Gran Turismo 6: FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo

Premiered at the Detroit Motor Show several months ago, the Toyota FT-1 Concept envisions the future of Toyota sports cars following with the success of the 86. I once compared with the final-gen Supra round Fuji Speedway and I strongly believed that with such speed and mobility, it was the suitable candidate as the next Supra or so I thought.



We all love the FT-1 Concept but we are wondering what would this concept be like when it has some involvement in the world of motorsports. Thanks to Vision Gran Turismo, the folks from Toyota created a racing version of the FT-1 Concept.



Here it is and by the looks of it, the FT-1 VGT looks more of a racing version of the said concept and because this is a racing version, it's only suitable for race-day use. It's kinda like a futuristic version of those Toyota Supra used on JGTC (Super GT) races in the past but this is no JGTC racer because while this maybe concept, the FT-1 VGT showcased Toyota's potential and passion in the world of motorsports.



What the folks from CALTY, the design team responsible for the original Toyota FT-1 Concept from the Detroit Motor Show a couple of months ago, did is pushing their dream machine a step higher by giving their brilliant creation some more added spice. It's like combining the world's spiciest condiments and make it on par with a volcanic lava. This racecar isn't a spicy condiment nor a volcanic lava but when the FT-1 VGT shows its true potential as a race car in the world of Gran Turismo 6, it really shows how scorching this monster of a machine is.

That gave me an idea because while this car can be attainable on a time-limited special seasonal event held in Mount Panorama, Bathurst, let's take a moment to consider how I took the challenge and mastering the FT-1 VGT's true capabilities not as a concept racing machine but an ideal waiting to become the truth in the not-too-distant future.



Just like the normal FT-1, no one knows what powers the FT-1 VGT because this concept doesn't even have a proposed powertrain. In the game, it's a turbocharged one but this racing version is powered by a turbocharged-hybrid powerplant. I can't believe I've actually driven a hybrid that doesn't feel like the Toyota Prius but by GT6 standards, it would do 0-100kph by around 3.2 seconds (I think) and a top speed (I think) is around 340kph. I know this data is unofficial but believe me, it's one quick Toyota.

Apart from being a quick car, the mobility or handling is just epic. All that added aerodynamics on this car and the downforce thanks to the added fixed rear wing, this racing machine is always stuck on the ground and it really doesn't matter when you're not concentrating because this FT-1 VGT always entertain me like a Japanese game show where pain are involved rather than questions and answers. It's like I survived a Japanese game show...but only just.

The gold target time for this event is 2:02.000 but after numerous trial and error upon trying the FT-1 VGT, I got a hang of it and I set a lap time of 2:01.307, meaning I beat the Gold target time but only just.



Having managed to beat the target time, I am very pleased by what Toyota have done to give the future of Toyota's sports cars the racing credentials it deserved and this FT-1 VGT is their crowning prediction on what comes next to fulfill the Japanese carmaker's "FUN TO DRIVE AGAIN" slogan. It's been such an honor to get behind the wheel of the FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo.



There are still more VGT cars waiting to be unveiled on future updates. Stay tuned for more!

Forza Motorsport 5: Skyline Eau Rouge

Last time, I tried out the Infiniti Q50S on Forza Motorsport 5 and while the Infiniti Q50 is a localized version of the Nissan Skyline V37 but with the 3.7L V6 VVEL engine in it, it still handles like a sportscar. The secret weapon to handle the Q50 with precision and accuracy lies to its Direct Adaptive Steering and I believed to be much more effective than those less-communicative power steering cars. It sure is fun to have one but I wish this Skyline to be more Skyline than this Skyline but luckily, they're ahead of me.

What lies beneath the shadows is called the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, it's a concept car based on the Q50 that I just drove earlier but this is a preview of the high-performance model that delivers a serious threat to the Europeans.

 

It looks like the Q50 but because this is a high-performance take on the said saloon, it incorporates Formula One inspiration to its aerodynamics, perhaps no wonder it was heavily inspired by Sebastian Vettel's championship-winning F1 car. Eau Rouge is named after a vicious corner from Spa-Francorchamps, the venue for the Belgian Grand Prix and because the elevation's very vicious even for a skilled veteran, perhaps no wonder why they decided to call it the Eau Rouge for this car.

This car was revealed at the 2014 NAIAS but only the outside view because what lies under the bonnet, it's everyone's guess. No one really knows what powered the Eau Rouge even though it claims to possess over 500HP of power right until to the 2014 Geneva Motor Show where it was revealed that it was powered by the same VR38DETT engine from the Nissan R35 GT-R. Just what I thought, the Skyline just can't get even more Skyline-er.

