Who does not love video games? Name one person that has never played a video game in his or her entire lifetime. One cannot do that because everyone has played something on their computer or on a smartphone, at least once. Video games are addictive, that is true, but some people simply find them relaxing or see them as a fun way to end the day. There are a lot of types of games, from RTS (real time strategy) to adventure, shooters, combat, MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online, simulations and the last, but not least racing. Almost all games involve vehicles and it seems that imagination can create wonders. In order to understand the last sentence, the reader should have a look at this list of amazing video game cars that one can actually touch in real life.
Who would have known in the past that the future can offer that much. Nowadays, almost anything is possible, from virtual reality to medical treatments that no one thought would exist at a point. However, creating perfect copies of the most loved vehicle characters from all those games has to mean something for all the fans out there. A guy has thought it would be nice to own a replica of a car from NFS because he enjoyed the game very much and he managed to create it eventually. The guys from West Coast Customs wanted to see the Mario Kart live and so they made it real.
20 Bravado Banshee From Grand Theft Auto 5
According to Car Keys, the famous video game called Grand Theft Auto is full of cars that resemble real-life versions, but with enough differences to avoid any lawsuits. The most obvious example is the Banshee that was designed by the game developers based on the Dodge Viper. As a promotion for Grand Theft Auto V, the famous tuner West Coast Customs actually created a 1:1 scale Banshee replica that really looks like its original inspiration model.
When the game was released, a contest was started and the grand prize was the real-life Banshee.
A North Carolina grandmother won and drove it for one or two years. The car ended up in an auction.
19 The Ice Cream Truck From Twisted Metal 2
People love video games and that is why some of the vehicles from those games eventually get created in the real world. Maybe out of curiosity or simply because they were meant to become real at some point, these vehicles are living proof that it can be possible. Sweet Tooth’s Ice Cream Truck from the famous game Twisted Metal 2 looks a lot more scary in reality, according to Jalopnik. Twisted Metal is considered the first car demolition derby style game in which the player had to shoot everything in the way until they stopped moving in the end, according to Andy Sowards.
18 The Warthog From Halo: Combat Evolved
Those that are familiar with Halo surely love the Warthog, considered an iconic Halo vehicle and a really fun video game car to play with. The vehicle has a four-wheel steering system and a huge cannon placed in the back to destroy the alien enemy, according to Car Keys.
In 2012, the Halo developers at 343 Industries wanted to celebrate the unveiling of Halo 4 in a more interesting way.
That is how the real Warthog came to life. Based on a Hummer H1 chassis, the vehicle is equipped with a 6.5-liter V8 engine limited at 25 mph and a gun that does not work, obviously.
17 Mach 5 From Speed Racer/Grand Theft Auto 5
Speed Racer or Mach GoGoGo was at the same time a video game and also an animated franchise created by Sun Wide Comics. It featured car racing scenes, and in 2008 it became a US sports action film, according to My Car Connector. The famous car from the series was represented by the Mach 5, a unique car featuring the sleek body style of a vintage cola bottle. Despite the fact that many other race cars can be compared with the Mach 5 in terms of looks, like the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix Prince R380 or Nissan R380-II, the one and only real-life Mach 5 that exists was designed by Mark Towle.
16 Jeep From Jurassic Park: The Game
Even if the name Jurassic Park was known at first because of the movies with a lot of dinosaurs, there was also a game developed with the same story and it first appeared in 1993.
The 2015 version brought with it better graphics, Lego characters and the Jeep seen in the movie.
The real-life car in the picture was created by the huge fans of the series. They have also launched a special website called Jurassic Jeep where they posted info about the project. According to My Car Connector, it seems that they had managed to create three different replicas of the vehicles used in the games and movies.
