The GT5 Signature Edition Challenge, first announced last August, has come to a close, with Marco Calvo of Spain taking home the top prize: a brand-new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
While the first-part of the competition was based in Gran Turismo 5’s B-Spec mode, the finals, held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, tested participant’s virtual and real-world driving skills. As announced last week, two motorsport super-stars were on hand to judge the event: David Coulthard and Bernd Schneider. After a series of GT5 challenges – notably conducted with new Thrustmaster T500RS steering wheels – the finalists drove a fleet of SLS AMGs through a series of drag-racing and driving agility courses (reminiscent to GT’s own license tests).
At the end of the day, Marco Calvo edged out Irish runner-up Guy Foster, taking home the keys to his very own SLS.
GTPlanet staff member Synwraith worked with the event organizers, and has shared a very detailed write-up about the event in our forums, including dozens pictures and videos with even more to come. Thanks to Synwraith for all his hard work, and congratulations to Marco and all the other finalists!
See more articles on David Coulthard, GT5 B-Spec, GT5 SLS AMG Signature Edition Challenge, Mercedes SLS AMG, and Red Bull.
Lucky, and I’m stuck with a ’91 Escort. But, I’m not complaining. It’s a good little car.
luckyyyyyy
There gonna be any seasonals soon? I know it’s kinda off topic
good luck paying the taxes on that! hah
Congrats man. Wonderful car I had the pleasure to see one in person. Pictures and Videos just translate how awesome this car is.
Oh and with all those “win a car” competitions. You can be sure there are other small companys involved that lets say pay his insurance for one year (like with fifth gear they give away one awesome car per week and it comes with shipping, insurance, tax paid etc)
Im sure Mercedes will give him free service for the car because they know he probably cant afford it. Im sure they give him some checks for gas too. What sort of deal would it be for Mercedes if the car is sold or ends up in his living room, cars need to be driven and seen. So im 100% sure they take care of him and make sure he can drive the car and cover initial expences plus at least one year insurance and services.
Congrats again man.
It’d be interesting to know if you’re right. One thing’s for sure: I’d sell it straight away. Can’t afford it.
In the terms and conditions of the competition it clearly read that the winner was responsible for all of the charges and taxes other than the cost of transporting the car and the dealer charges. So he will have to pay for registration, tax, insurance, fuel, tyres and anything else you can think of! If he keeps it that is.
Hi, thanks. I didnt know that. Thats hard to believe looking at all the expenses they got to run that event and then leave the guy with a car he probably has to sell. Thats a bit weird.
Is there anything happening with the game??
Nope, they just wasting time with unimportant real life competitions than spending time with developing the game.
I really hope they give him some money for upkeep or something of that matter.
Congratulations to everyone who participated, hope you guys enjoyed it.
Absolutely rapt! Awesome prize to a deserving winner, this is what Gran Turismo is all about!
Stop investing money on GT Academy’s and a SLS and give us some damn DLC!
Boom, headshot
i’d rather have another chance at a SLS or whatever supercar…
Does this mean that we’re going to see that car in GT5 as DLC?
best comment yet.
Cool car!
That Car is amazing piece of art
so does this mean we can get DLC now lol
sorry, no budget left for DLC :p
Meh, crap car anyway.
How’s the hateraid tastin’?
Congrats to all involved and a Special Congrats to the winner.
@Greyum
In other words… “I’m jealous that I wasn’t the one who won that car, so I am going to write a hateful message to get some attention.”
No, in other words I just wanted to see which sad gits would come along with responses like yours! lol
Good for him that he’s not from Norway or Denmark.
Tax alone for this car in Norway 199287$
Full price 587000$
Denmark more or less the same policy.
NOT the right countries to live in, when fond of cars.
Congratulations to everyone who has a part of this experience !!!!
Well done Guy Foster! Nice to see a fellow Irishman representing at the highest level.
congratulations on winning the car.
now to save for decades to afford the insurance and drive YOUR sls for the first time!
A worthy winner.
Spain’s been on a roll over the past few years, won the world cup, Nadal was dominating in the tennis, Alonso almost won the F1 championship last year, and now this, to name a few.
