The short answer is – yes, there are several methods to acquire free vehicles in the newly released Need for Speed Unbound. This guide will provide a comprehensive look at all the ways you can expand your dream garage without spending any in-game cash.
As an avid Need for Speed fan myself, I know how important it is to get your hands on the hottest cars in Lakeshore City‘s vibrant underground racing scene. Whether you‘re a street racer looking to make a name for yourself or a car enthusiast wanting to collect rare beauties, free rides will help you leap ahead.
Let‘s start at the very beginning – when you first roll into Lakeshore City with nothing but ambition in your eyes.
Starting Your Journey – Initial Car Selection
When beginning your NFS Unbound journey, you get to pick one of three starter cars for free:
- BMW M3 Evolution II
- Mercedes C63 AMG Coupé
- Audi S5 Sportback
Each starter car has its strengths – the Beamer and Audi are great for grip racing with their AWD systems, while the Merc excels at drift with its powerful rear wheels.
My personal recommendation is the BMW M3 – it strikes the best balance between speed and handling. Combined with AWD traction, the 3.0L straight-six engine propels it to an impressive 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. This all-round performance makes easy work of early game events as you establish your rep.
All three starter cars have a dealer value around $30,000. So picking one is like getting a free high-end ride – a perfect jumpstart for any motorsport prodigy in Lakeshore!
Unlocking Story Reward Cars
As you complete the single-player campaign andStory events, your talent will be rewarded with new vehicles from the underground scene.
In total, around 25 high-value cars can be earned for free as you progress – ranging from JDM tuner favorites to American muscle legends and European exotics.
For example, winning one of the first drift events gifts you the 1998 Nissan Silvia K‘s – a classic Japanese drift machine worth $85,000. Further into the story, you‘ll unlock the 2017 Ford GT, an ultra rare American supercar valued at $500,000.
Here are some other awesome story-reward cars and their estimated values:
| Car | Estimated Value |
|---|---|
| Lamborghini Huracan STO | $800,000 |
| Ferrari F40 | $1,000,000 |
| Pagani Huayra BC | $2,500,000 |
As you can see, these are some seriously valuable rides. With 25 up for grabs, completing the campaign essentially gives you a multi-million dollar garage for free!
Making Bank from Weekly Live Summits
Aside from single-player rewards, you can also earn exclusive cars by competing in Need for Speed Unbound‘s weekly Live Summit events.
Think of these as an ever-changing playlist of challenges that gets updated every week. You‘ll find fresh races, time trials, stunt runs and more with worldwide leaderboards.
The prize for reaching the top tier each week is an elite Spotlight Car – often rare supercars and tuners that can‘t be found anywhere else.
For example, the first week‘s rewards featured the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda – a classic American muscle hero valued at around $250,000. Future weeks are set to include the Lamborghini Huracan STO ($800,000), Mercedes-AMG One ($2.7 million) and other sweet prizes.
While you‘ll need skill and dedication to rank high in the Live Summits, it‘s possible to add these dream machines to your roster every week at no cost. Just set aside some time to climb those leaderboards!
Using Car Vouchers to Redeem Freebies
Roaming around Lakeshore City, you‘ll find Takedown signs left by street racers. Destroying these earns you parts for car performance.
But occasionally, taking down a sign will reward you with a Car Voucher instead. This can then be redeemed at a dealership for a free car!
You can also earn vouchers from activities like:
- Completing driver stories
- Increasing your street reputation
- Finishing daily challenges
The car selection is randomized when you turn in a voucher. But I‘ve seen rare finds like a $350,000 Lamborghini Aventador SV and $500,000 McLaren P1 GTR available as redemption options.
With luck and persistence, the vouchers offer yet another avenue to add high-value supercars to your collection for free.
Restoring Hidden Barn Finds
Cruising Lakeshore City, you may come across old barns and warehouses in remote areas. Breaking into them reveals classic cars stashed away, abandoned and rusting.
There are 10 barn find cars scattered across the map. Find one and it gets marked on your GPS. Take it to your garage to start the restoration process, bringing the classic back to its former glory.
The barn finds include beauties like:
- 1965 Pontiac GTO – $70,000
- 1969 Dodge Charger R/T – $90,000
- 1998 Toyota Supra RZ – $200,000
While not the fastest cars today, these restored icons make for gorgeous collector‘s items to own. With some upgrades, they can still perform well in events too.
