BMW Group Launches Race Car For Gran Turismo 6

A new virtual race car, the BMW Vision Gran Turismo, takes to the racetrack in the acclaimed racing title Gran Turismo 6. The race car, created by BMW Group Design, boasts a virtual three-liter six-cylinder inline engine developed by BMW M GmbH, which promises a peak performance of 549HP, fast laps and optimum handling and control.

“The development of the BMW Vision Gran Turismo combines our many years of motorsports experience with signature BMW Design. The race car anticipates future racing trends and allows gaming fans even more to experience BMW racing quality,” says Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Vice President Brand Communication BMW, BMW i, BMW M. Starting this Thursday, visitors to BMW Welt in Munich will also be able to take the BMW Vision Gran Turismo to the virtual track within the BMW M exhibition. Besides PlayStation 3 gaming stations, an additional dedicated racing seat with a specially designed three-screen display will be available making the experience totally immersive, and the closest you can get to driving the car in real life.

Following in the tradition of the successful BMW touring cars of the 1970s, the BMW design team has created an uncompromising road racer for the modern era. Crisp proportions and a dynamic silhouette give the BMW Vision Gran Turismo the appearance of speed, even standing still. Front and rear spoilers ensure optimum down-force, while all air conduction elements reduce drag and lower the vehicle’s total weight through the use of carbon fiber. The paint finish in BMW M colors traces the flow of the airstream. “The BMW Vision Gran Turismo is pure BMW sportiness and dynamics. It’s a precise driving machine engineered and designed to race and win,” said Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles.

To mark the game’s 15th anniversary last year, Kazunori Yamauchi, Gran Turismo creator and president of Polyphony Digital Inc., invited leading automobile manufacturers to contribute to the successful game series. Design departments were called upon to look into the future and share their ground-breaking concept models with the gaming community. The virtual cars will be gradually integrated into the new Gran Turismo 6 game through online updates.

Check out the BMW Vision Gran Turismo in action here:

“I was eagerly awaiting what kind of car the people at BMW would come up with. 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 fenders. It maintains the strong angular forms from the past, but the car is also given modern, elegant lines”, said Yamauchi. Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior VP BMW Group Design added: “This project means a lot to me, because Kazunori-san shares the same passion for design and driving pleasure as we do at BMW Group. We are pleased to present our very first virtual BMW concept car at GT6.”

It sounds like a really fun car, and I can’t wait to take it for a virtual spin!