For those who enjoy Gran Turismo Sport on Playstation 4, the December update should provide new challenges with not only the addition of 7 new cars but also the Laguna Seca raceway in California. The update was released recently as Update 1.53 and includes a range of Safety Cars.
The cars are:
Renault Sport Megane R.S. Trophy Safety Car | 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Club Sport (993) | 2013 Toyota Crown Athlete GPlayers can also experience the original VW Golf GTI which came out in 1983.
Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Safety Car | 2017 Ford GT | Toyota Crown Athlete G Safety Car
The WeatherTech Laguna Seca raceway is located in central California and was opened in 1957. WeatherTech has been the main sponsor since 2018 but before that, Mazda was the main sponsor for 17 years.
The 3.6-km circuit’s famous feature is a very challenging section known as ‘The Corkscrew’. This has a blind crest apex on the uphill approach and drops 18 metres. It’s regarded as a technical circuit with 11 corners and drivers need to be able to maintain precise control over their speed at all times as any errors in estimation will result in them going off track or crashing.
In addition, Update 1.53 also has 7 new rounds added to GT League events. These include a ‘Beginner League’ with 2 new rounds added to the ‘Z Heritage’ (only for racers using Z cars) and an Amateur League is added to the ‘Super Formula Championships’.
Incidentally, in case you missed it in November, there is also a single player game mode in which the player challenges best lap times set by none other than the ‘Maestro of Gran Turismo Sport’ and real-life 6-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who personally set the lap records in Gran Turismo Sport.
In addition to the challenges themselves, the package includes replays and video tutorials by Lewis himself, where you can take on the challenges while really learning to improve your skills from the Maestro.
Ahead of the World Finals of the 2019 FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships taking place in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Lamborghini has unveiled its new concept car, the Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo. It had started off as a highly visionary concept within the digital environment of the iconic racing game Gran Turismo Sport for Sony PlayStation 4, where it will be available from early 2020.
“Lamborghini is a very young brand, and this is why we present our newest virtual vision in the form of a real model, with a highly futuristic and cool design to be enjoyed by the young generation of racing game and super sports car enthusiasts,” said Stefano Domenicali, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.
The Lambo V12 Vision GT, which uses the powertrain from the Sian FKP 37, features a very exciting design produced by Lamborghini Centro. The design builds on historic Lamborghini design DNA, expanding the potential of the design language in a very futuristic way. Focused on the single centre line, the iconic silhouette of all Lamborghini models, it emphasizes a single-seater layout conceived for a racing game where a passenger is not needed.
The concept car’s powerful overall design is dedicated to sophisticated aerodynamics. A large wing housing a significant Y-taillight dominates the rear. All elements are designed as high performance surfaces, integrating design and aerodynamics. The main body is disconnected from the fenders, and the hexagon-inspired theme in the side windows is inspired by the Lamborghini Marzal from 1968. The Lambo V12 Vision GT uses the typical Lamborghini Y-signature for both front lights and rear lights.
Ultimate virtual car
A visionary concept requires an interior design ahead of its time. The driver enters the cabin like a jetfighter pilot, from the front of the car. The main driving controls are located within the futuristic steering wheel and all driver information is projected virtually in front of the driver.
“The Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo is created to provide the ultimate virtual car for young fans and gamers, who are ultra-enthusiastic about Lamborghini and its futuristic aspirations,” said Mitja Borkert, Head of Lamborghini Centro Stile. ”It is an opportunity for the design talent within Lamborghini to stretch its wings and visualize a car that, like every Lamborghini, is a head-turner and the best driving experience, but also mirrors Lamborghini’s push on future technologies, particularly in the arena of lightweight materials and hybridization.”
In 2013, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the popular Gran Turismo racing simulator, Polyphony Digital invited a number of top carmakers to develop virtual racing cars that could be included in the series. Many companies responded positively and came up with some extraordinary sportscars which were a combination of what’s possible today and what could be possible in future. There were no limitations to the technology and engineering so it was a unique opportunity to go to extremes.
Since 2013 and the launch of the sixth Gran Turismo simulator, over 30 sportscars have appeared from carmakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Mitsubishi Motors, Mazda, Hyundai and others. All of them have been known as the Vision Gran Turismo cars.
Vision Gran Turismo sportscars from Volkswagen (left) and Aston Martin
This month, Jaguar has also joined the program with its first all-electric virtual sportscar – the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo Coupe. The futuristic EV will be available for players to download in Gran Turismo Sport for the Sony PlayStation 4 from the end of November. Before then, it will first be driven by competitors in the latest round of Sony’s Gran Turismo World Tour event at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show this weekend.
Inspired by brand’s racing lineage
Jaguar’s Vision GT Coupe has been designed and developed from the ground up taking inspiration from the brand’s racing lineage. The iconic C-type and D-type influence its fearless futuristic design, while Jaguar’s I-TYPE 4 Formula E and I-PACE eTROPHY racing cars provide the technical foundations for its uncompromising racing performance. Jaguar’s team of designers had complete creative freedom to develop the perfect proportions and beautiful surfaces of this virtual Jaguar of the future.