 

The 3.8L V6 Twin Turbo engine on the "Skyline Eau Rouge" develops over 560HP of power and 442lb-ft of torque while connected to a seven-speed double clutch gearbox. It can do 0-60mph in less than four seconds and a top speed of almost 180mph. Plus, it comes with Infiniti's Intelligent AWD that takes great care of power and traction while adapting to the changing road conditions. It automatically sends up to 50% of the power to the front for better traction while the rear wheels gain most of the power for better road performance when four-wheel drive is not necessary.

The result of this Intelligent AWD complete with its signature Direct Adaptive Steering is a car that not only stands out in the corners, it licks it like ice cream, and even when you place this to the Top Gear Test Track, the Q50 bravely survives without warning.

 

The Nissan GT-R is once fabled as the car that can humiliate the best of the West but I reckoned that because the Q50 Eau Rouge is the V37 Skyline with the heart and soul of the Nissan GT-R, I have a theory that it will do the same against its Western opposition and I tried it. Not only the Eau Rouge can deliver a serious threat to the executive saloons but high-powered cars of it class can get smacked by it...well, some of it, really.



Time now for a real challenge and to find out just how good is the Eau Rouge is, it's time to pack some bags and move out from the Top Gear Track because the Q50 Eau Rouge takes on Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.



So, with the track featuring the namesake corner, can the Q50 Eau Rouge brave through the perils of Spa? I tried it round the track and my response is a big proud yes. The Q50 Eau Rouge is a brave saloon that braves through one of the toughest racetracks in Grand Prix history. Legend has it that there are some racing drivers that are not brave enough to survive Eau Rouge at the start but it's worth the thrill...



Spa-Francorchamps is a racetrack where ace drivers from all parts of the world gathered at this grand stage where they put all of their driving skills to the test. There are no affiliations or ranks that can hinder them as the only main rule in this racetrack is to survive.

Not only Formula One has their Belgian GP set here but also the WEC where racing drivers have to survive 24 hours racing endlessly on this track until the winner and the survivor is named. There are numerous motorsports held here but I can't tell what are those because of time constraints.

If you were looking for a racetrack that is surely the equivalent of The Round Table, sadly, this isn't it because there are so many expert-level racetracks that can suit their qualifications but since Spa-Francorchamps is so expert-level, you may consider this your Round Table for you and the other knights of the Round Table.



But still, the Q50 Eau Rouge found its own reason to battle on the track like this because the Q50 Eau Rouge was born to be more of a lethal weapon on the road and track if Nissan's Carlos Ghosn gives the green light for this.



So, conclusion time. The Q50 Eau Rouge really is a GT-R in a Skyline suit even though this is a V37 Skyline with the engine from the R35 GT-R but thanks to this engine as well as its F1-inspired aerodynamics and the Intelligent AWD, the Q50 Eau Rouge really triggers a serious threat to the Europeans. Sadly because this is a concept car, the Q50 Eau Rouge is not for sale and it's not street legal like most concept cars do...well, some of it.

Despite being a concept, the feedback is extremely high because if this GT-R-injected Skyline V37 approves for production, I would be longing to have one in my whole life.

Gran Turismo 6: CONCEPT 2020 vs. DP-100

Two new Vision Gran Turismo cars have joined the fray in Gran Turismo 6! The Nissan CONCEPT 2020 and the Aston Martin DP-100 has arrived and these two concept cars know how to dogfight on the virtual racing battlefield!



One that represents innovation that excites while the other one represents POWER, BEAUTY, and SOUL. Pit these two together and you got yourself an appetite of exhilaration when you try both of these newborn beauties only on Gran Turismo 6 for the Playstation3.



So, how does these two stack against each other in the racing dogfight? To find out, let's start with the Nissan first.



Although it's more than just celebrating Nissan Motor Company's 80th anniversary, the Concept 2020 serves as a not-too-distant preview to the future of Nissan sports cars. It was styled by the designers in Nissan Design Europe in London and while they didn't use the clay modelling, the folks go ahead with the virtualization using numerous man hours to stylize, renderize, and perfecting the future of Nissan sports cars. While it was aerodynamically designed to behave like a racing car, its powertrain comes with a high-performance hybrid FR-4WD system with the V6 twin turbo engine connected with three electric motors, each producing instant and powerful acceleration under any condition. Its torque vectoring and the active suspension allows this concept to corner with surgical and clinical precision.



The Aston Martin DP-100 is all in the basics when it comes to performance but from spending numerous hours perfecting this concept car, the DP-100 is the ultimate representation of Aston Martin's mantra; POWER, BEAUTY, and SOUL. It has the most powerful twin-turbo V12 engine bolted in the middle, it has the most beautiful looks for an Aston Martin, and it has the soul to become a capable track weapon in the Gran Turismo environment. The folks have spent six months for this project at the Aston Martin HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire, UK.

