These real cars inspired the best car in GTA: San Andreas
- GTA: San Andreas vehicle the Banshee is based on several cars
- The designers took inspiration from Dodges, a Pontiac, and more
- It’s not the only fictional car to be inspired by a real motor
Published on Oct 30, 2024 at 7:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Oct 30, 2024 at 4:12 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The GTA: San Andreas fan-favorite Banshee was based on a mash-up of several real-life vehicles including a Dodge Viper and Chevrolet Camaro.
Believe it or not, it’s been 20 years since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released.
Doesn’t that make you feel old?
The two-door Banshee sports car appeared throughout the GTA series, popping up in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and more.
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GTA: San Andreas fan-favorite Banshee was a mash-up of real-life cars
With a dual exhaust and curvilinear design, the Banshee closely resembled a first-generation Dodge Viper RT/10.
However, that’s not the only car designers took inspiration from, according to the GTA Fandom page.
The car actually features elements taken from a range of 1990s American-made coupes.
The hood scoops were borrowed from mid-to-late 90s Pontiac Firebirds, while the headlights look like those you’d find on a Dodge Stealth.
The back of the Banshee once again looks like the Dodge Viper RT/10, but it has wraparound taillights that look as though they come from a Chevrolet Camaro.
The car also has pronounced fender flares, which you won’t find on a Dodge Viper in the real world.
It’s not the only fictional car to have a real-life inspiration
Interestingly, in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the Banshee was given a facelift – and looked more like a mid-80s Chevrolet Corvette C4.
This isn’t the only fictional car that was based on a real-life motor, the ‘Little Red Corvette’ that Prince sang about back in 1983 also had its origins in a legit vehicle.
Although, in real life, the car was neither red nor a Corvette.
His former keyboard player Lisa Coleman revealed that the song was actually inspired by a pink and white 1964 Mercury Montclair, which is a lot less catchy to than ‘little red Corvette’, to be fair.
Meanwhile, the 2006 hit Pixar flick Cars featured numerous vehicles based on real-life models, including Lightning McQueen’s partner Sally Carrera, who – as the name suggests – was based on a 2002 Porsche 996 911 Carrera.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
