McLaren creates futuristic hypercar for Playstation’s Gran Turismo

A McLaren design team has blurred the lines between fantasy and reality by developing a new hypercar that will appear in the upcoming PlayStation 4 game Gran Turismo Sport.

Gran Turismo

The McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo came in response to calls for unique, visionary GT cars by Gran Turismo creator, Kazunori Yamauchi. Not being bound by the restraints of reality, the McLaren team was able to take a futuristic approach to the design, creating a digital vehicle that may be possible to bring to life in years to come.

“We wanted to break new ground and to innovate and the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo does exactly that,” said Rob Melville, design director at McLaren Automotive. “It puts the driver absolutely at the centre of the action, delivering a sensory overload with incredible sound and awe-inspiring acceleration.”

Gran Turismo

“From the game player’s point of view, the driving experience in this car will be like nothing else: the amazing glass cockpit and the motorcycle-like driving position – with your head far forward, almost right above the front axle – combine to allow you to see exactly where the apex of the corner is so you can shave vital milliseconds off each lap. More than anything though, the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo is a stunning looking car. The design form communicates exactly what the car’s mission is and what its intentions are: it’s the ultimate expression of the McLaren design pillars and principles we have already established, futured into the 2030s.”

The digital hypercar features a 1,150 horsepower hybrid powertrain, a with twin-turbo, 4.0-litre McLaren V8 engine driving the rear wheels and high output electric motors housed in each of the front wheel ‘pods.’ Unusually, the Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo has a central, prone, pilot position where the driver is leaning forward as if riding a motorcycle. A carbon fibre chassis helps deliver a virtual kerb weight of just 1,000 kg.

Gran Turismo

“For me, a car needs to be an extension of the driver,” said Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital and the creator of the Gran Turismo game series. “I am focused not just on the appearance, but on the handling, the sound of the engine, and the feeling you get when you are racing. So, it was an honour to work with McLaren to bring the Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo to life, and to put such a car on the circuits of Gran Turismo Sport for players to enjoy driving at the limit.” 

Gran Turismo Sport will be available from October 17.

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