Pony

The Pony is a goods van which made its first appearance in Grand Theft Auto III, and went on to feature in all of the following games of the GTA III Era (apart from Grand Theft Auto Advance), and in Grand Theft Auto IV.

File:Pony (GTA3) (front).jpg

A Pony in GTA III (Rear quarter view).

To date, the Pony has appeared in the following games:

Description

Design

GTA III — GTA Vice City Stories

Between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, the Pony is depicted as a generic, medium sized van that has appeared in two different forms, both of which do not apparently draw inspiration from any van. For GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories, the Pony features a modern appearance with a high roof (compared to the Rumpo's lower roof), while the GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City Stories renditions are directed in an older form with a conventionally low roof. In all its incarnations, the Pony is capable of carrying four passengers (two in the front, two in the back), and be found driving around the industrial areas of the cities in which it appears.

Regular Ponys in GTA San Andreas may occasionally appear with stereo systems in their cargo holds. One such Pony is seen during the mission "Life's a Beach", where it is used by a DJ for a beach party (see #Variants for more details).

GTA III (Rear quarter view).

GTA III (Rear quarter view).
GTA Vice City (Rear quarter view).

GTA Vice City (Rear quarter view).
GTA San Andreas (Rear quarter view).

GTA San Andreas (Rear quarter view).
The sound system on the Pony in "Life's a Beach". Other Ponys in the game may feature the same content in their cargo hold (Rear quarter view).

The sound system on the Pony in "Life's a Beach". Other Ponys in the game may feature the same content in their cargo hold (Rear quarter view).

GTA IV

File:Pony (GTA4) (front).jpg

A Pony in GTA IV (Rear quarter view, with roof rack).

In GTA IV, the Pony is manufactured by Brute. The front resembles a 1997-2002 GMC Savana, and the sides and back resemble a 1986-1993 Dodge Ram Van; that said, it has taller taillights than the Ram Van, and its side-mirrors look closer to more modern vans like the 1996–present Chevy Express/GMC Savana. The GTA IV Pony looks similar to the Burrito, a Declasse van.

The GTA IV Pony can rarely be spotted, however it does spawn parked in at least two locations. It comes with various different company names including; Sum Yung Gai Chinese Restaurant, U-Benders Plumbing Services, Pizza This and Mr. Wong's Laundrette.

Appearances

The Pony appear in the mission Liquidize the Assets. You are told to blow up the van's. so if you are going to take the van the mission will be failed.

Performance

Overall, the Pony has reasonable speed for a van, but its handling suffers from the very stiff suspension setup, making the vehicle unstable on bumpy roads.

Variants

In its earlier form, the Pony has been repeatedly adapted into different vans featuring unique modifications, including:

The Panlantic and the TOYZ (GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories)
The Top Fun (GTA Vice City)
The Berkley Van (GTA San Andreas)
The Ballot Van (GTA Liberty City Stories)

Pony's with unique modification also exist. Pony's with unique black body colors can be found during "Loose Ends"<!-But are they obtainable?-->. During the GTA San Andreas mission "Life's a Beach", there is a also unique teal Pony with a large stereo system and off-road wheels (presumably to allow it to traverse the sandy beach); it is a one-of-a-kind vehicle as Ponys cannot be modified at TransFender.

A recreated black Pony similar to one featured in the mission "Loose Ends", GTA Vice City.

A recreated black Pony similar to one featured in the mission "Loose Ends", GTA Vice City.
The Pony as depicted during "Life's a Beach", GTA San Andreas. Note the off-road tires.

The Pony as depicted during "Life's a Beach", GTA San Andreas. Note the off-road tires.

Naming confusion

There is some confusion over the differences between the Pony and the Rumpo, due to changes in their designs between GTA III and GTA Vice City. In GTA III, the Rumpo is designed after the Dodge Ram Van, and the Pony is a larger van with a heightened roof. In GTA Vice City, however, the Pony has a new design with a conventional roof, and the original "heightened roof" Pony design is inherited by the Rumpo (GTA San Andreas retained this change). Vans inspired by the Dodge Ram Van would continue to appear in the GTA III era, under the name "Burrito".

Trivia

A cosmetic glitch in GTA Vice City causes any Pony which enters a Pay 'n' Spray to emerge with its front bumper facing the opposite direction, towards the rear. Simply parking the vehicle in a garage and allowing the garage door to close will restore the bumper's alignment. This problem is also present in GTA Vice City's Rumpo.
The Pony plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
- Emotion 98.3 in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories.
- Playback FM in GTA San Andreas.
- The Vibe 98.8 in GTA IV.

Locations

GTA III

Next to a chain-linked fence east of the Supa Save! in Portland Harbor, Portland Island
At the entrance of an alleyway of Kai Lee's Hot Sauce Company in Chinatown, Portland Island
In the parking lot of the AMCo. Petroleum Company in Trenton, across the street from Joey's Garage
At the car crusher in Harwood, Portland Island

GTA Vice City

Next to a small building across the street west of the Boatyard in Viceport

GTA San Andreas

Usually seen in industrial areas such as Ocean Docks, or Easter Basin
Usually seen at the Fallen Tree.

GTA Vice City Stories

Parked near a silo just east of the Malibu Club in Vice Point.
Regularly seen driving around the Viceport area.

GTA IV

Spawns at Munsee Ave, near the Dillon St intersection in Downtown, Broker (Only during office hours.)
Spawns at a small shop in Leftwood, Alderney.