So, now we know the cars, let's compare these two and to find out, I head back to the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. I've gone for the full circuit of the track and I sent these two machines to duke against each other, finding out which is the best.



Both of these concepts are working beautifully and even though they have different powertrains, their track capabilities are evenly matched in a one-on-one dogfight that determines who rules. The CONCEPT 2020 from Nissan is looking good but the Aston Martin DP-100 is eating up the miles and it blasts ahead from the Nissan everytime when they went through corner after corner after corner. This is gonna be one-sided.

At the end of the lap, here's the result of this experiment;

1:30.449 - CONCEPT 2020
1:28.879 - DP-100

Well, even though I have big respects to these two concepts, I believe that the Aston Martin has got what it takes to become one of the best even though the Nissan has the potential to take on the world since the Z and the GT-R. Better still, these two deserve to cut the mustard but it seems that in the end, the Aston Martin DP-100 is the clear winner.



The DP-100 and the CONCEPT 2020 are joining the ranks of the Vision Gran Turismo cars and there's more to come! Expect more Vision GT cars heading your way on GT6!

Gran Turismo 6: VW GTi Roadster Vision GT

What you're looking at in this beautiful town of Madrid, Spain, where I was taking my practice sessions in GT6, is a Volkswagen that unlike any other Volkswagens you've seen in your whole life, it represents man, machine, and Gran Turismo synchronized in perfect harmony.




Yes, this is what I'm talking about. This is Chapter 4 of the Vision Gran Turismo story and it's the turn of Volkswagen to tell the tale about how they made this machine to represent this car company to the world of Gran Turismo while digesting every GTi tale in history. Yes, it says GTi but this is the GTi Roadster Gran Turismo, the GTi that was pushed to the limits of being the GTi that ends all GTis in the world of Gran Turismo.



To explain what I'm on about, I went to Madrid, Spain, to take on a special challenge to keep the VW GTi Roadster Vision GT in the game. Doesn't matter what lap time you're setting, just one lap is enough to keep it but for me, I wanted to see its muscle, its passion, and its true grit of being a bewildering racing machine that possesses the DNA of the GTi.

My goal is to beat the Gold target time of 1:22.000 but amazingly in my such luck, the odds are around 1 to 5 to beat the target time and I did it in around 1:21.721. So, how does this open-top racer got here so quick? The secret lies from the 3.0L twin-turbo VR6 TSi engine which develops over five hundred horses of power and 665Nm of torque. It was fitted with a 7-speed DSG with sports programming for a smoother and more direct shifting feel like no other but with the added drama on it.

Aside from the raw power delivered through all four wheels, the GTi Roadster is highly aerodynamic enough to generate enough downforce, giving you the same experience as you felt from track-day cars.

Overall, the VW GTi Roadster Vision GT is possibly a hyper open-top hatch with no roof that can leave you gurning like a megalomaniac when you spent several man hours driving it and I think the folks at VW had done a really good job creating a car that, like I said, represents man, machine, and Gran Turismo synchronized in perfect harmony.



I think we can end this story about the GTi Roadster but it's not over yet because I need to find somewhere else to enjoy the extreme performance of this GTi concept roadster and I think I know where...



Welcome to the world of Red Bull Ring, a new track on Gran Turismo 6 as part of the long-time partnership between Gran Turismo and Red Bull. The Red Bull Ring is an ultra high speed circuit with long high-speed sections and tricky tight corners between. After over a decade of hiatus, this track, situated in Spielberg, Austria, returns for the 2014 Formula One season.



With the track ours for the taking, it was nice to let the VW GTi Roadster concept taking a little alfresco driving in the Red Bull Ring and this is the perfect way to end this story.



VOLKSWAGEN GTI ROADSTER VISION GRAN TURISMO

Make: Volkswagen
Country of Origin: Germany

Drivetrain: 4WD
Max Power: ???
Max Torque: ???
Weight: ???

Head of Design:
Klaus Bischoff

Director Exterior Design:
Oliver Stefani

Director Interior Design:
Bachorski Tomasz

Director Design Lifestyle and Performance:
Friederike Plock-Girmann

Team Manager Exterior Design:
Tobias Sühlmann

Team Manager Interior Design:
Boris Grell

Designer Exterior Design:
Domen Rucigaj
Malte Hammerbeck

Designer Interior Design:
Guillermo Mignot

Designer Color and Trim / Design Lifestyle and Performance:
Miroslava Kurpasova
Gösta Niessner
Cornelia Gröpel

Project Management:
Stef Scheepers

Director Data:
Alfred Oechsner

Data Exterior:
German Hornstein

Data Interior:
Michael Müller

Director Online Marketing:
Judith Wilhelm
Philipp Matthes



Stay tuned for more of Vision GT!

