By: IOL Motoring Staff
Munich, Germany - They don't come much cooler than this - the Vision Gran Turismo, a virtual racing car created by BMW Group Design especially for Gran Turismo 6.
It has a virtual three-litre, biturbo straight six developed by BMW M GmbH to deliver 404kW from 6200-7300 revs, with peak torque of 680Nm at just 1900rpm.
A sequential six-speed transmission with paddle shift puts the power on the pavement through the rear axle; the car weighs in at only 1180kg and boasts perfect 50:50 weight distribution.
BMW communications maven Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, said: “The Vision Gran Turismo combines our years of motorsport experience with signature BMW design to anticipate future racing trends.”
The in-house studio has created an uncompromising road racer for the modern era, in the tradition of the BMW touring cars of the 1970s, with radical front and rear spoolers as part of an all-carbon fibre aero kit, and a special livery in classic BMW M colours.
But wait, it gets even cooler…
From today, 15 May, visitors to BMW Welt in Munich will also be able to 'drive' the Vision Gran Turismo at the BMW M display, either on one of a number of PlayStation consoles or in a dedicated simulater with a specially designed three-screen display that makes it the closest you can get to driving the car in real life.
The growth of the gaming community means that concepts such as the Vision Gran Turismo, as well as classic and current BMW vehicles, can not only be presented passively in images or trailers, but also experienced interactively - and even taken for a virtual drive.
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE
To mark the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo in 2013, creator Kazunori Yamauchi invited leading carmakers to contribute to the successful game series, to look into the future and share their concepts with the gaming community.
The virtual cars will be gradually integrated into the new Gran Turismo 6 game through online updates - starting with this one.
Yamauchi said: “I was very keen to see what kind of car the people at BMW would come up with - and the result is so clearly BMW with its flared wheel-arches and 1970s angular design language brought up to date with modern, elegant lines.”
BMW Group Design head Adrian van Hooydonk added: “Kazunori-san has the same passion for design and driving pleasure as we do at BMW Group - that's why we're so pleased to present our first virtual concept on Gran Turismo.”