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Auto-Inspiration: The Real-Life Cars Behind Grand Theft Auto

jalopnik.com — It may not have the racing chops Gran Turismo 5 Prologue or Midnight Club: Los Angeles, but Grand Theft Auto IV is still a big-title game for 2008 with some big-time automotive tie-ins. There are more than 100 different vehicles to play with, most of which are inspired in one way or another by real-life automotive counterparts

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  • Spuy767, on 06/05/2008, -1/+11While I doubt very seriously that the banshee was based on the Panoz Esparante, the rest of the list is pretty spot in. I'd wager the banshee is a combination of a shelby cobra and a viper, more crude than a viper with no less power and that to me screams the original shelby.
    • Spuy767, on 06/05/2008, -1/+5*****, I just realized that this dickbag forgot to mention the Regal and Grand National inspired car in the game. I'm ashamed to think that I ever considered Jalopnik a true car lover's site.
      • Narcism, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1This g-body lover is not pleased.
      • capturedpenguin, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1I'm pretty sure the g-body in the game is based on the Monte Carlo not the Regal, you can tell by the spoiler on the trunk.
        • Spuy767, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1There are actually both. And don't tell me that I don't recognize a Grand National as I own two. There's even a hood bulge with chrome lettering on it.
    • gplpark92, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1In GTA3, i always thought the front of the Banshee looked like the Esperante, and the back was a Qvale Mangusta.

      They have my black Mitsu Galant in the GTA4! :D
    • SpectralSounds, on 06/05/2008, -0/+3They forgot to mention that the rear end of the Infernus is taken from a Pagani Zonda.
      • davewashere, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1Yeah, that was one of the more obvious borrowed styling cues and not one that I would expect Jalopnik to miss. How many other cars have quad exhaust in a circle in the center of the rear end?
        • Spuy767, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1The body actualy ooks like it was taken more from a Diablo, the only Zonda part is the tail pipe.
    • Sairynn, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1I always thought the Banshee was closest to a Viper.
    • Greg2k, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1...spot IN?
    • ICSU, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1Dilettante also borrowed from Citroen C4
      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Citr ...
  • Hawk117, on 06/05/2008, -1/+12I thought the Uranus was a rip on Saturn... Guess I was wrong. Interesting read.
    • rwert, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2Yeah, in name alone perhaps. But as the picture shows, it sure doesn't look like one.
    • Khanvalescent, on 06/05/2008, -0/+3I always thought it had the looks of the Escort, but was a (very subtle) allusion (in name only) to the Ford Probe as well.
  • CptBuck, on 06/05/2008, -3/+68and the reason why this article couldn't have had a side by side comparison of the cars?
    • cycledesign, on 06/05/2008, -2/+7I think because most of them aren't based on a single car but an amalgam of several iconic cars and it would get messy without one-on-one pictures.
    • TexasShiv, on 06/05/2008, -10/+4Quit being so ***** lazy. Jesus christ, all have you have to do is hit your down arrow. Quit bitching, and close the article, fat ass
    • endlessoul, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2Here I am clicking the link for a side-by-side.

      I was disappointed.

      BUT, if someone were to create a side-by-side of these vehicles, then I'd digg your story.
    • ICSU, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1More clicks - more page views - $$
  • nizzy1115, on 06/05/2008, -1/+13But what is the ice cream truck based on?
  • bkjester, on 06/05/2008, -1/+22Damn, no love for the Feltzer? Love that convertible Mercedes.
    • peterjmag, on 06/05/2008, -3/+2For anyone who's wondering, the Feltzer is based on the Mercedes CLK (W209 platform, 2003-current): http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0510598901/Figuras/C_Mercede ...
      • SerifTheRobot, on 06/05/2008, -0/+5I disagree. It is a SLK/SL mix.
    • peterjmag, on 06/05/2008, -2/+4Ran out of edit time, but come to think of it, the Feltzer's probably closer to the SL, with some SLK influence (the headlights, more specifically).
    • Daniel591992, on 06/05/2008, -1/+2What about the one that looks like a Maybach? It's one of the nicest in the game
    • jigga, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1Wasn't the Sentinel the Mercedes in the prior games?
      • Glitchwerks, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2No, it always had a BMW-ish appearance.
  • mentallyinhell, on 06/05/2008, -2/+10Always a pleasure to smash the ***** out of that prius looking thing. Just get in a patriot and t-bone it.
    • freehunter, on 06/05/2008, -2/+1I've never seen some of the cars on this list, including the Prius looking one. It's not the one with the glass roof, right? I've never seen the Ford Escort, either, and I've put over 100 hours into the game >_>
      • iEatEmoKidz, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2look harder buddy. i've seen them all.

