Vision GT

Walk down the toy aisle of any discount department store and you’re bound to find merchandise based off the hottest properties in gaming, from Minecraft to Halo. Strangely however, racing games have always been somewhat isolated from that phenomenon — or at least until very recently. Last year, both Gran Turismo and Forza partnered with Hot Wheels on multiple occasions to release lines of diecast cars from their respective series.

This month started with news of the Vision Gran Turismo program getting back into gear. Famed Italian design house Pininfarina will be working with F1 and CART champion Emerson Fittipaldi on the EF7 Vision Gran Turismo, the first addition to the project in over a year.

The Geneva International Motor Show is one of the biggest of its kind. All manner of debuts typically happen there, and this year’s brace of new metal will include the latest addition to the “not even halfway done” Vision GT project.

Earlier this week we reported Saudi Prince Badr bin Saud got the jump on other private bidders, purchasing both the one-off Bugatti Vision GT seen above, and pre-production Chiron. Before the prince can take delivery, both cars are currently scheduled to appear side-by-side at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later this month.

This is certainly interesting. For those so inclined, snagging a shiny and new Bugatti is hardly a newsworthy event. It’s a different story altogether when the one-off Vision Gran Turismo that was shown off at last year’s Frankfurt motor show is claimed, and seemingly right under everyone’s nose.

Join us from 18:00 EDT / 23:00 BST / 00:00 CEST this evening as we air our report from the launch event of the latest instalment in the Gran Turismo Franchise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKQwO4oc6yY

https://youtu.be/OHjbBxNUQk4

Automakers can have trouble keeping new models under wraps. With patent drawings and model cars leaking before the model they’re based on is ready for the spotlight, it can be hard for companies to keep upcoming vehicles truly secret (the Ford GT’s reveal last year being one of the high-profile genuine surprises we’ve seen recently). These leaks can also affect movies, and now, it looks like Gran Turismo has joined the ranks.

Last November, Bugatti announced that the Veyron replacement would be known as Chiron. Named after the dominating driver of the 20’s and 30’s, Louis Chiron, the car is expected to utilize a variation on the Veyron’s immensely powerful W16 quad-turbo heart. Now, a new report has surfaced alleging the car will continue the modern Bugatti tradition of setting insanely high top seeds.

— Bugatti (@Bugatti) August 22, 2015

— Bugatti (@Bugatti) August 16, 2015

In terms of performance, SRT’s Tomahawk is one of the most impressive Vision GT projects yet. The “X” version boasts the most ridiculous specifications, loaded with a V10 that revs to 14,500 RPM and produces over 2,590hp.

With thanks to Kazunori Yamauchi, Translator-san, HPS Jardine, Infiniti GB and SCEE.