Gumball 3000 was first held in 1999 with 50 cars. It was inspired by two 1970s films, The Gumball Rally and Cannonball Run.
There is no prize for finishing first, although bronze busts of Burt Reynolds are awarded in categories such as Spirit of Gumball, Bling Award and Best Quote.
A Mercedes McLaren SLR was clocked doing 216mph in Croatia last year. A Lamborghini Murcielago was busted at 194mph in 2005 in England. The car was impounded.
Cars written off include Ferraris, Lamborghinis and a Dodge Viper. The slowest car ever entered was a Citroën 2CV with a top speed of 60mph. It finished. Spanish police once doled out $50,000 in speeding fines to Gumballers at a single checkpoint.
Past and present cars include a Bugatti Veyron, a Koenigsegg, a Gumpert Apollo, a Dodge Charger with a 5,000 watt sound system, an ice cream van, below right, a VW Camper van with a Porsche engine and Hugh Hefner's limo.