“This project has been completely led by our young designers and represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to create a vehicle steeped in our incredible heritage but pushing the boundaries of future design. The team have done an incredible job in creating something which is clearly identifiable as a Jaguar, inspired – but not constrained – by our iconic past,” said Julian Thomson, Jaguar Design Director.
The Vision GT Coupe is crafted from experimental lightweight materials, with the light and stiff monocoque made from carbonfibre composites and advanced aluminium alloys. This focused lightweight construction keeps its weight to just 1,400 kgs with near 50:50 weight distribution. Gamers will have 1,020 ps of power and 1,200 Nm of torque, a 0 – 100 km/h time of less than 2 seconds and perfectly balanced handling,
Dream project for designers
Beautiful shapes and purposeful proportions from three key cars in Jaguar’s racing heritage, the C-type, D-type and E-type, have influenced the form and graphics of the Vision GT Coupe. Radical front fenders are reminiscent of the C-type, the epic plan shape is inspired by the ‘Long Nose’ D-type, and the fast and elegant cabin hints at the Lightweight E-type.
The Vision GT Coupe is the first Jaguar to feature the iconic Leaper on the front grille. Elsewhere, the historic references continue with the twin-charging sockets flanking the rear haunches, inspired by Jaguar’s revolutionary 1968 XJ saloon.
“This was the dream project for a car designer, creating a futuristic sports car for Gran Turismo means our designs and ideas could be truly limitless. It has to excite future generations and most importantly, look and feel unmistakably Jaguar,” explained Oliver Cattell-Ford, Exterior Designer, Jaguar Advanced Design, said.
Immersive interior design
The interior has been designed to fuse Jaguar’s heritage with its contemporary interior philosophy of progressive luxury, purity, driver focus, and stunningly intricate details, all of which are allowed to breathe through the simplicity of the car’s design.
“We’ve really pushed the limit to imagine how a future Jaguar sports car interior could look. The architecture is visually lightweight, simple, and dramatic; featuring advanced and experimental materials and finishes. Sitting in the stunningly considered cockpit and looking out onto the gracefully long bonnet of the Jaguar Vision GT Coupe – a view that is unmistakably Jaguar – the player will be fully immersed in the action,” said Chris Shaw, Interior Designer, Jaguar Advanced Design.
This selection of inspired details and inventive, innovative flourishes include hologram technology. The car features an on-board artificial intelligence system affectionately named “KITT-E” – a companion that would operate systems, and interface between the driver and machine to enhance the ‘emotional connection’ with the car. This technology can also display other useful information to the driver in a variety of formats, including three dimensional maps, and essential vehicle data.
The cockpit has been crafted to envelope the driver, creating a racing experience reminiscent of Jaguar’s Le Mans-winning D-types. It also features augmented reality digital side glass for enhanced vision either side of the car; the glass being able to highlight danger and obstacles, therefore increasing driver perception. Complementing this, ahead of the driver is a transparent information cluster, displaying three-dimensional information inspired by iconic Smiths gauges, with rearward vision integrated either side in the screen’s simple wrapped design – all in perfect eye-line of the road ahead.
Pure Jaguar racing experience
A unique soundscape has also been created to immerse the driver in a pure Jaguar racing experience. Led by the team responsible for the Jaguar I-PACE’s soundtrack, the Vision GT Coupe’s distinctive sound was created using brand new recordings of the 1957 Le Mans podium-finishing ‘603’ Long Nose D-type. Its race-spec 3.8 litre XK engine provides a unique layer, manipulated and woven into a futuristic and distinctive electric soundtrack.
To offer uncompromising racing performance, albeit virtually, the team called on the same Panasonic Jaguar Racing engineers who lead the design and development of the brand’s I-TYPE 4 Formula E and I-PACE eTROPHY race cars. The car is powered by three powerful, compact motors – one driving both front wheels, the other two driving a rear wheel each – which together produce a combined 1,020 ps and 1,200 Nm. Players will be able to hit a maximum speed of more than 320 km/h but should something go wrong at that extreme speed, well, it’s just a simulation…
The folks from Playstation has announced that Michelin will be the Official Tyre Technology Partner for the Gran Turismo franchise which is a video game that is considered by many as one of the best and most authentic in this current generation of gamers and futurists.
Michelin was also announced as the official tyre supplier for the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships where the brand will be featured in the game throughout the World Tour live event currently taking place. (more…)
After a substantial number of delays, we finally have some concrete evidence that GT Sport, the highly anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive game, will be here soon. Based on the information we managed to gather from the gran turismo website, we now know that the highly acclaimed fifth installment of the world renowned simulation-like racing game will be put on sale on 17th October 2017.
The new game features a super realistic graphics engine that adds a sense of realism that has been absent from most of the current generation games. The vehicle textures seem very real and the attention detail that has been placed on every car, especially the interior is something that is awe-inspiring.
There’s even a specifically designed and tailored steering wheelcontroller that took four years to develop just for GT Sport, providing players with more realistic control and feedback. It’s called the Thrustmaster T-GT and it mimics the looks of a real racing steering wheel pretty well.
More details regarding the game will be divulged as we approach the launch date which is about three months away. According to the game makers, it will blitz all previous versions when it comes to performance, realism, graphics quality as well as vehicle drivability.
Till the actual launch, take a look at these trailers and let us know what you think about the upcoming game.