15 Twin Mill From Hot Wheels
The Twin Mill car from the Hot Wheels series (made by toy maker Mattel) was created by designer Ira Gilford in 1969, according to Twisted Shifter. It had two massive engines with two huge scoops in the front and wide exposed rear wheels. A masterpiece with a value of $800 in the original package. However, in 1998, an executive from Mattel had decided to celebrate their 30th anniversary with a real life replica of the Twin Mill. Boyd Coddington from Hot Rods by Boyd and Chip Foose had started the project, but Barry Lobeck finished the job in 2001. It was unveiled at the 2001 SEMA car show in Las Vegas. The car is fully functional, developing 1,400 horsepower based on the twin 502 big blocks.
14 1938 Phantom Corsair From L.A. Noire
The 1938 Phantom Corsair was not created after the L.A. Noire game had appeared, but there were only a few people that knew it existed before seeing it in the video game. Designed by Maurice Schwartz from Bohman & Schwartz company from Pasadena, California and Rust Heinz from the H. J. Heinz family, it has never made it into production because Heinz’s life had ended after a car accident in 1939, according to Andy Sowards.
However, it was considered a futuristic vehicle because of its interesting features, low profile and faired-in fenders.
Being only one Corsair prototype in the world, it has to be worth a lot of money.
13 The Convertible Cadillac From Crazy Taxi
The Crazy Taxi game is all about driving as fast as possible in a taxi vehicle and at the same time avoiding to hit obstacles and other cars along the way. The Crazy Taxi 3 video game from 2002 featured a Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Someone loved that game so much and had enough imagination to actually transform an Eldorado into the taxi from the game. Unfortunately, the real-life replica is stashed away in a museum in Japan, according to Magix Buttons. It is kind of sad actually because the Cadillac looks really great and people should be able to see it at different Gamer Conventions.
12 The Police Car from Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Another famous game that still continues to amaze the racing game lovers is Need for Speed.
The first game was released in 1994 and since then no one seems to have gotten bored from it.
How many times did a person wonder how would it be like to drive a NFS car? Or a NFS Police car? Awesome definitely. However, it seems that some people from EA Sports did take this matter seriously in 2010 and created a real-life replica of the police car from Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, a game that was almost entirely focused on pure racing and interesting police chases and not on customization, according to My Car Connector.
11 The Deora II From Hot Wheels
Nathan Proch was the designer that created the Deora II based on a real production vehicle, according to Hot Wheels Wikia. He had the inspiration to borrow some design features from the 1996 Ford Taurus station wagon. 2003 had brought a 1:1 scale Deora II to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Hot Wheels. The team that had worked on the project was composed from: Chip Foose, Mother’s, Five Axis and PPG Industries. The Deora II was part of the Hot Wheels Velocity X video game as one of the hidden cars needed to be unlocked and in Hot Wheels: World Race.
10 Raggio From Ridge Racer
Being created by Namco in 1993, Ridge Racer was considered a very popular racing game back then, with drift races in a fictional Ridge City, according to Car Keys. The Yamasa Raggio basically represented the game, being an iconic figure between players. The vehicle was created based on the real Honda NSX model, a premier supercar back then. 2006 was the year when Project Mu, a performance brake company, decided to actually build the Raggio and unveil it at the Tokyo Auto Salon. They equipped it with an original NSX 3.2-liter V6 unit that seemed to make the car better than the actual NSX.
9 Mario Kart From Mario Kart
West Coast Customs strikes again with a replica from a video game, but this time it was the Mario Kart, according to Car Keys. In 2011, Nintendo launched Mario Kart 7 and it was the perfect time to offer all the fans a real-life replica of Mario’s beloved vehicle.
The custom made kart features an electric motor with a GEM electric buggy’s battery pack, while the bespoke chassis was built around it.
Mario’s amazing vehicle is front-wheel drive with a Super Glider attachment in the rear for cliff jumping and 18-inch wheels. The replica is a perfect match to the kart from the game, and the West Coast Customs team has done a great job.
8 Volkswagen GTi Roadster Concept From Gran Turismo 6
Volkswagen has created the GTi Roadster to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo Vision GT racing game series from 2014, according to Car Keys. The concept is, in fact, a roofless Golf that goes faster than a Ferrari. A real-life model was actually developed, but the car cannot be driven outside the game. The twin-turbo engine delivers 500 horsepower and sprints from 0 to 62 mph in only 3.6 seconds in the game. At that point, Volkswagen claimed that this concept was offering a glimpse over the future GTi models, but they will definitely not feature massive aero wings and no roof.