Hunting down all the barn finds is a satisfying way to grow your garage with free unique cars.
Unlocking Freebies with Ultimate+ Parts
As you progress, you‘ll unlock the ability to equip Ultimate+ parts – special upgrades with powerful perks.
Installing each of the 5 Ultimate+ parts will instantly gift you a free high-end car. Here‘s what they unlock:
- Ultimate+ Wrap – 1998 Nissan Silvia K‘s Spec-R ($85,000 value)
- Ultimate+ Exhaust – 2008 BMW M3 E92 ($175,000)
- Ultimate+ Brakes – 2010 Audi TT RS ($120,000)
- Ultimate+ Suspension – 2017 Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster ($1,500,000)
- Ultimate+ Transmission – 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 ($500,000)
That‘s over $2.3 million worth of cars instantly added free! Equipping Ultimate+ parts as early as possible is hugely rewarding.
Buying Low-Cost Cars
For just $30,000-$40,000, you can grab excellent starter cars like:
- BMW M3 Evolution II
- Ford Mustang GT
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
- Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Snagging one or two of these performance bargains will give you very solid options for early events. Plus, any duplicate cars found later can be sold for profits.
I‘d also recommend watching the daily dealership offers for heavy discounts. I once grabbed an Aston Martin V8 Vantage for 80% off – just $50,000! Keep an eye out for these random sales.
And check the Auction House to bid on undervalued cars other players are selling for cheap. This is a great way to score quality cars for huge discounts if you get lucky.
Should You Ever Buy Cars With Real Money?
While it may be tempting to spend actual money on NFS Unbound‘s in-game currency (Bank) to fast track your supercar ownership, I‘d strongly recommend avoiding it.
Patience and playing through campaigns, events and challenges will reward you all the cars you‘d ever want or need. Once you unlock Higher Heat races and JDM events, you can pull in $100,000 an hour easily.
In just a few nights hitting Lakeshore‘s streets, you‘ll amass enough bankroll to afford elite hypercars like the million-dollar Bugatti Chiron. The satisfaction of earning your dream cars through hard work pays off far more than blowing cash on shortcuts.
Take it from me – someone who‘s owned every ride possible in NFS Unbound without spending a single real dollar. Just have some faith and keep racing!
7 Key Tips to Get More Free Cars
To quickly recap, here are 7 essential tips to maximize your free car unlocks in Need for Speed Unbound:
Progress through the single-player campaign to earn 25 top-tier reward vehicles.
Compete in weekly Live Summit events to earn the Spotlight Car free each week.
Redeem Car Vouchers at dealerships for random free vehicles.
Find and restore all 10 abandoned Barn Find classics.
Equip each Ultimate+ part to unlock free cars worth millions.
Buy select cheaper starter cars to give your garage a boost.
Sell any duplicate cars at the Auction House for profit.
Follow this guide and soon you‘ll be cruising the streets in priceless dream machines – all without spending a dime of in-game money!
Standout Free Cars to Target
While any free ride is a blessing in NFS Unbound, here are some particularly valuable cars truly worth chasing:
Supercars
- Lamborghini Huracan STO – Spotlight Car via Live Summits
- Ferrari F40 – Unlocked through playing the Story
- Pagani Huayra BC – Free Ultimate+ Suspension unlock
Tuner/JDM Icons
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 – Story reward for winning night races
- Toyota Supra RZ ‘98 – Barn Find restoration project
- Nissan Silvia Spec-R – Free for equipping an Ultimate+ Wrap
American Muscle
- 1969 Dodge Charger R/T – Priceless Barn Find
- 1970 Plymouth Barracuda – Live Summit Spotlight Car
- 1967 Pontiac GTO – Barn Find restoration
Securing any of these will fast track your rep among Lakeshore‘s racing elite. Stay on the lookout for opportunities to add them to your collection.
Final Thoughts
With inside knowledge of all the ways to unlock free cars – patience and smart grinding will help you build a truly elite garage in NFS Unbound. You‘ll be able to acquire any ride you desire without spending real money.
The journey will be immensely rewarding as you master Lakeshore City‘s streets and unlock its rarest machines. Before long, supercar owners will envy YOUR collection – all earned with hard work and skill alone.
So decimate those billboards, clinch those leaderboard spots, redeem those vouchers and reap those rewards, my friend. Your free car paradise awaits!
