Respect and sourcing note: The two cars in this article are treated as serious custom-engineering projects, not novelty props. The official Bravado Banshee was commissioned by Rockstar Games and built by West Coast Customs. The Pegassi Infernus-inspired drift car was designed and fabricated by Robert Bell of RB’s Adrenaline Factory. Where a cost or timeline has not been publicly verified, GTA6DATA says so rather than inventing a precise figure.
Quick answer: The real-life Bravado Banshee is the better-documented official replica, but its exact build duration and final invoice have not been published by Rockstar. Later auction and media records commonly place the build near $175,000–$180,000, although GTA6DATA could not verify that number in Rockstar’s original announcement or a surviving West Coast Customs invoice. Robert Bell’s Infernus project began in April 2022 and had reached a running, driving, street-legal state by March 2024—nearly two years later. Bell’s total cash expenditure has not been publicly verified.
The distinction matters. One build was an official promotional commission based on a finished Dodge Viper. The other began with a custom tube chassis, a locally sourced Lamborghini Murciélago body, and the intention to create a functioning drift car. They are both impressive, but they solve very different engineering problems.
For the fictional-brand context behind these cars, see GTA6DATA’s Bravado brand evidence guide and GTA vehicle brand evidence map.
The Two Builds at a Glance
| Item | Bravado Banshee | Pegassi Infernus-inspired drift car |
|---|---|---|
| Builder | West Coast Customs, commissioned with Rockstar Games | Robert Bell / Infernus Drift, RB’s Adrenaline Factory |
| Status | Official Rockstar promotional build | Independent fan-engineering project |
| Starting point | 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 | Scratch-built tube chassis with a modified Lamborghini Murciélago body |
| Build period | Exact duration not publicly verified | April 2022 to at least March 2024 for a running, driving state |
| Verified final cost | Not published by Rockstar | Not publicly published by Bell |
| Widely reported cost | Approximately $175,000–$180,000 | No reliable final total found |
| Primary purpose | Official promotion, display, road use, and giveaway | Street-legal drift car and fabrication showcase |
| Powertrain | Viper-based V10 drivetrain | Mid-mounted turbocharged Nissan VQ35DE V6 with six-speed manual |
1. The Official Real-Life Bravado Banshee
Rockstar announced the one-of-a-kind GTAV Bravado Banshee project on August 22, 2013, describing it as a partnership with West Coast Customs. The completed car was presented publicly on September 3, 2013. Those dates establish a 12-day gap between the teaser and completion article; they do not prove that the entire car was built in 12 days.
The finished-car article explains the seriousness of the body conversion. West Coast Customs created molds and laid up each exterior panel by hand to produce a new exterior that matched the GTA V Banshee. This was not a simple wrap, wheel change, or bolt-on body kit. The shop substantially transformed the appearance of the Viper while retaining a road-capable production-car foundation.
Rockstar’s original feature can be read here: Rockstar and West Coast Customs Present the 2013 GTAV Bravado Banshee.
What Was Changed?
- Entirely new hand-laid exterior panels formed from custom molds.
- Body proportions and surface treatment reshaped to resemble the GTA V Banshee.
- Custom front and rear lighting treatments.
- Bravado and Banshee identity applied to the completed vehicle.
- Interior details revised to support the fictional-car presentation.
- Production Dodge Viper chassis and drivetrain retained as the engineering base.
The choice of a Viper gave the project a major advantage: crash structure, suspension geometry, cooling, powertrain integration, brakes, electronics, and road registration already existed. West Coast Customs could concentrate much of the visible work on converting the finished production car into the Banshee’s fictional shape.
How Long Did It Take?
The exact start date and shop-hours total have not been published in the official Rockstar material reviewed by GTA6DATA. The 12 days between the teaser and completed-car article should be treated only as a publication timeline. The design work, donor-car preparation, mold construction, panel fabrication, paint, trim, testing, and photography almost certainly began earlier, but the available official record does not establish how much earlier.
Verified answer: exact production time unknown.
How Much Did It Cost?
Rockstar’s original announcement does not publish a final invoice. Later auction and automotive reports commonly state that the build cost approximately $175,000–$180,000. A later auction listing for the one-of-one car also repeated an approximate $175,000–$180,000 build cost.
GTA6DATA treats that figure as reported, not independently verified. It may represent total project cost, donor value plus customization, an estimated replacement cost, or a figure supplied during later sales activity. Without the original contract or itemized shop invoice, those possibilities cannot be separated.
| Banshee cost record | Status |
|---|---|
| Rockstar-published final invoice | Not found |
| Commonly reported build cost | Approximately $175,000–$180,000 |
| Later public asking price | $170,000 was reported during a 2014 sale attempt |
| Later resale records | Separate reports document sale or asking figures around $63,000 and $80,100 at different times |
The later resale figures do not tell us what the build originally cost. One-off promotional cars can sell below their construction cost because the market for an unusual, modified, difficult-to-value car is small.
