Rockstar Games has turned six fictional Grand Theft Auto VI vehicles into real, drivable cars, ahead of the game’s November 19 launch. The cars were built with Los Angeles customiser West Coast Customs and photographed in Miami as part of the game’s promotion.
The lineup is the Grotti Cheetah, Pegassi Tempesta, Progen Emerus, Invetero Coquette, Albany Buccaneer and Albany Manana, according to Complex, which cited a Rockstar press release. Hypebeast reported that each car came with photos and its own backstory, including specifications. Complex said the same shop built a real version of the series’ Bravado Banshee in 2013 for GTA V.
How the cars were made
The press release, as quoted by Complex, says each car combines traditional metal fabrication with modern composite construction, with CNC machining used for custom wheels and structural components. Each has a custom paint finish. The cars wore Leonida plates with Vice City text and frames reading “VI,” “West Coast Customs” and the Rockstar logo.
Wallpaper reported that the cars were photographed at Miami landmarks, including the Miami Marine Stadium and the 1111 Lincoln Road parking garage, and rendered in the same spots in the game. It said both locations appear likely to feature in the finished game. Wallpaper also said that West Coast Customs’ work extended to transforming the cars inside and out to match the virtual models.
Real-world inspirations are not official
Rockstar does not license real car brands for the series, and GTA vehicles carry fictional manufacturer names. Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell drew his own comparisons between the game cars and real ones. He called the Cheetah a dead-ringer for the 1980s Ferrari Testarossa, said the Coquette resembles the current Corvette, and linked the Tempesta to the Lamborghini Huracán and the Emerus to the McLaren Senna.
Those comparisons are Wallpaper’s observations, not statements from Rockstar. Bell also wrote that he suspected real examples of those cars lie beneath the builds, which is a guess and not something Rockstar or West Coast Customs has confirmed. Eastern Herald has not seen the cars in person or verified the builds’ specifications.
Launch details
Rockstar’s website lists Grand Theft Auto VI as coming on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with pre-load beginning November 10. The release comes after months of leaks around the game, including a leaker’s threat to publish its full story. Reports on the cars come from Hypebeast, Complex and Wallpaper.
