Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo REVEALED!
- Thread starter ZedMan1996
- 996 comments
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- 1,795
- Gambleboyen
Extremely futuristic and in my eyes a bit unrealistic.
But hey, it smacks the socks off any of the other VGT cars which are basically just angled/rounded bodys on existing cars.
But hey, it smacks the socks off any of the other VGT cars which are basically just angled/rounded bodys on existing cars.
- 1,483
- US
My thoughts exactly. I love the involvement of Chaparral in this project and the historical references. I personally think a laser engine is a far fetched idea for now but a concept car is not a finished project - it's an idea put in motion.
The VGT project as a whole doesn't do much for me, but if we're going to start making fantasy cars we might as well push the boundaries of design and technology rather than just slapping some sharp edges and small windows on a basically current day hybrid.
I hope this car can give the Red Bulls some competition, at least on the twistier tracks.
- 3,011
- Massachusetts
- GBO-Possum
Up until now, the "Vision" in VGT has mostly been in shapes and liveries IMHO. This ups the ante to a whole new level of imagination, and I applaud it.
That it comes from the home of Corvette is gratifying for me as a C6 owner. I feel the halo effect washing over me!
From a practical sense, it may be that some of the more extreme elements would not make it into the first production model should there ever be one. That's fine.
I feel like I'm witnessing a brainstorming session of the best kind, where the only rule is that there are no bad ideas, just bring out your imagination and let's see where it takes us!
Watching the videos of the various VGT car developments, they all emphasize "shape", but whereas prior offerings tended to be reliant on an evolutionary sketching of an extension of existing product design elements, the X2 was based on a completely different starting point; a flying suit, not even a car! That's a big leap.
There seems to be more "New" in this Vision than the previous ones, and by that measure, I see this as highly successful.
Thanks, Chevy!
That it comes from the home of Corvette is gratifying for me as a C6 owner. I feel the halo effect washing over me!
From a practical sense, it may be that some of the more extreme elements would not make it into the first production model should there ever be one. That's fine.
I feel like I'm witnessing a brainstorming session of the best kind, where the only rule is that there are no bad ideas, just bring out your imagination and let's see where it takes us!
Watching the videos of the various VGT car developments, they all emphasize "shape", but whereas prior offerings tended to be reliant on an evolutionary sketching of an extension of existing product design elements, the X2 was based on a completely different starting point; a flying suit, not even a car! That's a big leap.
There seems to be more "New" in this Vision than the previous ones, and by that measure, I see this as highly successful.
Thanks, Chevy!
- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
First of all, thank you very much for the footage, even if you only could film it at SSRX, it still gives us an idea as to how the car drives.
👍Secondly, your thoughts on the handling are quite interesting. I guess all that power does make the car a bit twitchy, but I wasn't expecting to hear that about cornering. The top speed of 290+mph achieved at SSRX also betrays GM's own information about the top speed (they mentionted a max speed of 240, at best), another interesting fact which puts the 2X more in line with the RedBull X2014 Standard car.
Finally, pity that your cameraman was more interested in the custom 2X rig, it'd be curious to see how does it sound when driven fast. The ticking noise fits with the few bits of sound heard in the final trailer, so that much can be said. The wind effects cover the sound, so you'd need to resort to a chase cam view to actually hear the "engine" noise.
All in hear, good feedback you gave us, and once again thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Can't wait to drive it myself, honestly.
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- 1,469
- The Netherlands
- Spongeinside
The cockpit view looks very interesting 
- 3,033
Straight-line performance seems really iffy in Gran Turismo 6 some cars slower than real life others maybe the same or quicker. Tough to say what a lazer powered car would do.First of all, thank you very much for the footage, even if you only could film it at SSRX, it still gives us an idea as to how the car drives.
Secondly, your thoughts on the handling are quite interesting. I guess all that power does make the car a bit twitchy, but I wasn't expecting to hear that about cornering. The top speed of 290+mph achieved at SSRX also betrays GM's own information about the top speed (they mentionted a max speed of 240, at best), another interesting fact which puts the 2X more in line with the RedBull X2014 Standard car.
Finally, pity that your cameraman was more interested in the custom 2X rig, it'd be curious to see how does it sound when driven fast. The ticking noise fits with the few bits of sound heard in the final trailer, so that much can be said. The wind effects cover the sound, so you'd need to resort to a chase cam view to actually hear the "engine" noise.
All in hear, good feedback you gave us, and once again thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Can't wait to drive it myself, honestly.