2. Robert Bell’s Pegassi Infernus-Inspired Drift Car
Robert Bell’s project deserves a different kind of respect. Rather than converting a complete road car, Bell began with the plan to fabricate a tube chassis that would demonstrate the capabilities of his Kansas City shop, RB’s Adrenaline Factory. He later found a Lamborghini Murciélago body locally and used the Infernus idea to turn the project into something more distinctive than an ordinary kit-car build.
The clearest published account is Caleb Jacobs’ interview with Bell for The Drive: Hardcore Fabricator Recreates Pegassi Infernus From GTA in Real Life. Bell’s ongoing project can also be followed directly through Infernus Drift on Instagram.
What Was Built?
- Custom tube chassis built from scratch.
- Modified Lamborghini Murciélago body widened substantially to reach the intended low, broad stance.
- Mid-mounted Nissan VQ35DE 3.5-liter V6.
- Precision 6466 turbocharger.
- Six-speed manual transmission originally intended for a front-wheel-drive application.
- Rear-wheel-drive drift configuration.
- Street-legal registration achieved by the time of the 2024 report.
Bell identified fiberglass work and achieving symmetry as two of the hardest parts of the project. That detail matters because a fictional design is not a set of production blueprints. The builder must decide where surfaces begin, how left and right sides match, where lights mount, how panels open, and how the finished shape clears suspension, wheels, cooling systems, and driver controls.
How Long Did It Take?
Bell told The Drive that the build began in April 2022. By the March 29, 2024 report, the car was running, driving, street-legal, and used primarily for drifting. That gives a verified elapsed period of nearly two years to reach that state.
This should not be read as a clean “two-year finished build” in the way a production schedule works. Independent projects continue to evolve, and Bell’s public updates show ongoing body and fiberglass development after the car became drivable. The more accurate description is:
Nearly two years from project start to a running, driving, street-legal version, with continuing development afterward.
How Much Did It Cost?
Bell has not published a verified final build total in the sources reviewed for this article. That is not unusual. A shop-owned fabrication project may involve used components, trade discounts, donated materials, sponsor support, reused tools, shop inventory, and thousands of hours of the builder’s own labor.
Any exact figure presented without Bell’s own records would be speculation. GTA6DATA therefore separates cash expenditure from replacement cost.
GTA6DATA Replacement-Cost Model for the Infernus
The following is not Bell’s actual spending. It estimates what a customer might pay a specialist shop to reproduce a similar one-off car using current custom-fabrication labor and parts. The purpose is to show why a builder can spend far less in cash than the completed work would cost to commission.
| Build category | Editorial replacement-cost range | Reason for uncertainty |
|---|---|---|
| Tube chassis design and fabrication | $25,000–$60,000 | Depends on engineering, jig work, materials, safety structure, and shop hours. |
| Murciélago body acquisition and major modification | $15,000–$50,000 | Condition, authenticity, completeness, freight, and fiberglass labor vary widely. |
| Fiberglass widening, symmetry, molds, and finishing | $20,000–$60,000 | Hand labor can dominate the cost. |
| VQ35DE engine, turbo system, cooling, and fuel system | $12,000–$30,000 | Used parts, fabrication, tuning, and power target change the total. |
| Transmission, driveline, hubs, and differential integration | $8,000–$25,000 | The transverse mid-engine layout requires custom engineering. |
| Suspension, steering, brakes, wheels, and tires | $15,000–$35,000 | Drift geometry and one-off fitment increase cost. |
| Wiring, controls, instruments, safety equipment, and interior | $8,000–$25,000 | Street-legal and motorsport needs overlap. |
| Paint, body finish, glazing, lights, and final assembly | $15,000–$40,000 | Show finish and road durability require substantial labor. |
| Illustrative commissioned replacement cost | $118,000–$325,000 | Not Bell’s actual cash expenditure or a quote from his shop. |
The range is intentionally wide. The most important variable is labor. A skilled fabricator who owns the shop, tools, and equipment can convert personal time into project progress without paying an external retail labor rate.
How Much Is the Labor Alone Worth?
Neither project has a verified public shop-hours total. To demonstrate the scale, consider a hypothetical independent build requiring 2,000–4,000 skilled hours:
| Hours | $100/hour | $150/hour |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | $200,000 | $300,000 |
| 3,000 | $300,000 | $450,000 |
| 4,000 | $400,000 | $600,000 |
Those figures are not claims about Bell’s hours or West Coast Customs’ invoice. They explain why the phrase “it only cost me the parts” can dramatically understate the economic value of a scratch-built car. Design decisions, failed attempts, rework, measuring, alignment, welding, sanding, wiring, testing, and documentation all consume time.