Not really a fan of the SLS though, winning that for free from charge would make me very envious. Luckily, everyone who got through the real-life driving stage at least drove 2 sports car!
*cars
even if i won, based on my age, i wouldnt feel i earned the car (not to mention insurance would be…-___-) so id just sell that and buy a better version of what im about to buy: 92 toyota mr2 ^_^
Awesome, congratulations man!
Now you can spend 210,000cr to get it up to spec!
DOn’t forget some nice matte red paint, a carbon bonnet, and a stupid looking wing!
I wonder have any of these drivers explained about does GT5’s physics handles mercedes sls amg really good compared to the real one? Because I remember Kaz had said in his interview that he’s going to make sure the SLS amg will have awesome physics in GT5.
Luck maybe one of the factors
But these guys must have great skill too.
Congratz to all participant and the winner.
Now bring some competition to Asia, please.
Did he check it over thoroughly to be sure it wasn’t a Decepticon?
Seriously though, I wonder what it would cost him to register and insure that thing!?
Lucky bastard doesn’t even sum it up. So jealous.
jealous
Congrats, mate. And my deepest feelings of sorry for you. For the car being silver…
Well i live in Spain and i have the signature Edition but i have not enough lucky as this bastard with my IA pilots…but also a contest is a contest and he was more lucky than a ton of people as me and congrats to him.
It was fare?…maybe…i paid a lot for the SE and when the B-Spec was announced i was like WTF!!!meh….maybe next time in 6 years with GT6…maybe a Fiat 500 for the price…or a Nissan lol.
I wish I drove an SLS amg.
What makes you think GT6 will take 6 years?
Beautiful! Man, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t even get a car worth 1/4 of that from a 1000km ticket!
Spanish people are so good at these competitions! Lucas and Marco have to love Kazunori so much… Hahaha
Another spaniard beatin’ the world
NICE!
Signature Edition prize: Most desireable Mercedes in the world. What an awesome prize.
I’d sell it and buy other stuff, and a nice cheaper sports car.
lucky bastard!
Awesome! did I misread or did he write that there was an Irish man in the race? awesome >;D
the Irish Guy (Guy Foster) was number 1 on the scoresheet and won his semi-final dragrace, but he overshot the stopbox in the finals so Marco won it. Could not get much closer to winning the car. So all in all, I am glad I finished 13th and not second, it would haunt me a while :P
What did second receive? ;)
Second got NOTHING! But we all knew that wen we entered so it didn’t really matter! I was so happy just to make it to the final. My goal was to make the final 4 and i went 1 better with the final 2! Marco bet me fair and square and i can go home saying that at only 20 years old i could put it to the gt5 big guns like Marco and Bastien. The free bar at the end made it all the better! Mark my words I will be back and I will be better!
Congrats ^^
Congratulations!
Well done, enjoy this beauty….or sell it and buy a house. :-)
¡Enhorabuena!
Thank you so much to everyone who was involved in this, it will stand as a pillar in my memory for the rest of my life. It felt absurd to be alone in an SLS AMG thundering towards Remus at 250km/h. I am privileged to have been a part of it, everyone there was a winner, Marco just won a bit more than the rest of us. :)
Few people can say they have solodriven the hell out of an SLS AMG for 15 laps at the Red Bull Ring, but I can, and I will be forever thankful to the people that made it happen.
Congrats man, you achive a little dream of most of us ;D
Sweet! Enjoy it, dude. Well, really, how could you not enjoy that beast of a car?
Anyone know if he has to pay the taxes on that thing like you would in the US?
this is what i was wondering. Would have to sell it to pay the taxes here..lol
Well if he has to pay insurance and road tax, that going to be a lot of money, especially with the fuel as well.
Of course he has to pay insurance and taxes, if he wants to drive it.
Do you think, the country pays it, just because he won the car?
Sony might have paid the tax and insurance, maybe. It seems pointless giving someone a car they can’t afford to keep, they might as well have given him the £330,000+ (whatever that is in Euros) it costs instead otherwise.
Well done, bought it home for Europe.
Umm, I thought only Europeans could enter.