So I'm watching Top Gear, wondering...

Many of my favorite Top Gear episodes are the ones where the boys are given a budget to buy a certain type or style of car and then they perform a series of challenges. Why, oh why, don't we have this as a thing? Banger rallies seem to be disappearing. But we still do TSD rallies. We could have street-safe but still entertaining challenges.

I mean, sure, we have The Challenge. Autocross, drag racing, concours. But I am watching the one now where they do a high speed run, a ride test by measuring the water that spills in their laps, a lap time, mpg and number of breakdowns. Then some of them include how much money you can make when you re-sell them afterwards. Some of these challenges they get are great, and the cars they come up with are both terrific and terrible.

$1,500 for a two-door car that isn't a Porsche? Awesome, I'd do that. We need three or four folks to volunteer and play in a version of one of these. Like the Challenge, only low-stakes and lower effort. We could crowd source some challenges, based on where we'd do it.

So, Chicagoans, want to blow $1,500 to play amateur Top Gear? :) We need to make this happen!

did someone here wind up with that lot of 25 Crown Vic cop cars that the city of Detroit was auctioning off?

that would be a start...

I forsee this being the 'next big thing' for GRM'ers. Have as many people as possible drive/fly in from all over the counrty, with a predetermined amount of money to buy a car meeting the criteria that will be provided upon arrival. A day to find and buy a car. And a few days worth of ridiculous challenges. This could be the $20XX Challenge where the total vehicle cost is actually $20XX.

And at the end of the day we could do a figure 8 demolish derby ! Would that be to red neckish ?

The babe rally used to fit this description.

Nothing stops a team from flying in a week early and buying/preparing a car for the challenge.

So fly in next year for the Challenge two days early next year and look for a car...

noddaz wrote: So fly in next year for the Challenge two days early next year and look for a car...

And sell it before you leave.

I've always wanted to buy a car in Fl a week before the challenge and put it on eBay with a 7 day auction ending the day after the challenge.

I think you could almost do this as another sub category to the challenge. Whoever wanted to participate shows up 48 hours early and has that time to buy and prep a car. And each of these teams would have maybe a day to sell the cars after the challenge is done. Sure they wouldn't be competitive with the other challengers but I like to the they would be competitive among themselves. I know I'd read that sorry

moparman76_69 wrote: I've always wanted to buy a car in Fl a week before the challenge and put it on eBay with a 7 day auction ending the day after the challenge.

They have shorter, 3 or 5-day auctions available.

I think this solution is the only way I'll ever get to do a Challenge since I'm on the wrong coast and all :/

To get the best selection of vehicles, wouldn't we have to do this in atlanta?

But thats still just finding the best car possible for a set of always-the-same events, just with minimal prep time. Half the fun would be in having absolutely no idea what challenges await.

In reply to Lugnut:

I think this what you're looking for: T.R.A.B.I. rally From the twisted mind of GRMer JThw8.

If this comes to fruition, and is east coast based, I really really want to do it!

Unless the criteria is pickup trucks, then it would have to be in Montana

HappyAndy wrote: In reply to Lugnut: I think this what you're looking for: T.R.A.B.I. rally From the twisted mind of GRMer JThw8. If this comes to fruition, and is east coast based, I really really want to do it!

Yes! I want to do that!

HappyAndy wrote: In reply to Lugnut: I think this what you're looking for: T.R.A.B.I. rally From the twisted mind of GRMer JThw8. If this comes to fruition, and is east coast based, I really really want to do it!

Yep, ya'll just described the T.R.A.B.I. class of the Asphault Adventures W2W rally. It will be limited to 10 teams. Fly/drive to the start and you will have 48 hours to shop, buy, and prep for a 6 day road rally with challenges and adventures along the way. It is not for the faint of heart. You have $1000 to prep and $(to be determined) budget for repairs, fuel, etc along the route. Every dollar over budget is points off your score. We are still working out the complete details but yes Mr Paul, it will be east coast based this time, we did West last year. We may do a west coast event this year too but it will probably not include a T.R.A.B.I. class just the normal open class and banger class. Check the website posted above or the FB page at https://www.facebook.com/AsphaultAdventures

I try not to spam the boards with our events but I will answer questions here if they are asked. For this reason I would recommend if you are interested in knowing more about this when the event is launched (Dec 1st) follow the website or FB page or sign up for our mailing list and you'll get an email when new information on upcoming events is released. (send email to jim@asphaultadventures.com)

We do events on commission too so if you dont like that one, we'll build the event you like ;)

NOHOME wrote: The babe rally used to fit this description. Nothing stops a team from flying in a week early and buying/preparing a car for the challenge.

