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Driving virtual versions of real-life supercars in video games is great and all, but what if you could have it the other way around? There are some awesome in-game-only cars that would be a blast to hoon in the physical world. Some crafty wrenchers have taken this into their own hands by building Halo Warthogs with actual metal, but it doesn’t stop there. Case in point: This Pegassi Infernus drift car that’s a riff on one of Grand Theft Auto‘s most popular exotics.
It’s the work of Robert Bell, who owns RB’s Adrenaline Factory in Kansas City. He started with plans to build a tube chassis from scratch so he could showcase the shop’s fab skills. With that blueprint, he knew he needed a shell to set on top of it.
“One day scrolling through Craigslist, I actually found a [Lamborghini] Murcielago body local to us,” Bell explains. “In the original build process, I realized that with the car scene being the way it is, kit cars are kind of frowned upon because they’re generally done poorly on a crappy chassis.
“Doing slight modifications and making it the Infernus from the video game changed the entire outlook of the car.”
It just worked out that the designers at Rockstar also based their car on the Murcielago. Bell started there and then widened it a ton to nail down the super-low aesthetic. According to him, the fiberglass work has been the toughest part of the project so far, along with making everything symmetrical.
The build started in April 2022, so it’s taken nearly two years to get to this point. It’s a running, driving car that’s even street-legal—which, as you’d imagine, is no easy task. And while Bell does drive it on the road, it’s mainly meant for drifting. The running gear only makes that more clear.
So, the engine is a transversely mounted Nissan VQ35DE 3.5-liter V6 like you’d find in an old Maxima. It’s closely related to a 350Z powerplant, then. It’s located behind the driver and it sends power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual originally meant for front-wheel-drive applications. It’s a little backward, and that’s what makes it cool. That and the Precision 6466 turbo, I’d say.
Because Bell is a fabricator at his core, the metalwork on this car is sick. I don’t know the first thing about building a vehicle from scratch, but the tube work and suspension looks really well done. My favorite is the exhaust, which exits high out the back with five pipes arranged in a T-pattern. You can love or hate how the VQ sounds, but there’s no denying how cool it is when it spits flames through those.
The body is still bare for now but Bell sent over these renders of a finished product in purple to give the final vision. It’ll stand out even more then and really look the part of the real Infernus, which has been in almost every Grand Theft Auto title since GTA III.
Bell plans on hitting up as many shows as he can in the meantime as he completes the project. If you see him, say hi! He’ll be the only one with a video game car that slides as hard as it parks.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