        what has been seen cannot be unseen
  • mattnyc99, on 06/05/2008, -1/+2let's go smash some caddy's...
  • crapuccino, on 06/05/2008, -5/+11Sultan RS is a Mitubishi Evo.
    • geeshock, on 06/05/2008, -0/+3That's what I though though more Mitsi Lancer and Scooby WRX
    • TexasShiv, on 06/05/2008, -11/+2shutup, chink
    • o2sk8, on 06/05/2008, -0/+5No, it's definitely a Subaru nod. Look at the base Sultan. There is an "STD" logo on the wing in the same color and font as the STI logo on the real thing.
      • katanaswordfish, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Considering the mitsubishi evo and the subaru impreza are two competing cars with a lot of similarities its probably based a bit on both. Visually i see more similarities with the evo, but i bet you're right about the STI reference.
    • bradleyland, on 06/05/2008, -2/+1You're all out of your gourds. It's a Lexus IS300.

      http://images.google.com/images?q=is300
    • postal21, on 06/05/2008, -1/+2Its a WRX STI. duh.
    • BN2L, on 06/05/2008, -1/+3And the winner is....front is WRX STI, rear is Mitsubishi evo. This game is made by Scots and they love their rallying.
    • bradleyland, on 06/06/2008, -1/+1No really, you're all nuts. In the Japan market, it was called the Altezza. Tell me this is not the Sultan RS incarnate:

      http://www.c-one.co.jp/aero-zoom_image/altezza_f.j ...
  • duggtodeath, on 06/05/2008, -15/+3Really? Come on, didn't we all get it that GTA vehicles were based on real-life cars. I mean, the game was ***** BASED ON A REAL LIFE CITY!
  • SerifTheRobot, on 06/05/2008, -0/+19A lot of these were pretty off. The Sultan is obviously a Legacy mixed with IS300.
    The Infernus is a Murcielago/Zonda mix. Just look at that back end. Even the badge.
    The Presidente is a pretty generic blend, but favors the Caddy STS and Lexus LS.
    The Sabre GT is an Olds 442.
    • Mier, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2Yeah whoever wrote that article was a fool. The cars are all cut in half and blended toward the middle.

      Infernus - Mercielago front Zonda rear
      SuperGT - Aston Marton front Ferrari rear (clarkson's wet dream)
      Tursimo - Ferrari front Lamborghini rear
    • boogievan, on 06/06/2008, -0/+0sabre gt - olds 442 + buick gsx
  • Nikonian, on 08/17/2008, -2/+5And the bikes?
    • numb, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1I think the Sanchez is a KTM 530EXC. Might be a 450 with a Baja Designs kit though...
    • Kale27, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1The PCJ 600 looks like a Yamaha VMax
    • bman85, on 06/05/2008, -0/+11death traps.. all of em.
      • DubiousDrewski, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2I am very disappointed by the handling of the bikes in the game. The back end is always always swinging out like the tire was flat or something, it's too much. It works for the cars, but the bikes should not handle like that.
      • dukeochutney, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1first thing i do when i c them on the street is hit them and watch in glee as the driver flies away
        • bman85, on 06/10/2008, -0/+1Me too, thats why i try not to ride em, i know what can happen.
  • Conwaysb0718, on 06/05/2008, -0/+5Huh... I always thought the Cavalcade was the Caddy Escalade and Chevy Avalanche mixed and the Sultan I figured was based off a subaru.... guess i was wrong.... again.
    • ElAssoWipo, on 06/05/2008, -1/+4Your guess is as good as his.

      Aside for the coquette and the comet, they all look like a bunch of different cars. And he still managed to affiliate the coquette to something else than a corvette.
    • freehunter, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2The writer was searching for the most obscure autos he could find to mix with the more popular ones, probably trying to show how much he knows about cars, that he can name a more obscure car that looks just like the more popular one.
  • esipp, on 06/05/2008, -2/+3I'm not sure what happened to my Comet after Brucie's mission. Is there a good place to get another one?
    • Datalogger, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1Just use the corresponding cheat:

      Press up to bring your cellphone up, then press up again.

      Then enter: CAR-555-0175

      Then press call.
    • colin8651, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2It is also added to your speed dial from that point on.
  • RATM4EVER, on 06/05/2008, -0/+3I think my game is busted. I have never seen the Sultan RS! 24+ hrs. of gameplay and I never take the taxi anywhere!

