You're standing in your high-end apartment garage in Los Santos, staring at a row of neon-lit supercars that cost more than a small island. But honestly, tucked away in the corner is a car that probably cost you zero dollars. Most people just grab the GTA V Elegy RH8 because it’s free and then forget it exists once they have enough cash for a Krieger or an Emerus. That's a mistake.
The Elegy RH8 is weirdly legendary. It’s been in the game since the very beginning, back when we were all playing on PS3 and Xbox 360. If you linked your Rockstar Games Social Club account, it was just... there. Waiting in the Legendary Motorsport shop for $0. Even now, in 2026, with the sheer power creep of the HSW (Hao's Special Works) vehicles and the crazy missile-equipped Imani Tech cars, the Elegy holds its own in a way that’s almost disrespectful to the expensive stuff.
Why the GTA V Elegy RH8 Punches Above Its Weight
It's an All-Wheel Drive (AWD) monster. That’s the secret sauce. While other sports cars are spinning their tires and sliding into a palm tree on Vespucci Beach, the Elegy just hooks up and goes. It’s based heavily on the real-life Nissan GT-R (R35), and Rockstar didn’t just copy the looks; they copied that "driving on rails" feeling.
You’ve probably noticed that the back end rarely steps out unless you’re really trying to drift it. For a new player, this is a godsend. For a veteran, it’s a reliable getaway vehicle when the five-star heat gets too intense. Traction is 0.9 out of 1 in the game files, which is higher than many cars that cost two million bucks.
The weight distribution is another thing people miss. It's heavy. About 1,500kg. That sounds like a bad thing for a race car, right? Not in Los Santos. That weight means you don't get bounced around by every little curb or pebble. It stays planted. It’s predictable. In a game where the physics engine can sometimes decide to launch you into the stratosphere because you hit a cardboard box at the wrong angle, predictability is king.
The Benny's Transformation: A Whole Different Beast
We have to talk about Benny’s Original Motor Works. If you take your standard GTA V Elegy RH8 over to Benny's in Strawberry, you can pay a hefty chunk of change—nearly $900,000—to "upgrade" it into the Elegy Retro Custom.
Suddenly, you’re not driving a modern GT-R anymore. You’re driving a Skyline R32/R33 mashup. It’s a nostalgia trip for anyone who grew up on Fast and Furious or Gran Turismo. But here is the kicker: from a pure performance standpoint on a track with lots of corners, some players actually prefer the base RH8. The Retro Custom is cooler, sure. It has the widebody kits and the interior dash options. But it feels "looser." The base RH8 is a surgical tool.
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Let's Talk Speed and the Competitive Meta
If you look at the testing done by Broughy1322—the gold standard for vehicle testing in the GTA community—the Elegy RH8 has always sat near the top of the Sports class. It isn't the fastest in a straight line. If you’re racing down the Los Santos highway, a GTO or an Ital RSX will smoke you. But put that same race on a technical track with sharp turns? The Elegy starts clawing back time.
It has a top speed of roughly 118.5 mph (190.7 km/h). That’s not breaking any records. But its acceleration is rated at 0.5, which is punchy. You get out of the corners faster than most.
- Drivetrain: AWD (60% power to rear, 40% to front)
- Class: Sports
- Price: $95,000 (Free for Social Club members)
- Lap Time Ranking: Consistently top 10 in class for over a decade
Most cars from 2013 are paperweights now. Not this one. It’s the ultimate "sleeper" for mid-tier racing.
The Cost of Customization
Don't let the "Free" price tag fool you. If you want this car to actually compete, you're going to spend about $150,000 to $200,000 at Los Santos Customs. You need the EMS Upgrade Level 4. You need the Race Transmission. You absolutely need the Turbo Tuning.
Without the turbo, the GTA V Elegy RH8 feels a bit sluggish. It’s like the engine is gasping for air. Once that turbo kicks in, the sound changes, and the shift points get much tighter. I always tell people to skip the visual mods first. Don't worry about the carbon wing or the neon lights. Fix the internals.
Actually, there is one visual mod that matters: the spoiler. In GTA V's weird coding, adding a spoiler (any spoiler that isn't the "stock" one) actually increases the traction value of the car. It’s not just for looks. It literally makes the car grip better.
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Handling the "Understeer" Issue
The biggest complaint people have is understeer. Because it's AWD, it wants to go straight. If you try to take a corner at 100 mph without touching the brakes, you’re going to end up in the ocean.
The trick is the "Brake-Slide." You tap the brakes right before the turn, flick the steering, and then floor the gas. The AWD system will pull you through the apex. It takes practice. It’s not a "flick and forget" car like the Zentorno. It requires a bit of finesse to keep the nose pointed where you want it.
Is it Still Relevant in 2026?
Honestly? Yes. Maybe even more so now. With the economy in GTA Online being so inflated—where a Honda Civic clone costs $1.5 million—having a high-performance vehicle that costs nothing to buy is a massive advantage for new players.
If you are just starting out, your first move should be:
- Create a Rockstar Social Club account.
- Link your platform.
- Open the phone in-game.
- Go to Legendary Motorsport.
- Sort by price.
- Buy the Elegy RH8 for $0.
You now have a car that can win 80% of the street races you'll encounter in Freemode. It’s also surprisingly durable. It can take a few hits from a griefer in a Buffalo STX before it starts smoking, though it’s obviously not armored.
Common Misconceptions
People think because it's free, it's "trash." That's the biggest myth in the game. Rockstar made it free as a reward, not because it was a low-tier vehicle. In the early days, it was actually the fastest car in the Sports class. It took years for them to release cars that could consistently beat its lap times.
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Another misconception is that the Elegy Retro Custom is "better." It's different. It has a higher "cool factor," but the OG GTA V Elegy RH8 is often more stable at high speeds. If you're a purist who cares about lap times, keep the base model in your garage alongside the custom one.
Maximizing Your Build
To get the most out of your RH8, you have to be smart with the tires. While "off-road tires" used to be a meme for better bump absorption, that's been patched or tweaked on various cars over the years. For the Elegy, stick with High End or Sport tires. They feel the most responsive.
If you're using this for getaways during heists, go for the Bulletproof Tires immediately. The car sits low to the ground. If someone pops your front-left tire, you're done. The AWD system will struggle to compensate, and you'll just spin in circles.
- Focus on the Engine first. You need that torque.
- Lower the suspension. It reduces the center of mass, making it less likely to flip during high-speed maneuvers.
- Add the Competition Suspension. It makes the steering feel much sharper.
- Don't skip the brakes. The RH8 is heavy, and it takes a second to stop. Race brakes are a must.
The GTA V Elegy RH8 isn't just a "starter car." It's a staple. It’s a piece of GTA history that still works. Whether you're weaving through traffic in Downtown Los Santos or trying to shave seconds off your lap time at the airport track, it delivers. It's the most reliable friend you'll ever have in a city full of people trying to blow you up.
Go to your garage. Take it out for a spin. You'll realize pretty quickly why we're still talking about it over a decade later. It’s just a solid, well-built machine that doesn't need a multi-million dollar price tag to prove its worth.
Next Steps for Your Garage
To really master the Elegy RH8, take it to the Land Act Reservoir. The winding roads there are the perfect testing ground for AWD understeer. Practice your entry speeds until you can take those corners without hitting the guardrails. Once you've mastered the weight transfer on the base model, then—and only then—invest the $900,000 to convert it at Benny's to see which driving style fits your personality better.