The “Holy Trinity” of Vu’s “Gumball 3000” Journey: A Warm Welcome with a Twist of Individuality

Preparations for the Gumball 3000 2024 rally began over six months ago, with a number of local car enthusiasts expressing their interest in participating. The cost? A cool 2.5 billion VND per car. However, Dang Le Nguyen Vu, the owner of Trung Nguyen Legend coffee, had a different idea. He wanted to host the Gumball 3000 team in a simple yet impressive way.

Initially, the Gumball 3000 representatives offered a sponsorship of 50,000 GBP, approximately 1.48 billion VND. But then, they requested that Mr. Vu and Trung Nguyen Legend coffee company accompany them by advertising their brand on hundreds of participating supercars. The cost? A whopping 200,000 GBP, nearly 6 billion VND—four times the initially agreed-upon amount. Additionally, to spice things up, Trung Nguyen set up a separate stage to display 18 of their supercars, down from the original 28.

When the Gumball 3000 2024 rally took place, famous Vietnamese supercar enthusiasts were tied up with personal matters and couldn’t make an appearance, even as guests. However, “Lord” Vu went above and beyond to welcome the Gumball 3000 delegation by showcasing his collection of 16 supercars, including a Bugatti Veyron and two Ford GTs, leaving some participants in awe that such models could be found in Vietnam.

What’s more, some members of the Gumball 3000 team were astonished to learn that a single individual in Vietnam owned nearly 700 cars, with a total value of nearly 4 trillion VND. It is understood that this was the first time Trung Nguyen had brought out these rare and sought-after vehicles, usually coveted by enthusiasts, billionaires, and collectors like “Lord” Vu himself.

The Bugatti Veyron, a true speed demon, had only two modifications from its previous display three years ago: a black-and-white paint job resembling a delicious cup of morning coffee, and a unique set of rims that not every Bugatti owner would dare to install. After traveling approximately 16,000 km, the owner had to shell out 55,000 USD for a new set of wheels. On top of that, the Veyron’s tires need replacing every 4,000 km, costing up to 33,000 USD. It’s clear that maintaining a Bugatti Veyron is an expensive endeavor, and this million-dollar supercar is only suitable for serious collectors.

Standing alongside the Bugatti Veyron were two gorgeous Ford GTs—one standard and one Ford GT ’67 Heritage Edition. Despite the Ford name, these cars are not your average vehicles. At their launch, they retailed for over 450,000 USD, but with a Ferrari-esque sales strategy, the new Ford GTs quickly doubled or tripled in value. Today, all Ford GTs are trading hands for over a million dollars.

Today marks the end of the 25th Gumball 3000 supercar event worldwide and its first appearance in Vietnam. If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, now is your only opportunity to admire over a hundred supercars from the largest global rally and, right across from them, 16 supercars from Trung Nguyen—a rare occurrence as “Lord” Vu rarely approves public appearances of his fleet.