7 Black Beauty From Green Hornet
As it is typical for comic book series to end up on the TV screens or transformed into video games, the Green Hornet is also part of the pattern. The story is about a masked crime-fighter, the Green Hornet, and his sidekick, Kato. The car that represents the hero, Black Beauty, is actually driven by Kato, according to My Car Connector.
In the comic series, the Black Beauty was once a customized Pontiac Banshee and twice a modified 1991 – 1996 Oldsmobile 98 Touring Sedan.
In the TV series, the car was changed into a 1966 Imperial Crown sedan, but the 2011 movie used a 1965 Chrysler Imperial.
6 Bugatti Vision From Gran Turismo 6
The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo is not a real-life car that can be bought from a dealership. It is a concept designed especially for the Gran Turismo 6 racing game, exactly like the Volkswagen GTi from above. However, the automotive producer wanted to build one real-life replica of the car and it was unveiled at the 2014 Frankfurt Motor Show, according to Car Keys. Being a show car and nothing more, the only released information was about the engine: a W16 that helped the car sprint from 0 to 62 mph in approximately two seconds. Despite the fact that it was a game concept car, the new Chiron model was designed based on it.
5 Citroen GT From Gran Turismo 5
Another astonishing concept created especially for a video game, but this time by Citroen and for Gran Tursimo 5, according to Magix Buttons. The French car maker has built only one real-life copy of the car (unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show), but they did offer an interesting information in 2009: they had plans to actually produce the Citroen GT in a limited number of units (6 more exactly) and sell them for $2.1 million per piece. According to NY Times, the concept vehicle from the game had 646 horsepower coming from a hydrogen fuel-cell and also an over-boost system that delivered 139 horsepower in addition.
4 Dodge Deora From Hot Wheels
The Dodge Deora was, in fact, a real vehicle, but few people knew that back then, according to Andy Sowards. This model is known to be a part of the first 16 Hot Wheels pack of cars created.
The Deora was an interesting type of pickup with futuristic features.
The first Hot Wheels video game was made in 1984, followed by a total of 14 different games created through the years. Kids were able to play with the miniature cars in real life and also on a computer because the whole idea of the project involved children of all ages.
3 1969 Dodge Charger From The Dukes of Hazzard
The film series The Dukes of Hazzard was also transformed into a video game in 1999. The story goes around the adventures of two cousins, the Duke Boys (Bo Duke and Luke Duke), from fictional Hazzard County in Georgia. The action of the game / movie series is based on car races and the already famous car called General Lee (a customized 1969 Dodge Charger). According to My Car Connector, the real and original General Lee used in the first episode of the series was found in a junkyard from Georgia. After being restored, the vehicle was sold for $110,000.
2 Nissan 240SX From Need For Speed: Pro Street
Car racing game enthusiasts from all over the world will love this one. It seems that there was someone crazy enough to try to build a Need for Speed: ProStreet car. Adam, the owner, actually did it. He transformed a 240SX into a real-life replica of his car from the game and it looks great. According to Speed Hunter, Adam managed to reproduce every single detail of the video game car: the faded grey fender, all the custom decals, the mud flaps, the mismatched wheels, the little spoiler and so on. Exactly like in the game, the engine is a stock KA24DE linked with a Nitrous Express wet system and a 75 horsepower shot.
1 The Mystery Machine From Scooby Doo
Every kid loves Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang riding in the Mystery Machine. Everyone knows the cartoon series, the movies and everyone should know the video games. The symbol of the ghost mysteries and all the monsters the gang had to face is, in fact, the Mystery Machine itself that was offered as a gift to Daphne by her father when she turned 16. During the years, a lot of people attempted to create the perfect Scooby Doo ride, but the most perfect one is owned by Michael Yates who is 57 years old and a self-claimed kid, according to My Car Connector.
Reference: Jalopnik.com, NYTimes.com, Carkeys.co.uk