Banshee

The Banshee is a two-seater sports car. The car has appeared in the following games:


 * Grand Theft Auto III
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
 * Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
 * Grand Theft Auto Advance
 * Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
 * Grand Theft Auto IV
 * Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories
In Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas it resembles a 1992-1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 or wp:Porsche Carrera GT, with its curvilinear design and dual single-exhaust ports, although the Banshee is narrower in width and has a different headlight design. This version of the Banshee is the only top-down convertible that the player cannot jump into without opening the driver door. In GTA San Andreas, it can only be modified in TransFender.

In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the Banshee resembles a 1984-1996 Corvette C4, with a more angular design and dual double-exhaust ports.

The GTA Advance rendition, which mimics the design of GTA III's Banshee, is also comparable to GTA 2's Rumbler, but is generally sleeker, sports the same single stripe as other Banshees, and comes with a covered top.

GTA IV
In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Bravado Banshee resembles a 1996-2002 Dodge Viper Coupe, but has side exhausts and a shorter roofline resembling a third or fourth generation Dodge Viper. The front fascia loosely resembles that of several Marcos sports cars and the taillights resemble those of the Aston Martin DB9. Unlike the real-life Viper's V10 engine, the GTA IV's Banshee has a 300ci (4.91 Liter) twin-turbocharged V8, according to the AutoEroticar website, and can be seen in-game if the player inflicts enough damage to cause the hood to come off.

Banshees in GTA IV are present as convertibles with rollbars, as well as hardtops. Similar to its real-life counterpart, the Banshee bears its own logo, resembling a screaming mouth with fangs (Like the real logo of the Dodge Viper), on the side panels, steering wheel, and upholstery. The standard Bravado logo is used on the front and rear of the car. The Banshee can be seen with a monochromatic paintjob or with a racing stripe down the middle.

Inside, the typical cozy Dodge Viper interior is found with black leather-clad bucket seats sporting the Bravado logo and red instrumentation. The name "Banshee" is also stitched with red thread in both headrests.

For whatever reason, the Banshee is not recognized as a sports car by the game, as friends and dates that normally like or dislike sports cars in particular (as opposed to e.g. all expensive cars) will not have the same reaction to a Banshee. This doesn't appear to have any other effect on gameplay.

GTA Chinatown Wars
In the DS version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Banshee appears similar to either the Phoenix or its GTA Vice City rendition, while in the PSP version it resembles its GTA IV rendition more.

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories
Being front-engined, rear-wheel drive and with a 10-cylinder engine, the Banshee in the GTA III era is one of the speediest sports cars but suffers from poor cornering due to its rear wheel drive, making it prone to fishtailing and spinouts in sharp turns (including handbrake turns). Examination of game data for GTA III to GTA San Andreas reveal the vehicle's performance stats remain unchanged, with a top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h), a weight of 2,240lbs (1,400 kg), a 5-speed transmission, an acceleration of 10.7 ft/s (3.3 m/s), and all-wheel brakes; these stats could be shared with the Banshee in GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories. The Banshee's speed in GTA Advance is significantly high at 174mph, nearly matching that of the Police Car, but has a marginally low crusher value of $448.

The Banshee in GTA San Andreas features a different engine sound from the other games. Acceleration is one of the best in San Andreas. It travels 0-62 MPH in 4.41 seconds. Steering response is excellent. Oversteer is significant. Turning at high speeds may cause the car to oversteer. A proper driving technique is required. Using the racing line technique will reduce the chance of getting oversteer. Braking can also cause the car to slide,so you need to brake smoothly and find a nice distance to brake. Those who play in the PS2 and XBox console will benefit this as they can control the amount of braking they wish to apply.

These traits remained unchanged until GTA IV, when its performance received significant tweaks.

GTA IV — GTA Chinatown Wars
The Banshee in GTA IV is powered by a 300ci Twin-Turbo V8 mated with a 5-speed gearbox with a RWD configuration. The Banshee is the third fastest-accelerating sports car. It's the sixth-fastest car overall with a top speed of 99 mph (160 km/h).

