Admiral

The Admiral is a 4-door sedan featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

Vehicle
Admiral
An Admiral in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
An Admiral in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
(Rear quarter view)
An Admiral in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Appearance(s) GTA Vice City
GTA San Andreas
GTA Vice City Stories
GTA IV
GTA Chinatown Wars
Vehicle type Civilian car
Body style 4-door sedan
Capacity 4 (driver and 3 passengers)
Manufacturer Dundreary (GTA IV)
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Design

GTA Vice City — GTA Vice City Stories

Efficient German cruiser. Popular with commuter belt middle men.

Official Vice City Bureau of Investigation file description, GTA Vice City.[1]

In GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, GTA Vice City Stories, the car resembles a 1980s Mercedes-Benz W123. There also appears to be resemblances of the Fiat Regata (1983–1990), particularly the rear. In GTA San Andreas, it appears to feature a minor 1990s facelift, although in reality, at this point of time, the W123 was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz W124. According to the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City website, the Admiral originates from Germany.

GTA IV — GTA Chinatown Wars

In GTA IV, the Admiral retains its 4-door sedan form, and is manufactured by Dundreary. Its chassis generally resembles that of the 2003-2005 Mercury Grand Marquis (albeit with a more streamlined greenhouse) or 2003-present Lincoln Town Car, with a more even roof. The front of the Admiral in particular resembles the Grand Marquis; the taillights strangely share a similar (and probably coincidental) design to those of the 1982-1986 Toyota Camry.

The Admiral also serves as the base chassis for the GTA IV Stretch limousine, similar to how the Chrysler 300 and Lincoln Town Car are often modified into limousines. The Admiral's Dundreary logo-adorned reverse lights, however, are absent on the Stretch.

In GTA Chinatown Wars, the Admiral takes on an older form, arguably appearing like an old Lincoln, similar to the Marbelle; however, the rear is unlike any Lincoln or Mercedes. Some drug dealers in the drug dealing side mission also store drugs in the trunks of Admirals, showing off a rear that resembles that of a 1980s Lincoln. The car also emits a clunky engine noise, which is a probable testament to its age. Thus, the styling of the car is best described as a vague mix of the GTA IV and pre-GTA IV renditions.

Performance

GTA Vice City — GTA Vice City Stories

Performance wise, the car is generally acceptable with light weight, stable handling, and good acceleration and top speed, to the point it is offered as a starter car which the player may first control in GTA Vice City. Surprisingly, it is front-wheel drive, which is the biggest difference from the original W123. The GTA Vice City Stories Admiral has a different engine sound from the GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas renditions.

GTA IV — GTA Chinatown Wars

The GTA IV version of the car generally performs as one would expect from a large, heavy sedan, in comparison to its previous renditions' smaller lighter counterparts. While possessing good horsepower, the vehicle's weight hampers its acceleration and handling but provides the car with better endurance. Its top speed is about 140 km/h (87 mph).

In GTA Chinatown Wars, performance of the car is average, with a decent top speed, acceleration and handling.

Variants

Indestructible Admirals

GTA Vice City

In GTA Vice City, during a Juan Cortez mission named "Guardian Angels", Ricardo Diaz arrives at the location of a deal with his personal car and three bodyguards. If the player kills Diaz and his bodyguards, thus failing the mission, they can take the Admiral and store it in a garage.

Virtually indestructible, the car can be very useful in missions where hardy vehicles are required, such as vehicle pursuits and entries into hostile areas (i.e. in "Death Row"). However, the indestructibility of the car is limited by the game engine itself, as players can still shatter its front windscreen with gunfire and blow out its tires; the car will also catch fire and explode when it flips over. Even worse, a Rhino can still destroy it by crashing into it. Players who wish to use the car in missions but retain it for future use must avoid using it in missions where any vehicle the player is driving will vanish or be abandoned.

GTA San Andreas

The indestructible Admiral was carried over to GTA San Andreas, also appearing in only one mission, "Los Sepulcros". To acquire the Admiral, the player must first have a Tow Truck in hand; during the mission, the player must drive the Tow Truck to the cemetery, shoot the Ballas to fail the mission, tow the Admiral to a garage using the Tow Truck, and store the Admiral in the garage.

With unique colors

GTA Vice City

GTA Vice City features at least three uniquely colored Admirals, which vary in availability.

  • Ken Rosenberg drives a unique, pure-white Admiral during the introductory sequence of GTA Vice City. After the botched deal, Ken drives to his office and parks his car in the alleyway next to his office, from which point the player may commandeer it. This is only time a car of this kind is available; this is compounded by the fact that it is fairly difficult to save the car as the player has yet to acquire a safehouse with a garage; the cheapest available safehouse with this feature, the Links View Apartment, costs $6,000 to purchase. Also, the Admiral will disappear if the player abandons it for too long.

    An alternate variant of the car that exists only in cutscenes in the introduction features a far more detailed interior (with well-defined front seats, steering wheel and dashboard), and improved door handles and side mirrors. The car also features leftovers of design ideas prior to the release of GTA Vice City, with a different frontal grille design, and Liberty City license plates and wheels with sports rims carried over from GTA III.