I hope its a match for one of the Red Bulls, but cornering speed seems to be a work in progress as they seemed to want to hide it, final rendition likely will be different to the initial test or promotion phase. I think it will be faster than the RB standard as evidenced by the top end speed, and maybe slower than the X2014 fan but we can always limit the Fan car's HP to make up the difference and have some interesting colorful races. 
- 59
- Philly
- danmanic
Things I liked:
While in the end this is a far into the future vision car, I am happy to have something different. I noticed this week that every other vision car is basically right at the 600pp mark having 500-600HP and 1300-1500kg. They are practically clones of each other as extra long or extra wide versions of concept cars with big wings. O, and they would all loose to the P1 probably, which is a real car.
- HUD on helmet to reduce weight and could create an awesome interface in real life
- Laying flat facing forward to sit lower
- Adaptive aero front and back
- Forcing the thrust upward for downforce
- Just make it an electric AWD keeping almost all the prior things mentioned. It got too sci-fi with the lasers.
- Second option, a rocket would have offered us an interesting challenge having to deal with delayed changes in thrust, but still keeps the downforce via thrust direction.
- Third option, bring back the turbine engine or a different ICE concept that is close to reality and show us its racing applications.
While in the end this is a far into the future vision car, I am happy to have something different. I noticed this week that every other vision car is basically right at the 600pp mark having 500-600HP and 1300-1500kg. They are practically clones of each other as extra long or extra wide versions of concept cars with big wings. O, and they would all loose to the P1 probably, which is a real car.
- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
Straight-line performance seems really iffy in Gran Turismo 6 some cars slower than real life others maybe the same or quicker. Tough to say what a lazer powered car would do.
"Colorful races"? More like "Death races" to me...
Driving a X2014 is enough danger already, adding a 900-hp laser won't help. 
Jokes aside, you belive that handling is still WIP? It'd be odd if that was the case, shouldn't PD and Chevy\Chaparral show a finished product for players to drive? Then again, we still have to wait more than half a month to drive the 2X ourselves, so it is possible that the car is still being tweaked for its game appearance.
- 1,701
- Sydney
- snakebacon97
Hooray for interior!
- 8,704
- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
Hooray for innovation! Does this officially mean that the 2X is only the second VGT car with an interior?
- 17,047
- United Kingdom
Yes, because we need an interior to affirm the realism of this Laser Powered Thrust Forced Down Flying Suit 290mph car...
- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
Yes, because we need an interior to affirm the realism of this Laser Powered Thrust Forced Down Flying Suit 290mph car...
Well, if we dismiss the laser propulsion, the car is somewhat realistic. Emphasis on the "somewhat"...
- 17,047
- United Kingdom
Well, if we dismiss the laser propulsion, the car is somewhat realistic. Emphasis on the "somewhat"...
I'm actually a big fan of the VGT project in general, it's a high point of GT6 for me... but this... this is a little too far beyond plausible for me. I wonder if you could use Lasers to form the BANG in a more conventional combustion engine design.
- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
It isn't that far fetched to have Laser propulsion, it's not an "unheard of" technology. It's just the fact that GM tries to tell us that a laser-assisted generator system can exist in a car, while pulling the numbers the 2X pulls. Not today, but it could be a plausible setup in the next 30 years or so. After all, people 30 years ago would not believe that nowadays car manufacters are creating cars that drive themselves...
But hey, at least it's a unique powerplant, for the better or worse.
- 17,047
- United Kingdom
I get that, but I still don't think the application of the technology is relevant to motor racing or cars. If you had a 630KW of sustainable power on board, is this the most effective way to use it?
30 years wasn't that long ago and any futurists in 1984 were more down to earth when projecting the world in 2014. There were some ideas that the world be running out of oil by now requiring hydrogen fuel cells and electricity, but laser jetpowered cars are too far out there. And I agree with @MatskiMonk, better ways to use 630kw than lasers.
- 8,704
The most effective way to use any energy is certainly not motor racing. Any other line drawn is utterly arbitrary.
This VGT is a bit of fun; and as such entirely in the spirit of things. It also has more than just a laser going for it.
Regardless, the only part that is really unfeasible is the electrical energy store. It'd still be more efficient than the 30 or so percent (thermal efficiency) you get out of an internal combustion engine. And to top it off, they have the benefit of one of the densest energy stores, which is effectively mostly hundreds of thousands of years' worth of accumulated solar energy.
Of course, electrical traction motors may be more efficient than the laser propulsion (this is not guaranteed), but they're not as much fun and still have the same energy source issue.
