Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise dedicated to shooting and driving, but mostly driving. Across the seven main games and numerous expansion packs, there are hundreds of kickass rides that can be boosted, raced, and destroyed. There are playable rides from motorcycles to battle tanks and everything in between. Some of these vehicles look very familiar, but they are all allegedly fictitious.

That's because game publisher, Rockstar Games is too cheap to license real models, so they just render vehicles that look almost exactly like real-world cars. It actually makes good business sense because there's no reason to pay a licensing fee to include a Ford Mustang in a game when designers can whip up a "Vapid Dominator" which is identical in appearance. Why pay for something you can get for free?

While fans wait for Rockstar to finally release another GTA game, the last installment, Grand Theft Auto V, is still relevant and playable thanks to online play. It's been 10 years since GTA 5, and Charlie Intel reports, 2.5 million people play it online every month. Obliviously it is a fun game that never gets old, but part of the enduring appeal is the awesome cars. GTA V has the coolest vehicles that, don't just resemble real-life cars, but in some cases look better.

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10 Vapid Bullet

Ford GT

Vapid is a fictional automaker in the GTA universe that is supposed to be the Ford Motor Company. That makes sense because the Vapid Bullet is a close approximation of a 2005 Ford GT. Some people think the Bullet is a GT40, but its body definitely more closely resembles the modern GT. Also, Bullet is a nod to the film Bullitt, featuring a seriously badass Ford Mustang.

Vehicle Details

The weird thing is, the Vapid first appeared in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was released in 2004, but the Ford GT didn't become a car until 2005. Maybe this is a case of Ford needing to pay a licensing fee to Rockstar for making one of the video game cars into a real-world racer.

9 Coil Voltic

Tesla Roadster

The Coil Voltic has some elements from various Lotus models like the Elise and Exige, but it's supposed to be a Tesla Roadster. The first clue is that Coil is the GTA equivalent of Tesla Motors. There's another Coil in GTA games called the Raiden, which is a dead-ringer for a Tesla Model S. The second hint that a Voltic is a Tesla Roadster is that it's an EV.

Vehicle Details

The biggest giveaway however is that there is a special variant of the car named the Rocket Voltic, which is a literal rocket car. This is an obvious acknowledgment of Elon Musk's Space-X company, which of course involves rockets. In GTA V, the Voltic has incredibly quick acceleration but handles like crap, so yeah, it's a Tesla Roadster.

8 Imponte Phoenix

Pontiac Firebird

The third-generation Firebirds weren't as cool looking as the first two, but way better than the late-1990s version. The 1982 Firebird's GTA counterpart is the Imponte Phoenix, but the game improves upon the looks by basically pairing a third-gen front with a second-gen rear. Presumably, developers were trying to copy KITT from the Knight Rider TV show.

Vehicle Details

A Phoenix is a mythical eternal bird that dies in flames but then rises again from its ashes. In other words, a Phoenix is a firebird, which is why this GTA car is a Firebird. As customizable as cars are in GTA V, there is sadly no hood decal mods. It's kind of hard to be Firebird without a big flaming screaming chicken on the hood.

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7 Pfister Comet

Porsche 911

Porsche came out with the 911 in 1964 and basically didn't mess with it for 34 consecutive model years. GTA also didn't alter its design very much with its 911 clone, the Pfister Comet. Though the name is nothing like the 911, and a Mercury Comet is a real car, the GTA Comet is one of the easiest models to figure out.

Vehicle Details

Actually, the Comet may be a little slicker than the real 911, which was kind of plain looking in the early years. Just like in real life, the Comet is best as a convertible, because the player can just jump in and take off, saving the precious seconds it takes to open a car door and get in.

6 Inverto Coquette

Chevrolet Corvette C7

Imponte, the maker of the Phoenix, is the GTA version of General Motors, but for some reason, the Coquette, the GTA's Corvette, is made by the fictional company, Inverto. Actually, in the GTA universe, Inverto seems to be exclusively the makers of 'Vette clones with a Coquette Blackfin that looks like a '53, and the Coquette Classic, which is clearly a '63.