  • A light gray Admiral outside Diaz' Mansion/the Vercetti Estate will occasionally spawn on the western portion of the mansion's driveway in place of the Stretch. The abovementioned indestructible Admiral in "Guardian Angels" also appears with this color.
  • Three black Admirals chases the player in "Check Out At The Check In", after the player successfully assassinates a target at Escobar International and retrieves the target's briefcase. Each car contains two occupants, with the passenger emerging from the roof to open fire at the player when the car is close to the player. To obtain the car, the player must shoot dead the rooftop shooter, then set the car on fire using a flamethrower or Molotov Cocktail (preferably a flamethrower, as a Molotov might destroy the car) to drive out the remaining driver (while ensuring the car is not completely destroyed in the process), gaining access to the car. However, if the player exits the car, the car will automatically lock itself and not allow the player to re-enter. These three Admirals are also super-heavy until the end of the mission, regardless whether the player passes or fails.
  • Similarly, two black Admirals can be found during "Loose Ends", at a Little Havana compound where the player must fight his way to a target. Although the car is unlocked, the car cannot be normally driven away as the only gate large enough for the car to leave is half-opened. Like the black Pony in the same compound, players will need to obtain two Packers, using one Packer to boost the second Packer over the gate, so the second Packer can be used to ramp the Admiral out of the compound.

GTA Chinatown Wars

 
GTA Chinatown Wars' purple "gang" variant of the Admiral, commonly associated with the Triads.

In addition to regular Admirals, dark purple Admirals with cream tops commonly spawn parked in Triad territories, more specifically, in territories and properties belonging to Kenny Lee; the cars may thus qualify as gang cars for the Lee Triads alongside the Triad Hellenbach, even though the car does not spawn in traffic to indicate who drives it. The only time it's ever seen driven by NPCs is during the introduction sequence.

Performance of the Triad Admiral varies from that of a regular Admiral, with slightly faster acceleration and top speed but otherwise nigh-similar handling. However, it may perform burnouts (whereas the regular Admiral cannot). In addition, the "Triad" Admiral's engine noise is smoother.

Like car variants driven by gangs in GTA IV, the car is known simply as an Admiral.

Customization in GTA San Andreas

The Admiral in GTA San Andreas can be modified at a TransFender, but is only offered a bare minimum of modification options:

Italicized pricing denotes prices at the Las Venturas TransFender, which charges 20% more except Colors.

  • Colors
    • Car Color 1 (primary body color): $150
  • Nitro
    • 2x Nitrous: $200 ($240)
    • 5x Nitrous: $500 ($600)
    • 10x Nitrous: $1,000 ($1,200)

  • Wheels
    • Import: $820 ($984)
    • Atomic: $770 ($924)
    • Ahab: $1,000 ($1,200)
    • Virtual: $620 ($744)
    • Access: $1,140 ($1,368)
    • Off Road Wheel: $1,000 ($1,200)
    • Mega: $1,030 ($1,236)
    • Grove: $1,230 ($1,476)
    • Twist: $1,200 ($1,440)
    • Wires: $1,560 ($1,872)

  • Car Stereo
    • Bass Boost: $100 ($120)
  • Hydraulics: $1,500 ($1,800)

Trivia

  • The GTA Vice City rendition of the Admiral uses a unique horn first heard on the Yardie Lobo in GTA III.
  • The Admiral from GTA Vice City cameos in Manhunt 2.
  • The GTA IV rendition features the Door Ajar Chime when the door is open. It can be heard in quiet areas with the volume turned up.
  • In perfect condition this car can be sold in the S&M Auto Sales for $2,500 in GTA IV after completing Stevie's Car Thefts.
 
A wreck of an Admiral in GTA IV (rear quarter view).
  • Rusting wrecks of the Admiral can be found scattered in GTA IV.
  • Leftover coding of "admiral2" can be found in The Lost and Damned's game files. The nature of the code is unknown, but is speculated to be intended for a dropped second variant of the car. It may be speculated that this variant would have been modeled off after the older Mercedes-based Admiral as had with the Faggio in The Ballad of Gay Tony with it's "Classic" design and newer design existing within the game.
  • The Admiral plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
  • In GTA IV, the car's interior B-pillar doesn't match up with the door's outside pillar since the doors are rather wider and positioned a bit farther out.

Locations

GTA Vice City
GTA San Andreas
GTA Vice City Stories
GTA IV
GTA Chinatown Wars
  • In front of the safehouse in Cerveza Heights, Dukes (Triad version).
  • Spawns randomly in the area around the safehouse in Cerveza Heights, Dukes (Triad version).
  • In a parking lot (with a drug-dealer) near the desalination plant (Normal).
  • In various spaces at the Castle Garden City marina parking lot (Normal).

References

  1. Vice City Impounded Vehicles. Rockstar Games. official GTA Vice City website