Charting the 26-year evolution of my favorite Grand Theft Auto car, while keeping my fingers (and legs and toes) crossed it returns in GTA 6
Dec. 19, 2023Grand Theft Advent | Here’s hoping for a vroom with a view in Vice City
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During its whirlwind 91-second runtime, theGTA 6 trailershows off a wide variety of vehicles, all of which are presumably driveable/rideable/steerable and/or sailable at some stage in the game. On dry land, we’re shown glimpses of station wagons, 4x4s, muscle cars; rides inspired by the real world’s Chevrolet and Impala brands, with gold rims and gravity-defying hydraulics; and a fine lineup of sports cars, many of which are convertibles, lining up outside what looks like a prestigious and exclusive Vice City nightclub.
Among those kerbside crawlers are flashy numbers that mirror the likes of Lamborghini and Porsche – aka Pegassi and Pfister as they appear in-game – but one car that’s notably absent (or, at least, one I’ve as-yet been unable to spot) is the Banshee. And while there are definitelybettercars across the grand pantheon of Grand Theft Auto games, the Banshee is my absolute favorite – and it’s also the longest-serving sports car across the 26-year-old series as a whole.
Grand Theft Auto – Beast GTS
Welcome to Grand Theft Advent – a month-long celebration of Rockstar’s enduring crime sim series. Be sure to check in on ourGTA 6 coverage hubfor more every day throughout December.
For anyone who played the original top-down Grand Theft Auto in or around 1997, the Beast GTS stood out like a beautiful sore thumb. Modeled to look like the real-world’s Dodge Viper GTS, its blue, green and red colourways were complimented by two iconic ‘go-faster’ white stripes that ran across the length of the car.
Speed and style were clearly prioritized over durability, but this one was so sought after, you’d pause whatever you were doing to track down (and steal, obviously) a Beast GTS at every opportunity.
By the time GTA 2 rolled around in 1999, the Beast GTS was out – but the Rumbler was in. Another belter, this one modeled on the real-world 1997 Dodge Copperhead, the Rumbler wasn’t as fast as its OG Grand Theft Auto counterpart, but it was as stylish. With similar twin-stripes it was equally easy to spot, and in lieu of speed, it handled so much better than its predecessor.
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Different from its Dodge-leaning inspirations up to this point, Vice City’s Banshee took its lead from the real-world Corvette C4. With a twin-exhaust and pillarbox red coat, VC’s Banshee was a safe pair of hands that was more than capable of outrunning the boys in blue. No speed stripe this time, but a great ’80s take on the sports car all the same.
The first Banshee to enter Grand Theft Auto’s HD universe, GTA 4’s Banshee was a mix of the real-world’s second generation Dodge Viper SR, and the manufacturer’s fourth generation Dodge Viper ZB. As we’d (I’d) become intimately familiar with by the time GTA 5 rolled around, this slant on the Banshee was the first to use the in-game Bravado manufacturer brand name. GTA 4’s Banshee came in hardtop and soft-top variations, and I was a total sucker for the latter.
With the introduction of first-person mode inGTA 5andGTA Online, this iteration of the Bravado Banshee takes its Dodge likeness to a whole new level. Now similar to the North American manufacturer’s esteemed Viper outsideandinside, the most recent Banshee includes vertically-aligned speedometers – a signature feature of modern real-world Dodge Vipers. With GTA 5 and GTA Online’s extensive garage options, Banshees today can be equipped with spoilers, sports brakes, fancy engines, custom tires and novelty horns.
From the admittedly very little we’ve seen of GTA 6 so far, everything looks bigger, better and bolder than anything that’s come before it. Will the same apply to the Bravado Banshee? I blooming well hope so. Watch this (parking) space!
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