The BABE rally lacked the short buy/prep time part of the challenge. It's actually why we created the TRABI challenge because the banger class has become a little boring on our rallies because people have too much time to prepare. The first few years of BABE the cars were terrible and teams didn't really prepare but by the last one in 2013 most teams would buy a car 8 months in advance and shake all the bugs out of it. Asphault Adventures (the new BABE for lack of a better term) has open class (bring any car) banger class (similar to old BABE rules) and we are now trying T.R.A.B.I. which is for the hardcore. 48 hours to buy and prep when you are starting cold (and yes, you will have no opportunity to "pre shop" so it is a cold start) is quite a challenge.

After reading about the theme portion, I am not sold. This is my least favorite thing about all of the crapcan racing stuff. I know it is a different schtick there but I want fun and adventures and a good time with buddies, making new friends along the way. I don't like the dressing up as Mario because I bought a plumber's van or someone decorate their old white $750 240sx convertible as the Mach Five part.

Lugnut wrote: After reading about the theme portion, I am not sold. This is my least favorite thing about all of the crapcan racing stuff. I know it is a different schtick there but I want fun and adventures and a good time with buddies, making new friends along the way. I don't like the dressing up as Mario because I bought a plumber's van or someone decorate their old white $750 240sx convertible as the Mach Five part.

Theme portion on banger rallies is not teams in costumes. Although sometimes there is a costume day on banger rallies it is usually for fun and for TRABI will not be included, you'll have enough to worry about. Themeing the car is however important, think less Lemons costume stuff and more Art Car parade. You are buying a beater and cruising cross country, why be boring about it, make your car stand out ;) Sometimes there is a set theme (replicating vintage race liveries for example) sometimes its team choice just make it interesting.

And if you don't like decorating your car....don't. Generally the points assigned for vehicle themeing are not high enough that they cant be overcome by doing well at the rest of the event its just a little edge for teams who do it WELL, and I will say very few teams do it well so that lowers the point value even further.

EastCoastMojo wrote: To get the best selection of vehicles, wouldn't we have to do this in atlanta?

Actually, there is a spark of brilliance to this suggestion. All participants fly in to Atlanta and by a car. It's a short but significant one day drive to the event, and then you prep the car.

I would allow pre-purchase in any time frame rather than forcing a sale date of just before the event.

Curious, how all this "buy within 48 hours" would work in terms of licensing/registering cars? I know if you buy from a dealer it's pretty easy, but most $1500 cars aren't at dealers. If you buy from someone on craigslist or something, how can you register it in time, especially in states where registration requires safety and/or emissions inspection?

Just wondering. Registering a car is usually the biggest pain in the ass part of buying a car.

irish44j wrote: Curious, how all this "buy within 48 hours" would work in terms of licensing/registering cars? I know if you buy from a dealer it's pretty easy, but most $1500 cars aren't at dealers. If you buy from someone on craigslist or something, how can you register it in time, especially in states where registration requires safety and/or emissions inspection? Just wondering. Registering a car is usually the biggest pain in the ass part of buying a car.

Without giving away the farm I'll just say tha Asphault Adventures has considered that question and we have a solution for our events.

Now I want to see the Top Gear guys do a 201X challenge entry/episode.
Would be some easy ridiculous cars for them, awesome exposure for the event.

SnowMongoose wrote: Now I want to see the Top Gear guys do a 201X challenge entry/episode. Would be some easy ridiculous cars for them, awesome exposure for the event.

as long as it's the real Top Gear and not those Americans..

This reminds me of the YouTube video series from Car & Driver called Battle of The Beaters. Two teams have a challenge sprung on them and a budget. They have to go out to the local car market to find a car, prep it for the challenge, and then race.

https://www.youtube.com/show/battleofthebeaters