    Is it in a particular area often?
    • ElAssoWipo, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1I finished the game and I drove it only once in a mission. Otherwise I just get the regular Sultan.

    • saunders45, on 06/05/2008, -0/+5It's hidden behind the Old Mansion on the Northeast corner of Alderney Island.
    • freshyill, on 06/05/2008, -0/+3I think some things are different for everyone. Until I started the Ray Boccino missions, I never once saw a Sentinel, and I still find them only rarely (usually around Ray's place when I'm not already driving one). My friend, on the other hand, finds them everywhere, even in Broker before he unlocked Algonquin.

      I think the Sultan RS is pretty rare, but maybe you have a case like mine.
    • Mier, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1Don't bother the Sultan RS handles like a pig at high speed. Go find a SuperGT or Comet and you'll be golden. Just remember to drive it around and get some more to spawn so you can collect a few to keep.
      • Andrwmorph, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1The Sultan RS handles amazingly at high speed from my gameplay experience.
    • Mier, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1I thought the same thing when I first heard about it. No such thing for me the wheels turn to go left but the car stays going straight unless I brake hard before the turn which I don't have to do with a GT
  • JensenSteve, on 06/05/2008, -7/+7Thats why I cant wait for the PC version. My copy of San Andreas has every single car replaced with their real world counterpart, and the level of details they put into the modded cars is ridiculous. They actually look better than any car thats in GTA4.
  • brennerh, on 06/05/2008, -3/+11The Coquette is obviously a Corvette...how could they miss this??
    • Evolutuon, on 06/05/2008, -0/+4The Coquette looks Nothing like an NSX.

      And the Presidente as a Dodge Charger?? They obviously havent had a run in with the FIB.
    • Atomic05, on 06/05/2008, -0/+6They didn't.

      "And the Corvette reference, both in name and appearance, is unmistakable."
      • katanaswordfish, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2ok. but i dont see why their comparison had so much other BS in it. just say Corquette = Corvette and move on.
      • HeatVision, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1The article originally had no reference to the Corvette. After enough people on their site pointed it out, they added the sentence in, which doesn't make any sense to their previous comments about it being an NSX and Testarossa. The body shape and tail lights are clearly a Corvette, the front has NSX headlights.
  • IAmTheGuy, on 06/05/2008, -1/+3Dugg for "'blista-ring' statistics." God help me, I love puns.
  • phorty40, on 06/05/2008, -2/+1And the anihilator?
  • diggB, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1For true mayhem, jacking a garbage truck is my preferred vehicle of choice. Drives and smell like trash, but cuts through police cruisers like a hot knife through butter.
  • ElAssoWipo, on 06/05/2008, -5/+5Buried as inaccurate, all the real life versions of these cars turn and have breaks that work.
    • Mier, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1yes funny that the idea of anti-lock brakes is foreign in this game.
    • endlessoul, on 06/05/2008, -0/+4No offense dude, but this isn't San Andreas. The cars behave realistically.

      Learn to drive and you won't have any problems. Brake early, for example.
      • ElAssoWipo, on 06/05/2008, -2/+1I've been driving for 31 years.

        And even if I hadn't, old ass test drive unlimited cars were better than this game's cars.

        And I don't see how backflipping in a taxi cab because I hit a curb going at 10 mph is realistic.
    • DubiousDrewski, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1You guys are all wrong. The brakes don't lock unless you press very firmly on the trigger. And sure the braking requires a little more skill, but it's alot better than what the previous games had.
  • BuzzFriendly, on 06/05/2008, -1/+2Uranus looks more like a late 80's Mustang with a touch of the Ford Exp to me. My around town preferences is the Blista Compact, Feltzer convertible and black Huntley's.
  • bluepass, on 06/05/2008, -2/+2I want this game to come out for the PC soon. :(
  • gridbread, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1Sentinel has excellent handling/speed.
    Also the DF8-90 and Blista.
  • noogiewoo, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1Huntley is definately a ringer for a range rover / land rover
  • Haoie, on 06/05/2008, -1/+2I have to say that San Andreas had the best variety of vehicles [and not just because it had planes].

