Gambler 500 started in Oregon 2014 by Tate Morgan and the OG Gamblers, a small group embracing cheap fun in all forms. The essence of this eco rally is very simple: get together a friend, get a cheap car, determine the route and some waypoints through backroads, and the most important ones – pick up trash and have fun.
There are two first places, standings are based on who picks up the most litter, and who drives the most miles on gravel. It’s more of a “redneck” festival but with a very positive background. Its not a race, it’s an overlanding event.
Since the rally mainly goes sideways and through the woods, the rally cars need further refinement to allow them to pass through less accessible areas. Therefore, the rally participants remodel cars in the off-road spirit.
One of the many who took part in the recent Eco rally is this Saab 9-3OG, which has been pretty much reworked for off-roading, the exhaust pipe is raised on roof (snorkel), the car has increased ground clearance, added the right off-road tires, and adjusted front and rear angles (the approach angle, the departure angle), radiator and engine shields, extra large LED lights etc.
And it wasn’t the only Saab at these events in different US states, and there was always some reworked Saab somewhere. In the following video you can see the preparation of the Saab 9-3NG for such a rally:
And, to get a broader picture of this rally, in the following video, take a look at typical participants in this event and their highly converted vehicles:
