BMW Group has launched a new virtual race car, the BMW Vision Gran Turismo, exclusively for Gran Turismo 6.
The car, created by BMW Group Design, is powered by a three-litre, six-cylinder inline engine, virtually developed by BMW M GmbH, with performance peaking at 404KW/549hp and optimum handling and control for hot laps.
“The development of the BMW Vision Gran Turismo combines our many years of motorsports experience with signature BMW Design,” explained Vice President of Brand Communication for BMW, BMW i and BMW M, Andreas-Christoph Hofmann. “The race car anticipates future racing trends and allows gaming fans even more to experience BMW racing quality.”
Visitors to BMW Welt in Munich will be able to test drive the BMW Vision Gran Turismo within the BMW M exhibition, with the choice of using a PlayStation 3 gaming station or an additional dedicated race seat with a specially designed three-screen display, creating a totally immersive driving experience and to get as close to driving the car in real life as possible.
Taking inspiration from the successful BMW touring cars of the 1970s, the BMW design team have created an uncompromising road racer for the modern era that gives off the impression of speed even when stood still. With front and rear spoilers optimising downforce, all air conduction elements reduce drag, while the use of carbon fibre parts lower the vehicle’s overall weight.
The amount of effort that BMW have put in to the Vision Gran Turismo highlights its ongoing commitment to the world of video games and shows the growing relevance of the video game market and its community. Not only can video gamers view the cars in still and video format, but they can also take classic, current and concept machines for virtual test drives.
“I was eagerly awaiting what kind of car the people at BMW would come up with,” said creator of Gran Turismo and president of Polyphony Digital, Kazunori Yamauchi, who invited leading manufacturers to contribute to the Gran Turismo series to mark its 15th anniversary. “The resulting Vision Gran Turismo car was a sports car that was so clearly BMW, that really shows the DNA of BMW. What makes the Vision GT car so recognizable as a BMW, is in things like its compact size, its wide front and rear overfenders. It maintains the strong angular forms from the past, but the car is also given modern, elegant lines.”
More manufacturers are expected to roll out their virtual ground-breaking concept cars over the coming weeks, being gradually integrated into Gran Turismo 6 through a number of online updates.
