All posts in “gran turismo sport”

Nissan GT-R does 130+ mph at Silverstone via Playstation controller

Nissan has had a close relationship with the “Gran Turismo” series for years. Nissan cars, including the GT-R, have been a part of the games, but the automaker has also used the series as a tool to recruit factory race drivers through its GT Academy program. Now, Nissan has taken a virtual driver turned real-world racer, GT Academy winner and Nismo driver Jann Mardenborough, and blended his skills by allowing him to remotely pilot an actual GT-R around Silverstone with a Playstation controller.

The car, dubbed the Nissan GT-R/C, hit speeds of over 130 miles per hour as Mardenborough steered it around Silverstone’s National Circuit from above, riding in a helicopter with DualShock 4 controller in hand. There’s nobody in the car, which is capable of being remotely driven at speeds of up to 196 mph.

The stunt is part of the rollout of “Gran Turismo Sport,” the latest in the long-running (20 years!) driving simulator series. The game launches in the U.S. on Oct. 17. The remote driving system in the GT-R/C was built by JLB Design, which has built over 70 full-size remote-control vehicles.

You can see the in-car footage of the run in the video from Nissan below:

October 11, 2017 / Comments Off on Nissan GT-R does 130+ mph at Silverstone via Playstation controller
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McLaren Ultimate Vision GT | 1,134-hp hybrid with a crazy driving position

As with Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport will feature special Vision GT cars, which are concepts designed by real car manufacturers for use in the video-game series. These cars imagine what a company might produce far into the future, as far as 2030 or later in the case of the car McLaren has just revealed as its contribution. It’s called the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo, and it’s a thoroughly wild hybrid.

Starting with performance, the McLaren retains a certain amount of gasoline propulsion thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. This engine powers the rear wheels, while the fronts are powered by individual electric motors. The combined output is 1,134 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque. While there are some hypercars with greater output right now, those numbers become more impressive when you realize this virtual McLaren weighs a little more than 2,200 pounds, less than a current Mazda Miata. The light weight should also make the inboard carbon ceramic brakes highly effective, too.

The light weight comes from a body and chassis created using a considerable amount of carbon fiber. That body has unique active aerodynamics that rely on opening and closing holes near air inlets to adjust drag and downforce. According to McLaren, this method is simpler and lighter than mechanical flaps for the same purpose.

Aside from the remarkable performance numbers, the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo also has a remarkable cockpit. It has a large glass area for good visibility, but the party piece is the prone seating position that McLaren calls “motorcycle-like.” It probably is a cool way to drive, though we do wonder how comfortable that position would be for a length of time. Interestingly, the McLaren isn’t the first to imagine a Vision GT car with this sort of seating. The Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo did something similar. Much more of that car was outlandish though, since it was supposedly propelled by lasers. No, really, lasers. That’s what Chevy said.

Don’t expect to see the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo on the road anytime soon, but you can get behind the wheel virtually very soon. It will be featured in Gran Turismo Sport for PlayStation 4, which goes on sale October 17. The car will also join another special sports car, the Fittipaldi EF7, designed by Pininfarina and racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi.

Related Video:

September 20, 2017 / Comments Off on McLaren Ultimate Vision GT | 1,134-hp hybrid with a crazy driving position
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