I think that PD and Sony touched upon something in GT4 that, if done right, could add immeasurably to GT5: auto racing history.
Between World War 2 and 1991 there were five basic eras of sports car racing worldwide that produced some of the most iconic cars for auto enthusiasts in history.
The first era dated from 1953 to 1961 in which the World Sportscar Championship season had about six races a year for prototypes, serial sportscars, and GT cars in basically two classes: over and under 2.0 liters in engine displacement. This era produced cars like the Ferrari Testa Rossas, Aston Martin DBRs, Jaguar C-type and D-types, Maserati Tipo 60/61 "Birdcages," etc.
The second era spanned approximately 1962-65 when the FIA decided to concentrate on GT cars (although prototypes were still the featured class at famous races like Le Mans, Sebring 12 Hours, the Targa Florio, and 1000 km of Nurburgring). This era produced cars like the 289 FIA Cobra and Daytona coupe, lightweight Jaguar E-type, Corvette Grand Sport, Ferrari 250 GTO, etc.
Perhaps the most famous era in world sportscar racing (the third) occurred between 1966 and 1971 when we saw such cars as the Ford GT40, Ford Mk IV, Lola T70 Mk III, Ferrari 330 P3/P4 or 512 S/M and the legendary Porsche 917.
Many prototype sports cars were excluded in 1972 when a 3 liter limit was established. There was also a separate classification for GT cars (1968-75). In this fourth era of sports car racing (1972-77) many manufacturers lost their interest -- Ferrari (1973), Matra (1974), Porsche (1976), Renault (1976) and Alfa Romeo (1977) -- but each of them seemed to produce one of their most memorable and/or desirable sports prototypes just before they burned out. Cars like the Ferrari 312PB, Porsche 936, Renault Alpine, and Alfa-Romeo 33TT12, etc. -- but the championship died in 1978 as the European Sportscar Championship.
The last era (fifth) -- (1976-1991) -- leading to the current one lasted 10 years and belonged to the group C cars and IMSA GTP cars. This was the period of world sports car racing that appeals the most to today's enthusiast (IMO) with some of the most beautiful and quickest machines in the sport's history.
In each of the era's named, the design and development of sports cars evolved, rather than change radically from year to year. Thus, if PD were to take three or four of the most desirable cars from each era and do their physics, relatively simple bodywork modeling could yield dozens of model variations for each era. Not only that but some cars in each era featured engines from different manufacturers represented in GT4 so PD and Sony already have licensing agreements with these firms. Examples would be the same Listers powered by both Jaguar and Chevrolet and the Lola T70 Mk. III coupe powered by both Chevrolet and Aston Martin.
Instead of necessarily adding cars to the GT5 inventory, if 125 of the 730 cars in GT4 -- 25 cars from each era -- could be made "vintage" racers and substituted for some of the almost indistinguishable and seemingly endless variations on single Japanese model street cars, I think it would add a new and exciting dimension to GT5 and make it the preeminent console racing simulation game.
Since, in actuality, the "small bore" racers from each of the named sports car racing eras were usually based on production models and tended to be much more long-lived than their "big bore" cousins, only about 25 of the 125 vintage cars would well represent this segment of sports cars. Many of the base models already exist in GT4: for instance, the Fiat 500 was the basis for dozens of Abarth models, the AC Ace gave birth to the 289 Cobra (whose FIA model was the basis for the bodywork of the game's 427 Cobra S/C).
A few modified small-bore production cars -- Sunbeam Alpine/Tiger, Triumph TR-2,3,4, MGA and MGB, Austin Healey 100/4/S/M/6 and 3000 Mk. II & III, etc. -- provided the backbone of sports car racing for decades and could have both production and race versions in the game with very few changes. Add in a few of the small exotics -- Osca MT4, Porsche 500, RS, RSK, Alfa Romeo GTZ, etc. -- and GT5 could have its own lively and entertaining under 2-liter historic racing world.
The only other thing that would be needed to bring this concept to full realization would be the addition of three or four historic race tracks to the new game. GT4 already has the two "biggies:" Le Mans and Nurburgring. In the course of five eras the world's sports cars raced on numerous tracks but certain ones tended to remain on the schedule throughout most of their history: Spa, Sebring, and Monza. Other worthwhile additions might be Watkins Glen, Reims, and one of the Tourist Trophy sites.
Adding historic tracks like these would have the additional benefit that GT5 could center the national and one-marque races around popular national racing venues (and market segments). For example, the British GT5 fans would get to race British cars at Le Mans and a Tourist Trophy track (Dundrod, Goodwood, or Oulton Park); fans of American iron could race American cars at Laguna Seca, Infineon, Sebring and Watkins Glen); the French gamers have Le Mans and Reims; the Italians have history at Le Mans and Monza; the Germans get Le Mans and Nurburgring; and everyone -- but especially the Benelux fans -- get Spa-Franchorchamps.