Vehicle Details

The Coquette in GT IV was a mix between a Corvette C5 and an Acura NSX, but by GTA V it was very obviously a Corvette C7. The only thing that calls into question the Coquette's identity is that the game car is powered by an inline four-cylinder, while the smallest engine available in a real C7 is a 6.2-liter V-8.

5 Bravado Banshee

Dodge Viper

Dodge, in the GTA universe, is known as Bravado, makers of the Buffalo, which is a sixth-gen Charger copy, the Duneloader Power Wagon clone, and of course the Banshee Viper tribute. This is another GTA car that leaves no doubt as to what it is based on. This thing couldn't be any more Viper if it tried.

Vehicle Details

The connection gets even closer because Dodge's new Charger Daytona SRT EV muscle car, which is replacing the ICE Charger and Challenger, has a top performance package called Banshee, according to Car and Driver. The Banshee made its first appearance in GTA III in 2001, so Dodge may be another one that owes Rockstar a licensing fee.

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4 Declasse Tornado

Chevrolet Bel Air

We/ve already seen that in the GTA games that Imponte is supposed to be General Motors, but that Inverto is the fictional company that makes the Corvette clones. Further complicating things, Declasse makes the Tornado, which is supposed to be a Chevy Bel Air. It actually has some features from a '57 Cadillac Fleetwood, '58 Buick, and '58 Plymouth Belvedere, but the overall impression is that it's a '57 Chevy.

Vehicle Details

In the real world, hotrodders turned these Bel Airs into gassers that were stripped-down track racers. In GTA V, the Tornado is quite a fast vehicle that is best when it's going in a straight line. Handling and braking are not the Tornado's strong suits, so it's pretty close to a real Bel Air. Also, like the Bel Air, the Tornado is a beast that can not only take damage but dole it out.

3 Benefactor Dubsta 6x6

Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6x6

Mercedes originally designed the AMG G 63 6x6 for the Austrian military but then decided to sell it to the public. Easily the most insane thing the German automaker has ever produced, it's also the craziest ride in Grand Theft Auto V, known as the Benefactor Dubsta 6x6. While a lot of other GTA rides are close approximations, this one is almost exact.

Vehicle Details

Not the nimblest of rides in GTA, but it does have surprisingly good acceleration. The point of cruising in a Dubsta 6x6 however isn't to win races or even outrun the cops, but rather to destroy other cars. This video game off-roader is built like a tank and can take some serious damage, so it's perfect for crashing and smashing.

2 Grotti Carbonizzare

Ferrari F12

The Grotti Carbonizzare in GTA V could be a Ferrari F12, but then again it could also be an Aston Martin V12 Zagato because the styling is so similar. It is called a Carbonizzare, which is probably a nonsense word, but it does sound Italian, so this thing has to be a Ferrari clone. Also, the convertible feature is based on the Ferrari California and the Astio Martin doesn't have anything like that.

Vehicle Details

Unlike most other vehicles in GTA V that render in random colors, players will only find the Carbonizzare in yellow. In the game, the Carbonizzare is an above-average sports car, while in the real world, MotorTrend calls the 2014 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta an "overachiever" and "one of the best GT cars on the road."

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1 Bravado Gauntlet

Dodge Challenger

The Bravado Gauntlet in GTA V is supposed to be a third-gen Dodge Challenger, but it has some front-end styling cues from a modern Camaro. While it is decidedly cool, it's a slightly uglier version of the Challenger, at the same time being a way better-looking Camaro. There is also a Classic Gauntlet that looks like a '70 Challenger as well as a Gauntlet Classic Custom that is a '69 Charger Daytona without the wing, for some reason.

Vehicle Details

In Grand Theft Auto Online, there is a version of this car known as the Gauntlet Hellfire. That is, in case you hadn't already guessed, supposed to be a Challenger SRT Hellcat, and it is one of the baddest cars in the game and tops of the muscle car class. Commenting on the 2023 Hellcat, Car and Driver said it has, "reality-altering horsepower," and is a car, "where tires go to die." The same is true for the GTA Gauntlet, which is the best replica of a real-life car.