    It was also the first appearance of what's probably my personal fav, the Flash.
  • MorpheousMarty, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1In case anyone wants to see an image of the Zonda, as it relates to GTA IV:
    http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www. ...
  • N2O1138, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1The Infernus is definitely a Pagani Zonda in the back
    http://www.speedygrl.com/Racer/wallpapers/pagani_z ...
  • Ocelot13, on 06/05/2008, -1/+1i thought the infernus had some zonda thrown in too...
    and banshee has a supra front end..
  • warispeace21, on 06/05/2008, -1/+3I thought the PMP600 was supposed to be a Bentley, but whatever.
    • Sairynn, on 06/05/2008, -0/+3It might remind you of a Bentley, but it's definitely supposed to be a pimped 300C.
      • drastik21, on 06/05/2008, -0/+4300C = poor mans Bentley, maybe that's why it only gets an average performance in the game.
  • petemcfraser, on 06/05/2008, -1/+2I just gotta say that the Cossie from the original GTA was the best car ever. I'd love to have seen it throughout the series.
  • GiJoeBob, on 06/05/2008, -1/+3Where are the motorcycles and scooters?
    • DubiousDrewski, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1They don't matter so much; you only ride those if you are TRYING to kill yourself.
  • Sairynn, on 06/05/2008, -2/+1Before I got into the H2 lookalike for the first time I remember saying to myself, "Knowing Rockstar, I bet this will be called the Patriot."
  • saWgurr, on 06/05/2008, -1/+0im pretty sure the creators of GTA probably wanted this, they are genius'. They're gonna read this article and laugh, cuz theyre confusing the ***** out of people on which cars are what in real life. i love that game, try hijacking a garbage truck, you will own everything in ur path.
    • Price, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2Yep, although I think fire engines are the best since not only will they obliterate every normal car in their path, they also have the water hose of awesomeness. Buses are pretty good as well, easier to find too.
  • Procure, on 06/05/2008, -0/+7No Sentinel? Very closely related to an E46 (2001-2006) BMW M3... Its a great car in-game and in real-life.
    • GregFD3S, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1Wow, we posted this at almost exactly the same time, look at my comment below.

      The E46 M3 is an awesome car, I have one in real life :)
  • GregFD3S, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1WTF, They forgot the Sentinel. Its one of the best handling cars in the game, and looks just like an E46 M3.
  • drastik21, on 06/05/2008, -0/+4Comet FTW
    The Cognoscenti is also a nice 4 door car, it's a rip-off of a Mayback.
  • toddkay, on 06/05/2008, -0/+2Why is this list missing so many of the most obvious ones?

    FBI Buffalo is without a doubt a newer Charger, the Dukes an older Charger, the Cognoscenti a Maybach/Flying Spur, the Minivan a Dodge Caravan, the Huntley a Range Rover Sport, and I'm pretty sure the Contender is an '04 SVT Lightning Concept and/or Sport Trac. And of course the already mentioned Sentinel M3 and Feltzer Mercedes.
  • wrathbone, on 06/05/2008, -0/+0The Dukes is my absolute favorite car in the game. Fast, its fun to drift, and I don't feel bad completely decimating it.

    The Vigero is also good for that.
  • petebert, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1the stallion is a late 60's early 70's camara/firebird. I'm assuming the name is some sort of play on words of the camaros longest rival the Mustang.
  • Kinsbane, on 06/05/2008, -0/+1I was able to snag myself an Infernus once. Then it went bye-bye and I haven't seen it since. :(
  • katanaswordfish, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1This guy is reading into some of these cars waaay to much. Like the banshee i would say is a viper, aside from the minor differences which they HAVE to have in game for copyright reasons. And whats the the corqette explanation? He mentioned like three cars when it is simply a corvette nockoff. Sure there might be elements from some cars mixed in, but most of the direct inspirations are obvious, imo.

    Sultan RS = Lancer Evo. (first generation integra...? i don't really see that.)
    http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://files.t ...
  • NTolerance, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1All of these pale in comparison to the mighty Ripley. I keep one at the hideout for maximum destruction.
  • Wolf04, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Some of those are pretty off...for example, the Dilettante always reminded me of the Citroen C4 Hatchback and the Coquette of the Mosler MT900 (/car geek).
  • Konrad9, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1I wonder how Jalopnik got a copy of GTA4 with a speedomotere.
  • willy1234x1, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1I don't know why but they say the Stallion is everything but the Mustang. I mean the name implies it since both are horse types.
  • Evi1d33d, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1How did they measure the speed?
  • R1thousand, on 06/06/2008, -1/+0when he's talking about the infernus... he says make sure you "store" it...what does that mean??? I've done about 40 hours in this game... and i haven't seen garage type option....
    • johnnyblazepw, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1those resident only spots infront of safe houses can save cars for later use.. after a save, the next time you play its like new
  • Lynxist, on 06/17/2008, -0/+1A lot of those are easy to spot, but it's a nice collection. I definitely have to go and do some research on the less well-known ones. Hopefully there's some great wallpaper and eye candy for those models out there somewhere.
  •  

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