10 Cheapest Cars At The Gumball 3000 Rally

Porsche 911 Targa 4 Gumball ・ Photo by Benjamin Hunting

You don't have to be a zillionaire to participate in the Gumball 3000 Rally - although it certainly helps. At this year's event, which stretched from Stockholm, Sweden, to Las Vegas, Nevada, there were a number of entries of the decidedly more affordable variety. Of course, when surrounded by bank-busting luminaries such as McLaren P1s, Ferrari F50s, and Rolls-Royce Phantoms, 'cheap' becomes a relative term. Still, the following cars prove that you don't need to sell your house and drain your 401(k) to participate in the 3,000 miles of the Gumball.

Let's take a quick look at 10 of the cheapest cars at the 2015 Gumball 3000 Rally.

1. Ford SVT Raptor

The Ford SVT Raptor might look a little out of place beside some of the more exotic fare that runs in the Gumball 3000, but you have to consider the context: on the European leg of the Rally, the concept of cruising around in an American-built pickup truck is a definite novelty. Throw in the dirt bike in the back, along with a flat-black paint job, and the Ford SVT Raptor becomes an inexpensive way to stand out in a crowd that's snapping photos faster than a paparazzo outside the Oscars.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

2. Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 seen here was part of the same team that fielded the Raptor. In fact, the pickup was actually a support vehicle for the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, because it's pretty damn hard to find an auto parts store in Denmark that stocks alternators for a supercharged Ford V-8 engine. Still, even with 662 horsepower under its hood, the Mustang Shelby GT500 stands as one of the least expensive vehicles to take to the starting grid at the Gumball, checking in at under $60,0000.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

3. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28s

The team that this writer was part of for the 2015 Gumball 3000 Rally, sponsored by AsianDate.com/Anastasiadate.com, specifically chose to keep things low-budget. Each of these two 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 replicas were built for a very reasonable price, with the goal of proving that you didn't have to blow big bucks to be interesting at the Gumball. It worked - sort of. While the pair of Camaros were ultra-popular with European and American crowds alike, reliability issues saw the red coupe retire before it could make the flight across the Atlantic to start the second half of the event in Reno.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

4. Chevrolet Camaro

If you want modern reliability with retro muscle car styling, then why not just opt for a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS? Not even a ZL1 or a Z/28, this bone-stock Chevrolet Camaro SS relied on its 426 horsepower, 6/2-liter V-8 engine to keep it out of, or rather, get it into trouble out on the highway in a pack of Gumball cars. Plus, the modern Camaro also had the added benefit of things like air conditioning, cruise control, and a passenger compartment completely devoid of gasoline fumes, features that were lacking in the vintage models on our team.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

5. Porsche 911 Targa 4

The Porsche 911 Targa 4 is by no means a cheap car - its sticker price places it just above the $100k mark - but when seen amongst a fleet of Ferraris and Lamborghinis, even a vehicle as stylish as the Targa 4 starts to feel a little "common." With 350 horsepower from a flat-six engine and standard all-wheel drive, the Porsche was prepared for whatever weather might get thrown its way. At least the owner can console him or herself with the knowledge that they were driving the only Porsche 911 Targa 4 in the Rally, as not even McLaren P1 pilots could make that kind of claim for 2015.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

6. Lexus RC F

The Lexus RC F is a brand new member of the luxury brand's line-up for 2015, and it represented the sole entry wearing a Lexus badge at the Gumball 3000. Campaigned by Super Street magazine, the Lexus RC F starts at $62,400, a price point that brings substantial performance to the table: 467 horsepower from a 5.0-liter V-8 engine and a top speed of 168-mph. Given that the RC F only participated in the American half of this year's Gumball and missed out on Germany's unrestricted autobahn, it's unlikely that the speed limiter was ever pegged. Well, maybe I should add an asterisk to that last statement.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

7. Porsche 911 Turbo S

The second Porsche on this list is a lot more expensive than the first one, but still a bargain in the world of Gumball, especially considering that this model is a 2012. Depreciation hits the Porsche 911 Turbo S as hard as any other German performance vehicle, but helping to ease the pain of the price hit is the fact that the car comes with 530 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, managed by a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission and a standard all-wheel drive system. With a 0-60 time of less than three seconds, no one was leaving this 911 behind on the starting grid.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

8. Dodge Viper

The Dodge Viper has resumed its role as an affordable supercar, thanks in large part to a recent price rollback designed to jumpstart sales. As you might be able to tell, the sub-$90k Dodge Viper apparently caught the eye of not one, but two Gumballers who decided to pick up a pair of the king snakes and put their 640 horsepower V-10 engines through the ringer that is the Rally. It must be noted that the Viper can be an unforgiving car to drive: one of these beasts saw its clutch go up in smoke in Germany, with the problem found exactly 18 inches behind the steering wheel.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

9. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Coupe

The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Coupe is another $100k car that feels downright affordable when contrasted against the Italian, and even Swedish supercars like the Koenigsegg that are so popular at the Gumball 3000. For your money, you get 510 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque, along with a seven-speed automatic transmission and the ability to demolish the quarter mile in a mere 12 seconds. The model pictured here was very much not stock, at least as judged by the deafening tone of its exhaust note and its ability to keep up with Ferraris on the highway.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

10. Bentley Azure

The Bentley Azure seen here looks like a million bucks, but for a variety of reasons, this older luxury car is perhaps one of the ultimate "cheap" Gumball rides. For starters, you can pick one up for a mere fraction of its original price, with good used examples starting at under $100k. Next, consider the opulent comfort matched by excellent speed and road manners that only a Bentley can provide when traveling long distances, especially with the top down. Finally, an older Bentley is always more interesting to look at than a newer Bentley, especially in a crowd of enthusiasts. Considering that the drivers of this car swapped it for a DeLorean DMC-12 when they landed state-side, we think they've got life all figured out.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting