Franklin and Lamar

Grand Theft Auto V · Quest walkthrough

Franklin and Lamar is the first playable Franklin mission in the GTA V story. Some sources count it as mission 2 because they include the Prologue, and others call it the first mission. Both refer to the same job. Simeon Yetarian, the car dealer, gives Franklin the task, and Franklin and Lamar repossess a car and then race through Los Santos. There is no combat and no puzzle. The challenge is keeping up with Lamar, using Franklin's driving ability, shaking a two-star wanted level, and returning the car undamaged. This guide covers the base-game story mission only, not the GTA Online contact missions with a similar name. One site (gta5wiki.com) places the start at the dealership, which conflicts with the other guides, so that account is not followed here.

AI-written walkthrough. Includes this quest’s outcomes. Verify important choices in-game. Researched 11/14/2026.

Before you start

Finish the Prologue. Nothing else is required, and the mission starts automatically without you traveling anywhere.
The mission is Franklin-only, so no character switching is involved.
Optional for the Gold Medal: replay it after the first run. Sources disagree on whether there are two or four gold objectives, so aiming for all four is the safe approach.
Know your platform's input for Franklin's special ability: pressing both sticks on console, or Caps Lock by default on PC. It stays locked until the tutorial prompt appears.

1. Take control at the beach house and pick a car

After the opening cutscene, in which Michael points Franklin and Lamar toward Bertolt's beach house (the one with the yellow stairs), you control Franklin at the Pacific Bluffs house. Two unpaid-for cars are parked out front: a red Dewbauchee Rapid GT and a white Obey 9F Cabrio. Choose either one and get in. Lamar takes the other. The choice does not affect the mission, though one guide finds the Rapid GT easier to drive. One wiki caption calls the Rapid GT white, so go by the car you actually see. Do not sit in the car at the house, because the owner will try to drag Franklin out and attack him. Drive off promptly once Lamar is ready.

Choosing a car at the start of the mission, under the guide's "Choose a Car" section.

Checkpoint: You are driving a repossessed car away from the house, and Lamar is in the other car and has started the chase.

2. Follow Lamar and learn the special ability

Lamar challenges Franklin to a race through the city. Stay close to him. He shows as a blue blip on the radar, and the Focus button swings the camera toward him. When the tutorial prompt appears, activate Franklin's ability by pressing both sticks, or Caps Lock on PC by default. It slows time while driving, so use it on tight turns and switch it off once you are through. Lamar's car is scripted to be invulnerable and immovable, so ramming him is pointless. If you fall behind, use the ability to catch up. The mission fails if you fall too far behind or lose him. Handling can feel unfamiliar, so do not push the car to its limit.

Franklin's special ability is used to slow time during difficult driving sections.

Checkpoint: The ability tutorial has played, and you are keeping Lamar in sight along the route.

3. Navigate the route landmarks

The route runs through red lights, the Richards Majestic movie studio lot, and several parking structures. One source adds that the race passes underneath the Arcadius Business Center before reaching the Union Depository entrance. Run lights rather than waiting at them, and follow Lamar rather than inventing your own path. At Richards Majestic there are actors dressed as aliens, and hitting them can cost you the We Come in Peace gold objective. You can drive around the studio on the main road and rejoin Lamar on the other side. If you are ahead of Lamar there, he may occasionally hit the actors himself, so staying behind him is safer.

Actors dressed as aliens on the studio lot, which the guide says not to hit.

Checkpoint: You have cleared the studio lot without a failure and are approaching the Union Depository area.

4. Win the race and complete Focused Driver (Gold Medal objectives)

For the Winner objective you must pass Lamar. Before the Union Depository there are two tunnels. Lamar takes the right one, so take the left and use the ability to pass him. Overtaking earlier does not help. For Focused Driver, use the special ability for at least 7 seconds in total. One guide suggests keeping it going in the alley. Losing the race has no penalty other than losing that gold medal. The two-objective list has only Focused Driver and Winner, while the four-objective list also has Not a Scratch and We Come in Peace.

Checkpoint: You reach the Union Depository car park ahead of Lamar. The final gold results appear at the end of the mission (Gold Medal status is not confirmed during the run).

5. Park next to Lamar

The chase ends in the Union Depository car park. Drive to the marked spot next to Lamar and stop. A short conversation plays, the cops are alerted, and Lamar speeds off, leaving Franklin in the stolen-looking car with police arriving.

Checkpoint: A cutscene plays, and then you gain control with a two-star wanted level.

6. Lose the cops

Your wanted level is capped at two stars during this mission. Watch the minimap and take roads away from the police, changing streets frequently to break line of sight. The car must not be destroyed, and heavy damage also changes the later phone call. Do not stop to fight, and avoid collisions to protect the Not a Scratch objective.

Checkpoint: The wanted stars stop flashing and disappear, and the objective changes to returning the car.

7. Return the car to Premium Deluxe Motorsport

Drive to the dealership marked on the map. Inside, Simeon is arguing with Jimmy De Santa over a Karin BeeJay XL. Park the car as directed and do not cause a disturbance there, because that fails the mission. Avoid ramming other cars on the way so the repossessed vehicle arrives with minimal damage, which is what Not a Scratch checks.

Checkpoint: The car is delivered and you are free to leave the dealership on foot.

8. Go to Franklin's house

Get in your own car. Older guides say this is Franklin's white Buffalo S, and they say to wait for Lamar to join you. Drive to Franklin's house on Forum Drive in Strawberry and pull into the garage. This triggers the safehouse introduction and the ending cutscene, in which Lamar mocks Franklin's haircut and love life.

Checkpoint: The ending cutscene plays and the mission-passed screen appears. The safehouse is now available.

Choices and things you can miss

Car choice: the red Rapid GT or the white 9F Cabrio. Lamar takes the other one. The mission is unchanged, and one guide says the Rapid GT is easier to drive. Nothing carries over.
Gold approach: you can simply finish the mission, or aim for all four optional objectives (Not a Scratch, Focused Driver, Winner, We Come in Peace). Sources disagree on whether two or four exist, so treat four as the safe target.
Studio lot: stay behind Lamar for the safest We Come in Peace result, or take the main road around the studio and rejoin him on the other side.
Tunnels: take the left tunnel to pass Lamar for Winner, since he uses the right one. Passing earlier is pointless.

Rewards

Cash is unverified. WikiGTA lists $250 and Neoseeker lists nothing. No source here confirms a payout.
Safehouse tutorial at Franklin's house: save a car in the garage, save by sleeping (which advances time eight hours), change clothes, or watch TV.
Next mission: Simeon calls Franklin back to the dealership with a new repo list, which leads to Repossession.
Gold Medal replay is available. No irreversible consequences were found.

Troubleshooting

Lamar pulling away: activate the ability on corners and through tight spots, and release it on straights. Do not drive at the car's limit.
Mission failed by distance: keep Lamar on the radar as the blue blip and use the Focus button to turn the camera toward him.
Failure triggers per Neoseeker: Franklin or Lamar dying, a car being destroyed, losing Lamar, or a disturbance at the dealership.
Car owner attacks Franklin: you lingered at the house. Leave as soon as you pick a car.
Cannot use the ability: it does not unlock until the tutorial prompt appears. Check that your input is both sticks on console or Caps Lock on PC by default.
Cops not clearing: you stay at two stars at most, so change roads repeatedly and keep checking the minimap.
Missed gold objectives: replay the mission. Winner needs the left tunnel plus ability use, We Come in Peace needs no hits on the actors, Focused Driver needs 7 total seconds of ability use, and Not a Scratch needs minimal car damage.

Release and platform notes

The Enhanced version has a randomly colored Alpha in the parking area that the red Carbonizzare enters. The radio starts on West Coast Classics in the original, but on Radio Los Santos with a different song in the Enhanced version. No mechanical differences were found. The special-ability input varies by platform: both sticks on console and Caps Lock by default on PC. Sources disagree on the Rapid GT colour (red versus white), the reward, and the number of gold objectives. The exact moment the Get back in the car objective appears is unconfirmed.