Handling is superb, with a slight hint of oversteer thanks to its low weight that complements the very torque-y engine. The suspension is firm and low, often leaving the Banshee smashing it's body panels into low-laying objects, like curbs, and usually causes the Banshee to hop about on uneven streets at higher speeds. Braking is very good; the Banshee outbrakes every other vehicle in the game, and ABS is standard on all models. Crash deformation is acceptable, however, due to its front-mounted engine it is much less resistant to frontal damage than rear and mid-engined sports cars such as the Comet and Infernus. It is more commonly found in GTA Chinatown Wars.

Overall, the Banshee is one of the more fun vehicles to drive, and well suited towards high-speed applications such as online multiplayer racing.

Variant


Chan Jaoming is depicted in GTA Chinatown Wars to own a modified Banshee, which features a purple body with red stripes, a spoiler and light purple underglows at night, similar to the modified Comet. The car is obtainable in two missions: The first is in "Jackin' Chan", when the car is caught in an inferno following a failed attempt by the Irish Killers to kidnap Chan, and the car must be used to transport Chan to safety; the player must fail the mission to obtain the car. The second is during "Clear the Pier", when Chan uses the car as a getaway vehicle. The player can pin the car to a wall and carjack it outright, allowing them to complete the mission while the car is in their possession.

Modifications (GTA San Andreas)

 * Colors (two exterior areas)
 * Nitro (all)
 * Wheels (ten varieties)
 * Hydraulics

Prominent appearances

 * GTA Liberty City Stories
 * In "Hot Wheels", Vincenzo Cilli instructs Toni Cipriani to pick up a Banshee for him, which is later revealed to be used as bait by the police. After learning of Vincenzo's disregard for Toni's safety and effectively quitting as his goon, Toni has the car crushed at the Harwood Autocrusher and Junkyard.
 * In the opening cutscene of "The Trouble With Triads", Salvatore Leone is depicted to have purchased a brand new unique colored black-and-white with Maria as the passenger, suggestively indicative of his mid-life crisis. After showing it off to Toni Cipriani, he drives off, only to leave the car crashed at a tree as the player returns near the end of the mission.
 * Leon McAffrey, a corrupt LCPD detective, uses a Banshee as his unmarked police car, suggesting the car is paid for via less legitimate means.


 * GTA IV


 * Brucie Kibbutz owns a black Banshee with orange stripe, which he dubbed "The Bitch". He intended to use this car in the street race in the mission No. 1. The car failed to start (likely due to the fact that Brucie personally tuned the car). Having an alternative in mind, Brucie called his friend Stevie for a replacement car, a gold Comet.
 * Lenny Petrovic may use a gray Banshee as a getaway car during "Final Destination".
 * In the mission "Meltdown" you steal a Banshee from some random guy to chase after Luca. The Banshee can be received in a grey colour with a dark stripe and a unique shade in a random colour.
 * A Banshee is requested as part of Stevie's Car Thefts, sporting a uniquely bright orange body and yellow stripe. As a new Banshee will respawn at the same spot until the player delivers one to S&M Auto Sales in Bohan, the player can save one at any safehouse before delivering another.
 * A Banshee is driven by Shon Kikuchi (a Most Wanted criminal).

Trivia

 * The Banshee plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
 * Radio X in GTA San Andreas.
 * The Vibe 98.8 in GTA IV.
 * The Banshee in GTA San Andreas is one of a handful of vehicles where Carl Johnson kicks the driver instead of punching or slamming the head of the driver.
 * In GTA IV the Banshees with hardtops don't have windows, so it's easier to steal one if it's parked. However, an alarm may still go off when entered.
 * Roman Bellic has a poster of a blue Banshee on the wall of his Hove Beach apartment.
 * There is a glitch that only happens for the Banshees with the hardtops. When Niko walks over to steal one either he gets in the stance to jump in the car (just as he does with the convertible variant) but then cancels the stance and opens up the door and gets in or the other way . The glitch can be seen clearly when viewing the theft of a hardtop Banshee using a closer camera view.
 * The Banshee is one of 4 vehicles in San Andreas named after mythical creatures, with the Hydra, Phoenix, and the Leviathan being the other 3.
 * 'Banshee' was what the Pontiac Firebird was originally named during its development stages.
 * Despite it being classified as a sports car, most characters consider it not to be a sports car (eg. many of Niko's girlfriends do not like the Banshee)
 * Sold at the Auto Merchant at $800 in GTA Chinatown Wars.
 * There is possibly a glitch where the steering of a Banshee locks to the left a bit causing the car to have to be constantly corrected.
 * Driving around in a Banshee may make the Feltzer appear more often.

