizers emphasize that it is a road trip adventure and not a race.
Often compared to the 1980’s Cannonball Run films starring Burt Reynolds, the Gumball 3000 is actually not influenced by these films. Instead Gumball 3000 draws influence from the 1976 movie called ‘The Gumball Rally’, featuring a 3000-mile race across America with exotic cars and international drivers on public roads.
For this year’s 15th anniversary rally, the event starts in Copenhagen on the 18th of May. The second stop is Stockholm and after Stockholm the next stage is Helsinki followed by stages to St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga, Warsaw and Vienna. The rally will finish in Monaco in time to watch the Monaco Grand Prix.
One team aiming to certainly gain exposure and create a bit of Gumball magic is Team Galag. Team Galag consists of car enthusiasts from across the globe who have teamed up to create a trurly memorable vehicle. For the rally’s 15th anniversary, Team Galag are bringing Batman’s Tumbler car to the grid. The Tumbler is a scale model of Batman’s Tumbler, built by Florida-based bespoke car builder Parker Brothers Concepts, at a cost of over $1 million. Parker Brothers Concepts, a Florida company made famous for building vehicles used in the movies and television. Most recent examples include the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty and the vehicles used in the Death Race remakes.
Team Galag had this to say about their entry: “The main reason behind doing the Tumbler was that we wanted to bring back a little originality and fun to the Gumball 3000, something it was always known for. We wanted to capture the spirit of movies and cartoons such as Cannonball and Wacky Races, while keeping with the cool and rock and roll image of the rally.”
The Tumbler itself is certainly no micro vehicle. It weighs in at 2.5 tons and is wider than a Hummer. The vehicle itself is no movie prop; this Tumbler has been built by hand from scratch to not only be road legal, but also to endure 3000 miles of mayhem. Under the impressive armoured bodywork is a bespoke tubular chassis, supporting a huge 6.2L V8. It’s thought to produce 450-bhp, but being such a heavy weight, 100-mph is the estimated top speed. However, seeing this roaring down the highway at any speed would be enough to make you want to hastily pull over and get out of its way.
The action starts next week! If you can’t catch it in person make sure you check on their progress!
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