While few people will have the opportunity to race in the Indie 500, or even step within arm’s length of a Formula 1 racecar, the proliferation of video games and innumerable racing games have brought these dreams home to countless people. There are mega-popular games such as Project Cars or Forza Horizon, and even others that combine motorcycles with online gaming, like Slots Angels.
Classics like Grand Theft Auto have only continued to grow, with upward of 260,000 players in March of 2020 connecting through their Steam app alone. The game invents new cars, dreams up wild scenarios, and manages to keep consumers interested despite the fact that the cars have as little to do with real life as the adventures presented in the game.
Since 2013, GTA Online has annually released new game settings and additional content, such as cars and side quests. Their most recent update came in December of 2019 as The Diamond Casino Heist. This update introduced cars like the Imponte Deluxo and the Nagasaki Stryder three-wheeled motorcycle that players could win through in-app gaming, such as slots, as well as other side adventures. However, it’s important to note that players will need to look elsewhere for Live Casino games that feature real action, and, for first-time players of GTA, keep in mind that cars like the Imponte Deluxo and Nagasaki Stryder are GTA inventions.
Let’s take a look at some of GTA’s dreamiest cars and the closest counterparts that we can find in real life—regardless of price tag and availability.
Top Performers in GTA and Real Life
In terms of speed, GTA invents its own rules… and then has fun breaking them. Their cars are designed for speed, handling, and other factors that players will need to consider in terms of the game’s mission. In the real world, there’s a lot less dexterity that a supercar can deliver.
As of 2020, the world’s fastest (real) cars clock in at around 300 MPH. The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport can push it to 304, the Hennessey Venom F5 to 301, and the SSC Tuatara to 300 MPH. Bugatti’s newest hypercar, the Chiron mentioned above, will cost a driver $3.9 million. In GTA V, the fastest car is the Dewbauchee Vagner, inspired by the Aston Martin Valkyrie. It will cost players a fictional $1,535,000—which is still considerably less than the real-life Valkyrie produced by Aston Martin, which costs $3.2 million.
In terms of acceleration, GTA V’s must-have supercar choice is the Progen Emerus, which also boasts an ability to turn corners without sacrificing control. However, for GTA players who want to take racing seriously, they’ll need to invest in the Benefactor Krieger. Meanwhile, back in the real world, car aficionados are likely to spend half an hour hammering out which type of race GTA is talking about to begin with: drag racing, Formula 1 racing, rally racing, NASCAR racing?
Unlike the world of Grand Theft Auto, which lists its stats with little concern for the dangers and considerations in real racing, true pundits know the difference between open-wheel and sports car races. Open-wheel refers to vehicles with exposed wheels, with F1 racing constituting its largest (and most glamorous) sector.
In F1 racing, concepts like braking and aerodynamics, designed to produce downforce, don’t earn a lot of attention in the GTA world aside from a flashy spoiler or number rating for braking. In the real world, crews from Ferrari and Mercedes will spend upward of $500 million annually to produce top-performing engines. In terms of sports car racing, the speed boasted in a Mercedes Formula 1 vehicle won’t matter nearly as much as handling and other strategic considerations.
In fact, companies from Chevrolet to Porsche will use sports car racing to try out newer models that could one day be available to the general public, updating their notorious Corvette’s and 911s to more robust hybrid systems. We recommend GTA fans wait for such models to be for sale before trying their hand at a real race, if not just enjoying the race from the sidelines of a sports car race or a Formula 1 road race.
