Four months after revealing the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Vision GT, the Korean manufacturer has shown off an updated version of the vehicle created as a tribute to legendary Le Mans racer and brand partner Jacky Ickx.
This revised version of the car was shown at an exclusive gathering in Switzerland ahead of the Watches & Wonders Geneva event, at which Ickx and long-term collaborator Chopard was revealing a new Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph JX7 — designed by Ickx and Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.
The watch itself — a limited edition, 250-unit piece listed at over $13,500 — has nods towards the career of six-time Le Mans-winner Ickx, and in particular his owl-eyes helmet. It features a midnight blue face with white-rimmed dials and white numerals.
That’s also the inspiration for the car, revealed at the same event and now called the X Gran Berlinetta Tribute. It comes in a special “midnight blue” livery, rather than the striking Magma Orange of the original car, with a single white stripe across the front end.
Additionally, the wheels are now finished in a powder gold, and the car bears Ickx’s name on the C-pillar, as well as a checkered flag “24” motif on the wings. Otherwise the vehicle remains physically identical to the original Vision GT as far as we can tell, except for what appear to be a new, ridged section of bodywork on the rear of the hood centerline towards the screen — although it’s hard to make out from the images revealed.
Genesis states that the car is driven by the same powertrain as the original VGT — likely theoretical — comprising a front-mid Lambda II V6 with 870hp, and a 201hp electric motor. Given that the images now show the car on proper road tires rather than cut slicks of the Vision car, we’d imagine that to be a handful…
You can of course recreate this new livery yourself in Gran Turismo 7 if you happen to own the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta — although the car first distributed to players in January 2024 has a livery editor glitch and may not accept “style” updates.
It’s interesting to see that, unlike some Vision GT cars, the vehicle continues to hold such relevance for Genesis after the initial launch that it would associate it with a legend like Jacky Ickx and launch it at an event of this level of prestige. This may, perhaps, keep up hopes that the teased racing variant of the car — glimpsed in the initial launch video — is not too far away from the game too.
See more articles on 24 Hours of Le Mans, Genesis, and Vision Gran Turismo.