Locations
GTA III
 * Spawns around Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale
 * Inside Capital Autos in Harwood, Portland Island
 * Outside Asuka Kasen's apartment in Newport, Staunton Island
 * Kenji's Casino, Torrington, Staunton Island
 * Parking lot west of Wichita Gardens, Shoreside Vale

GTA Vice City
 * Next to a mansion with a Rockstar swimming pool in Starfish Island.
 * Under a blue building north of the Pay 'n' Spray in Washington Beach.

GTA San Andreas
 * Next to Cobra Marital Arts Gym in Garcia, San Fierro, after completion of the Driving School. The car is consistently colored blue with a black stripe. It also has a custom license plate spelling "DBP".
 * In the Come-A-Lot Casino parking lot
 * Spawn around Rodeo, Los Santos
 * Spawn around The Strip and the Old Venturas Strip in Las Venturas
 * Importable from Easter Basin (San Fierro) after completing export lists. Import cost: $36,000 (Thursday only)

GTA Liberty City Stories
 * Spawns around Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale
 * Behind the Big Shot Casino, Torrington, Staunton Island
 * In an underground parking lot in Bedford Point, Staunton Island
 * In the Liberty Tree offices parking lot
 * In the Newport Multistory Car Park
 * It is very rare in Portland that only some of them spawn near Callahan Bridge, Atlantic Quays or Callahan Point.

GTA Vice City Stories
 * West of the Empire in north Downtown
 * Parked in front of a mansion in the middle of Starfish Island
 * Usually spawns in Starfish Island

GTA IV
 * Easily found at Francis International Airport while driving a Ripley. The player can find quite a few of them at the Airport parking lot.
 * Often spawn around Alderney City (Alderney), Middle Park, City Hall, Castle Gardens, The Exchange, Castle Garden City (Algonquin), and Rotterdam Hill (Broker)
 * Sometimes spawn around Francis International Airport (Dukes), Beachgate (Broker), Middle Park East, Hatton Gardens, Lancaster and Lancet (Algonquin)
 * Occasionally spawn around Varsity Heights, Westminster, The Meat Quarter, Suffolk (Algonquin), and South Slopes (Broker), Liberty City.
 * Spawn in traffic in GTA IV Multiplayer
 * In Mikhail Faustin's mission Final Destination, Lenny Petrovic will attempt to escape in a Banshee upon fleeing the Guantanamo Avenue train station; if the player can kill Petrovic without destroying the Banshee, he/she can take the car.
 * In the mission Meltdown, the player chases Luca through the streets of Algonquin in a Banshee which can be kept afterwards.
 * Brucie asks Niko to steal a Banshee which is one of his Exotic Exports requests. This Banshee has a unique paint job (blue with a white stripe) not found anywhere else in the game.
 * Stevie asks Niko to steal a Banshee from Middle Park West as part of the Stevie's Car Thefts side missions. This Banshee has a unique paint job (red-orange with a yellow stripe) not found anywhere else in the game.
 * In Hossan's random encounter, the man whom Hossan and Niko chase drives a grey Banshee with a stripe of a random color.
 * The Banshee can also be encountered in Brucie's races, but taking it (without winning first) will result in forfeiting the race and a drop in Brucie's 'like' percentage.
 * Encountered when pursuing Shon Kikuchi (a Most Wanted criminal), who drives a Banshee as an escape vehicle. The player can obtain the car by killing the suspect without destroying the car (e.g. shooting the right side of the windscreen).
 * At Auto Eroticar. (Occasionally)

GTA Chinatown Wars
 * In BOABO Merchant.
 * Usually seen in south and middle Algonquin.
 * Parked in a driveway of the south-westernmost house in Meadow Hills, Dukes

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