Why the Banshee and Infernus Costs Cannot Be Compared Directly
| Cost factor | Banshee | Infernus |
|---|---|---|
| Donor engineering | Production Viper already solved chassis, safety, cooling, brakes, and electronics | Major systems had to be designed and integrated around a custom chassis |
| Visible fabrication | Extensive new exterior and presentation work | Extensive body, chassis, drivetrain, and drift-system fabrication |
| Labor model | Professional commissioned shop project | Builder/shop-owned long-term project |
| Parts sourcing | Known production donor plus custom body components | Mixed used, custom, fabricated, and performance components |
| Project objective | Screen-accurate official promotional reproduction | Functional, street-legal, drift-capable personal interpretation |
| Finish versus experimentation | Launch-ready show finish | Continuing development is part of the project |
The Banshee’s reported $175,000–$180,000 cost may look high until its professional labor, one-off molds, donor vehicle, paint, interior, branding, and launch deadline are considered. The Infernus could have a lower personal cash cost while representing more total engineering labor.
Which Build Was Harder?
“Harder” depends on the category.
- Screen-accurate finish under official scrutiny: advantage Banshee.
- Chassis and drivetrain engineering: advantage Infernus.
- Public launch pressure: advantage Banshee.
- Long-term persistence and iterative fabrication: advantage Infernus.
- Starting with a road-ready platform: Banshee had the easier foundation.
- Creating a functional drift car from mixed components: Infernus had the greater systems-integration challenge.
That comparison is not intended to diminish either team. West Coast Customs had to deliver a polished official object recognizable to millions of players. Bell had to make an unconventional mechanical layout function as an actual car.
The Legal and Road-Registration Challenge
The Banshee retained a production-car identity and road-engineered base, although its modifications still required safe lighting, body clearance, cooling, and drivability. The Infernus faced a different challenge because a scratch-built tube-chassis car must satisfy the relevant local registration, inspection, equipment, identification, and insurance requirements.
Bell’s achievement in reaching a street-legal state is therefore significant. “Street legal” is jurisdiction-specific and should not be interpreted as proof that the same vehicle could be registered without changes in every state or country.
Respecting the Builders and Their Work
The official Banshee should be credited to the collaboration that created it: Rockstar Games and West Coast Customs. Their project turned a fictional GTA identity into a polished, functioning, one-of-one promotional car.
The Infernus-inspired car should be credited directly to Robert Bell / Infernus Drift and RB’s Adrenaline Factory. Bell’s work is not an official Rockstar product, and this article does not imply endorsement or affiliation. It is a documented independent build inspired by the GTA vehicle.
Readers should use the original builder pages and reporting links above when sharing these projects, rather than reposting images without attribution.
Editor’s Take
The official Banshee is probably the cleaner replica, and that is exactly what an official launch car needed to be. Its value lies in the discipline required to turn a Viper into a screen-accurate Banshee without making it look like a temporary movie prop.
The Infernus impresses me more as an engineering commitment. Buying a donor car and reshaping it is already difficult. Building a tube chassis, solving a transverse mid-engine drivetrain, widening a body by hand, making it drift, and then reaching a street-legal state is another level of persistence.
If I had to pay for either project at full professional-shop rates, I suspect the labor invoice would frighten me more than the parts list. These cars are reminders that the final photograph hides years of decisions, mistakes, repairs, and work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the official Banshee really cost $180,000?
Approximately $175,000–$180,000 is widely reported and appears in later auction material, but GTA6DATA did not find a final invoice in Rockstar’s original announcement. The safest label is “reported build cost,” not verified official invoice.
Was the Banshee built in 12 days?
There were 12 days between Rockstar’s teaser and completed-car article. That is a publication interval, not proof of the full production period.
How much did Robert Bell spend on the Infernus?
No verified final total was found in the sources reviewed. This article therefore provides a separate commissioned replacement-cost scenario rather than presenting speculation as Bell’s actual spending.
Is the Infernus build officially approved by Rockstar?
No official affiliation is claimed. It is an independent build inspired by the Pegassi Infernus.
Are there other real GTA vehicle builds?
Other replicas, tribute cars, liveries, renders, and kit-car projects circulate online, but many lack a traceable builder, full construction record, or proof that the finished vehicle exists. GTA6DATA will add further examples only when the creator and build evidence can be documented.
Sources and Original Project Links
- Rockstar Games: Coming Soon—the 2013 GTAV Bravado Banshee
- Rockstar Games: completed 2013 GTAV Bravado Banshee
- West Coast Customs official site
- GWS Auctions: one-of-one Banshee listing and reported build-cost range
- The Drive: later Banshee sale listing
- The Drive: interview and technical overview of Robert Bell’s Infernus build
- Robert Bell / Infernus Drift original project account
- Infernus Drift Facebook page
Last verified: September 6, 2026. Build details and project status may continue to change. Cost estimates in this article are editorial scenarios unless explicitly identified as published or reported figures. GTA6DATA is not affiliated with Rockstar Games, West Coast Customs, Robert Bell, or RB’s Adrenaline Factory.