Anyway, that's one direction I'd like to see GT5 go.
Between World War 2 and 1991 there were five basic eras of sports car racing worldwide that produced some of the most iconic cars for auto enthusiasts in history.
The first era dated from 1953 to 1961 in which the World Sportscar Championship season had about six races a year for prototypes, serial sportscars, and GT cars in basically two classes: over and under 2.0 liters in engine displacement. This era produced cars like the Ferrari Testa Rossas, Aston Martin DBRs, Jaguar C-type and D-types, Maserati Tipo 60/61 "Birdcages," etc.
The second era spanned approximately 1962-65 when the FIA decided to concentrate on GT cars (although prototypes were still the featured class at famous races like Le Mans, Sebring 12 Hours, the Targa Florio, and 1000 km of Nurburgring). This era produced cars like the 289 FIA Cobra and Daytona coupe, lightweight Jaguar E-type, Corvette Grand Sport, Ferrari 250 GTO, etc.
Perhaps the most famous era in world sportscar racing (the third) occurred between 1966 and 1971 when we saw such cars as the Ford GT40, Ford Mk IV, Lola T70 Mk III, Ferrari 330 P3/P4 or 512 S/M and the legendary Porsche 917.
Many prototype sports cars were excluded in 1972 when a 3 liter limit was established. There was also a separate classification for GT cars (1968-75). In this fourth era of sports car racing (1972-77) many manufacturers lost their interest -- Ferrari (1973), Matra (1974), Porsche (1976), Renault (1976) and Alfa Romeo (1977) -- but each of them seemed to produce one of their most memorable and/or desirable sports prototypes just before they burned out. Cars like the Ferrari 312PB, Porsche 936, Renault Alpine, and Alfa-Romeo 33TT12, etc. -- but the championship died in 1978 as the European Sportscar Championship.
The last era (fifth) -- (1976-1991) -- leading to the current one lasted 10 years and belonged to the group C cars and IMSA GTP cars. This was the period of world sports car racing that appeals the most to today's enthusiast (IMO) with some of the most beautiful and quickest machines in the sport's history.
In each of the era's named, the design and development of sports cars evolved, rather than change radically from year to year. Thus, if PD were to take three or four of the most desirable cars from each era and do their physics, relatively simple bodywork modeling could yield dozens of model variations for each era. Not only that but some cars in each era featured engines from different manufacturers represented in GT4 so PD and Sony already have licensing agreements with these firms. Examples would be the same Listers powered by both Jaguar and Chevrolet and the Lola T70 Mk. III coupe powered by both Chevrolet and Aston Martin.
Instead of necessarily adding cars to the GT5 inventory, if 125 of the 730 cars in GT4 -- 25 cars from each era -- could be made "vintage" racers and substituted for some of the almost indistinguishable and seemingly endless variations on single Japanese model street cars, I think it would add a new and exciting dimension to GT5 and make it the preeminent console racing simulation game.
Since, in actuality, the "small bore" racers from each of the named sports car racing eras were usually based on production models and tended to be much more long-lived than their "big bore" cousins, only about 25 of the 125 vintage cars would well represent this segment of sports cars. Many of the base models already exist in GT4: for instance, the Fiat 500 was the basis for dozens of Abarth models, the AC Ace gave birth to the 289 Cobra (whose FIA model was the basis for the bodywork of the game's 427 Cobra S/C).
A few modified small-bore production cars -- Sunbeam Alpine/Tiger, Triumph TR-2,3,4, MGA and MGB, Austin Healey 100/4/S/M/6 and 3000 Mk. II & III, etc. -- provided the backbone of sports car racing for decades and could have both production and race versions in the game with very few changes. Add in a few of the small exotics -- Osca MT4, Porsche 500, RS, RSK, Alfa Romeo GTZ, etc. -- and GT5 could have its own lively and entertaining under 2-liter historic racing world.
The only other thing that would be needed to bring this concept to full realization would be the addition of three or four historic race tracks to the new game. GT4 already has the two "biggies:" Le Mans and Nurburgring. In the course of five eras the world's sports cars raced on numerous tracks but certain ones tended to remain on the schedule throughout most of their history: Spa, Sebring, and Monza. Other worthwhile additions might be Watkins Glen, Reims, and one of the Tourist Trophy sites.
Adding historic tracks like these would have the additional benefit that GT5 could center the national and one-marque races around popular national racing venues (and market segments). For example, the British GT5 fans would get to race British cars at Le Mans and a Tourist Trophy track (Dundrod, Goodwood, or Oulton Park); fans of American iron could race American cars at Laguna Seca, Infineon, Sebring and Watkins Glen); the French gamers have Le Mans and Reims; the Italians have history at Le Mans and Monza; the Germans get Le Mans and Nurburgring; and everyone -- but especially the Benelux fans -- get Spa-Franchorchamps.
Anyway, that's one direction I'd like to see GT5 go.
