The Gumball 3000 is an annual British 3,000-mile (4,800 km) international road rally which takes 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 120 cars, which are mostly exotic and powerful sports cars. However, more unusual entries (such as police cars and camper-vans) have been seen. The Rally is not a serious race in the traditional sense of rally races - there are no prizes for being fastest or official timekeeping of any sort. Organizers emphasize that it is a road trip adventure and not a race.

In 2008, the rally included a unique stopover in Pyongyang, the project having been initiated by the North Korean ambassador to Britain. Permission was initially granted to drive from South Korea through the fortified border, though in the end the stopover was without the cars.

Often compared to the 1980s Cannonball Run films, starring Burt Reynolds, the Gumball 3000 is actually not influenced by these or the stories that gave rise to those movies, but instead draws inspiration from movies such as Two-Lane Blacktop, Vanishing Point, Bullitt and Le Mans. However, there was a 1976 movie called The Gumball Rally featuring a 3000-mile race across America with exotic cars and international drivers on public roads that may be the source of the name of the race.

Alexander Roy (born November 23, 1971) is an American rally race driver who has won the Spirit of Gumball trophy and in 2006 set a transcontinental driving record across the United States in 31 hours, 4 minutes.

Roy distinguished himself on the Gumball 3000 and Bullrun rallies with a modified BMW M5, and later a Bentley Continental GT comically decorated as Canadian, German, Spanish, Swedish, Italian and Bahamanian police cars (complete with lights, sirens, and an inflatable sex doll) for Team Polizei 144. He won the Gumball's 2003 Spirit trophy for his car, eccentric costumes, and mock French or German interview replies. In 2004, he and his co-driver wore costumes based on the Disney science fiction film Tron, winning the Style trophy.

Roy meticulously prepares for rallies with the goal of avoiding police stops, using maps, GPS navigation, and spreadsheets. During the 2004 rally, he would use the police-car disguise to startle other drivers into pulling over, where he would then videotape their reactions.