Miami set to host the global unveiling of a one-off luxury armored vehicle inspired by the iconic Nightshark from Grand Theft Auto Online
In a striking crossover between gaming culture and the luxury automotive world, DARTZ Motorz is preparing to bring one of the most recognizable vehicles from Grand Theft Auto Online into the real world.
The Latvia-based manufacturer of luxury and armored vehicles has entered the final stages of building an extraordinary one-off machine inspired by the HVY Nightshark, the heavily armored vehicle introduced to Grand Theft Auto Online in August 2017. Commissioned by an undisclosed client, the bespoke vehicle is reportedly being built at a cost of several million dollars.
The project, codenamed PROJECT FINAL BOSS, represents an unusual reversal of the traditional relationship between video games and the automotive industry. While games have long drawn inspiration from real-world vehicles, DARTZ is now transforming a digital design into a hand-built physical automobile.
From virtual inspiration to real-world engineering
Although the Nightshark was never officially licensed by DARTZ, its design has frequently been compared with several models produced by the company, including the Kombat, Black Shark and Black Snake.
Almost nine years after the Nightshark first appeared in the game, DARTZ says the new project takes that visual connection a step further.
“It’s not just a replica,” said Leonard Yankelovich, founder and president of DARTZ.
According to Yankelovich, the client did not simply want a pixel-for-pixel recreation of the gaming vehicle. Instead, the brief was to reinterpret the concept as a fully engineered, hand-built machine.
“Copying the pixels would be easy and cheap. We don’t look backwards. This car is what comes after reaching the final level,” Yankelovich said.
The result is expected to go well beyond a conventional replica, combining the aggressive visual language associated with the Nightshark with DARTZ’s expertise in luxury and armored vehicle construction.
A closely guarded one-off
DARTZ is keeping many details of PROJECT FINAL BOSS confidential. The identity of the client has not been disclosed, and the company has not confirmed whether the commission comes from a private individual or an organization.
Technical specifications and the final exterior design are also being kept under wraps until the vehicle’s public unveiling.
The company says construction is taking place entirely by hand at its facilities in Riga, Latvia. The vehicle has reportedly reached the final polishing and finishing stages, bringing the unusual project close to completion.
Miami unveiling planned for GTA VI launch week
The vehicle is expected to make its global public debut in Miami, Florida, during the week surrounding the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19, 2026.
For DARTZ, Miami provides an appropriate setting for a project rooted in both automotive excess and gaming culture.
“Miami is the right place; a city made of sunshine, money, speed and irrational decisions. It deserves a machine worthy of it,” Yankelovich said.
DARTZ has emphasized that PROJECT FINAL BOSS is an independent private commission and does not constitute an official partnership, endorsement or licensing agreement with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.
Instead, the project stands as its own interpretation of the cultural relationship between gaming and automotive design.
If unveiled as planned, PROJECT FINAL BOSS could become one of the world’s most distinctive custom automobiles, turning a vehicle that once existed only as digital pixels into a multi-million-dollar machine built from steel, metal and craftsmanship.
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