Gran Turismo 6: Mitsubishi's XR-PHEV Evo

After Mercedes-Benz and BMW revealed their Vision Gran Turismo concepts, and while we're still waiting for the VW GTi Roadster concept to arrive by mid-June, it seems that Japanese carmaker, Mitsubishi Motors, revealed their entry to the list Vision Gran Turismo cars you can find on Gran Turismo 6. What could that be? Let's find out...



This Concept XR-PHEV Evolution Vision Gran Turismo incorporates Mitsubishi Motors' involvement in the world of motorsports while utilizing their PHEV know-how to create a rally monster that has its performance and efficiency in perfect harmony. Well, that's Mitsubishi's claim by the way.



This Vision GT concept is heavily based on the XR-PHEV concept car as seen from the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. The XR-PHEV is Mitsubishi's prediction to what is rumored to be the next-generation RVR compact SUV and it incorporates Mitsubishi's PHEV breakthrough with a downsized 1.1 GDi MIVEC turbo engine. For this Evo version, you can't really tell what improvements this compact rally mongrel had but based on the preliminary sketches...it's powered by a 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo MIVEC engine connected to a high-powered electric motor and an 8-speed DCT. It comes with Mitsubishi's Super All Wheel Control system as applied on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X as well as its ultra-light and aerodynamic body that weighs to a featherweight 1,350kg, over 200kg lighter than the LanEvo X.

To find out how good this XR-PHEV Evo is, I took on a special challenge where you can keep Mitsubishi's Vision GT concept as a prize just by participating and set a lap time regardless of whether the lap time was valid or not. The venue is Matterhorn Rotenboden and what I am going to do is aim for the Gold target time of 1:34.000.



The Rotenboden segment of the Matterhorn is by no means one of the most challenging tracks in GT6 because of its terrifying elevation where in the downhill part of the track requires an adequate footwork to survive the downfall or face a messy consequence. Upon driving the XR-PHEV Evo, it feels like it's a mashup between a rally-car and a track toy thanks to its 4WD powertrain and its incredibly light bodywork. I believe that this is one of the best handling concept cars I have ever tried on GT6 and I have to say, such lightness comes with a price if you're not paying attention.

As I spent numerous laps round and round this challenging track, I finally managed to beat the Gold target time and I did it in 1:32.721. Not the best so far but this is how I demonstrated how good the XR-PHEV Evo is.



Now for my impressions; although this is more of a hyper crossover that is shaped like a running shoe, the athletic stance of the XR-PHEV Evo really behaves like any other Mitsubishi rally machines from the past and even though Mitsubishi no longer part of the rally community, not to mention that RALLIART scaled down their operations four years ago, this machine still evokes the "Spirit of Competition" both on and off the road. Speaking of offroad...



Yes, the XR-PHEV Evo still making the rounds on dirt courses because this concept car still has the roots from Mitsubishi's rallying past from WRC to Paris-Dakar. You can have so much fun playing dirty in such a very compact car just like playing a game of Snap with a shaolin monk and you win. Like a shaolin monk, the XR-PHEV Evo's reaction times are second to none but it's up to the skill of the driver to brave through its uncanny agility of this bite-sized chunk.

The Mitsubishi XR-PHEV Evo VGT is available on the Version 1.08 Update of Gran Turismo 6 on the Playstation3 so best to update now to get this machine!

MITSUBISHI CONCEPT XR-PHEV EVOLUTION VISION GRAN TURISMO

Make: Mitsubishi Motors
Country of Origin: Japan

Drivetrain: 4WD
Max Power: ???
Max Torque: ???
Weight: 1,350kg

Corporate General Manager Executive Officer Design Office:
Tsunehiro Kunimoto

General Manager/Styline Director Design Department:
Masaki Matsuhara

Senior Expert Public Relations Department:
Hiroshi Masuoka

General Manager Public Relations Department:
Manabu Yamanishi

Expert Public Relations Department:
Takashi Kiuchi

Manager Strategic Management Office:
Shigeru Tsuyuki

Expert Technology Policy Planning Department:
Yasuo Tanaka

Expert Aerodynamic Engineering Development Group:
Masahiro Yoshida

Assistant Manager Strategic Management Office:
Kunitoshi Itagaki

Public Relations Department:
Nobuhiro Kudo

Expert Design Department:
Norihiko Yoshimine

Expert Styling CAD Design Department:
Yuichi Ishikawa
Keiji Takebayashi

Assistant Manager Design Department:
Shusaku Kumagai

Assistant Manager Modeling Design Promotion Department:
Taichi Kawasaki
Junji Nakajima

Design Department:
Shuichiro Yamamoto
Yuichiro Ishizuka

Styling CAD Design Promotion Department:
Atsushi Osada
Masataka Nakamura
Hiroyuki Mashima

Coloring Design Department:
Nozomi Ohkubo



Stay tuned on GT6 for the visit of another Vision GT concept!