Ironically, the small change of an externally applied laser sidesteps that energy issue. Photovoltaics aren't feasible at the moment, although "photon antennas" might work. Still, for electrical propulsion, RF / microwave may be more appropriate than laser, but rectifying that efficiently would surely be hard.
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You can use lasers for the heat in a Stirling Cycle engine, that'll get pistons moving but better than gasoline Internal combustion?
Old racing joke, fan sees driver trudging back to pits, asks him "what happened ?", driver replies "piston broke". Fan responds with " me too."
- 869
- Space Coast
- Chevy_Heavy
Chevy, finding new roads to fly on... literally. Reading through this thread I see a lot of people dismissing this car as being unpractical and over the top science fiction. As stated by the designers and engineers their inspiration for the Chaparral 2X was the wing suit. Who hasn't ever imagined what it would be like to fly like Superman? This is Tony Stark's Ironman suit on wheels. The closest thing we have now I think would be a Pro Stock motorcycle where you literally laying on top of an engine with only two wheels.
As for the laser propulsion system, it may seem a bit much now but it could become a viable option in the future. A little over a century ago people probably thought the Wright Brothers were crazy trying to build a flying machine. Now we're sending spacecraft to Mars and beyond. And they are not getting there with internal combustion engines burning 91 octane. Without imagination and innovative engineering none of this would have been possible. I think Chevy and GM with the 2X embodies this forward thinking technology. And that seems to be what VGT program is all about. Just my 2 cents.
As for the laser propulsion system, it may seem a bit much now but it could become a viable option in the future. A little over a century ago people probably thought the Wright Brothers were crazy trying to build a flying machine. Now we're sending spacecraft to Mars and beyond. And they are not getting there with internal combustion engines burning 91 octane. Without imagination and innovative engineering none of this would have been possible. I think Chevy and GM with the 2X embodies this forward thinking technology. And that seems to be what VGT program is all about. Just my 2 cents.
- 311
- GTP_jimantonic
Looks nuttier than squirrel turd!
- 7,582
- Exorcet
- OE Exorcet
There is a fine line between engineering and just brainstorming though. I think that's where the differing opinions come from.
I have no problem with a laser car, but I'd prefer to see a realistic portrayal of one. If it isn't realistic, then the laser becomes nothing more than a graphical effect.
The Wrights weren't crazy for trying to build a plane. They had years of work from others to fall back on, as well as their own studies. They were underdogs because they built bicycles for a living. That didn't stop them from doing things right though. They didn't just pull a (potentially) promising idea out of their heads and run with it. They developed their idea into something that worked. Langley, who came before them, was less successful. When he stuck a person onto his successful aircraft (which flew without pilots before the Wrights' did) they broke from the weight. What looked simple in concept turned out to require some attention in practice.
- 15,532
- Cairo, Egypt
- GTP_SEMS
What does Laser propulsion sound like? (If you reply with "The Future" I will kill you )
- 8,704
Anything from a ticking sound to a full-on pulsejet hum. It depends how you modulate the laser; so you can theoretically ape any existing engine configuration!
Of course, there is more than just one kind of laser propulsion. This one rapidly "heats" air to form a plasma, which expands very rapidly - like an explosion, providing thrust. The laser focuses onto a small volume, which needs to be recharged with air once it's been ejected as plasma, hence the need for pulsing.
Skip to 2:10.
Of course, there is more than just one kind of laser propulsion. This one rapidly "heats" air to form a plasma, which expands very rapidly - like an explosion, providing thrust. The laser focuses onto a small volume, which needs to be recharged with air once it's been ejected as plasma, hence the need for pulsing.
Skip to 2:10.
- 2,738
- Italy
- Yellohead
- Clydeyellow
- 3,033
It would be deadly and cost billions in todays money but in a game that doesn't matter. I think Newey said hundreds of millions to build one car, so factor 3 or 4 of them (enough to test and crash) that's 1 billion right there. But cool, if I were the richest man in the world I'd have them make one for me after driving all the red bull F1 cars from over the years."Colorful races"? More like "Death races" to me...
Jokes aside, you belive that handling is still WIP? It'd be odd if that was the case, shouldn't PD and Chevy\Chaparral show a finished product for players to drive? Then again, we still have to wait more than half a month to drive the 2X ourselves, so it is possible that the car is still being tweaked for its game appearance.
(if I were still alive after that)
- 9,554
- Vermont
- catamount39
Well if Mercedes spent $580+ million to develop their car in F1 this year... 
- 17,047
- United Kingdom
The thing is with all these comparisons to real-world tech (chapparals of the past, the Wright Bros etc.) is that their claims were backed up with action.. here GM are making a claim, and not backing it up with something physical.
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