The Volkswagen Vision GT car was formally unveiled in the “real world” at the Wörthersee GTI Meeting in Austria today, and Kazunori Yamauchi himself was on hand to launch the car with the executives and designers from VW. The car will be playable in GT6 “mid-June”.
The two-seat convertible is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbocharged TSI engine that produces 503 horsepower and a mighty 413 pound-feet of torque between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm; from just 2,000 revs, 369 lb-ft of that torque is available. The power of the TSI engine is transferred to the 20-inch wheel-and-tire combination via a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission and a 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. The 3133-pound sportscar sprints from 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 3.5 seconds and goes onto a top track speed of 192 mph.
The GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo is the result of cooperation between Volkswagen and Sony Computer Entertainment. Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design at Volkswagen remarks: “When Sony asked us if we would develop a Vision GTI vehicle exclusively for the game to mark the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo we didn’t hesitate for a moment.” An in-house competition was immediately launched and young designers submitted their designs. The submissions were judged by Bischoff and none other than Kazunori Yamauchi, Director of Polyphony Digital and Vice-President of Sony Computer Entertainment-and the inventor of the Gran Turismo series”.
Yamauchi is a GTI fan. The Japanese executive has his own stable of sports cars that includes a Golf GTI, the iconic sporty compact. Bischoff and Yamauchi finally chose two designs, which were then developed further. Designers Malte Hammerbeck and Domen Rucigaj were in charge of developing the exterior, whilst Guillermo Mignot was responsible for the interior. The entire development process was realized on the computer and even the 3D model of the vehicle was virtual.
Since Volkswagen designers gave their imagination free rein in designing the “GTI Roadster” for the “GT6” game-and were able to overlook production constraints like price and production feasibility-the resulting car is certainly the most spectacular Golf GTI ever. Klaus Bischoff: “The Vision GT project offered a wonderful opportunity to sketch out extreme ideas and design elements of the GTI that are portrayed as vibrantly, dynamically and emotionally as possible. Further development of an unmistakable design and a love for detail reflect the high standards shared by the Volkswagen GTI and the ‘Gran Turismo’ by Sony PlayStation product brands.”
In designing the GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo, Volkswagen revolutionized the visual concept of the Design Vision GTI concept car that was presented at Wörthersee in 2013. It was further developed, reinvented and sent into the future as a roadster, although there is still a link to the earlier car since Volkswagen used the Design Vision GTI to show how a race version of the Golf GTI might look. Like the Design Vision GTI, the roadster keeps the principles of Volkswagen’s Design DNA and also incorporates the wild C-posts and side skirts, but expressed to a whole new level.
Both concept cars show the potential of Volkswagen’s Design DNA, and that the GTI will be around for a long time to come. The goal of the GTI Roadster was to push the Design Vision GTI concept to even greater extremes. The 98.2-inch wheelbase of the Roadster is significantly shorter than that of the production GTI and the “Design Vision GTI”. With its minimal overhangs, low, 42.9-inch height, and 74.6-inch width, the 163.7-inch-long Roadster has radical proportions.
The roadster body was aerodynamically optimized, with the most prominent visual feature being the large rear wing. This creates plenty of downforce that aids traction, along with the all-wheel-drive system. Ahead of the wing, the C-pillars-which are a defining design element of the Design Vision GTI, extending into the roof-form a roll-over bar. The rear spoiler gives the appearance of a wing hovering behind the roadster.
The GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo sports a radiant, intensive red metallic color, a new interpretation of the classic Golf GTI “Tornado Red”. Designers gave the name “Gran Turismo Red” to the new color. Malte Hammerbeck says: “We were looking for a very provocative and aggressive red. The car should look fast, even when it is standing still, and the paint should emphasize its surface contours.” All bolt-on parts are designed in matt carbon as an accent that complements the high-gloss red of the body. Only the radiator grille and the screen over the engine compartment vent are finished in high-gloss black.
The doors swivel up and forward, visually splitting a prominent character line into an upper and lower half. The contours of the doors are also very distinctive, because they are framed by the side skirts (trimmed with the “Gran Turismo” badge at the rear), the C-pillar and the heavily flared wheelarches. A small but exclusive detail on the sides is the illuminated GTI badge that is integrated in the “tornado” line. On the upper door section, the side window forms a line that rises forward with the low-profile windscreen, like a speedboat’s.
The 20-inch Golf GTI centerlock aluminum-alloy wheels have body-color elements and are 8.5J wide at the front and 9.5J at the back, with 235/35 ZR20 front and 275/30 ZR20 tires. The brakes are suitably large to cope with the car’s performance: 15.0 inches in diameter at the front and 14.0 inches at the rear.
Viewed directly from the front, the roadster looks like a Golf GTI-except, one from the future. The GTI front end has a three-dimensional design with bumper elements that appear to hover and a splitter that is designed to increase downforce at the front end. Classic Golf GTI design elements such as the prominent VW badge, the red radiator cross strip, and GTI logo are offset by dual LED headlights and LED daytime running lights that have an unmistakable light signature. On the race courses of the GT6 world, this unmistakable and charismatic front-end will cause some uneasiness when competitors see it approaching in their digital rear-view mirrors. The closer the GTI approaches, the more noticeable is its wedge-shaped air scoop on the hood.
Viewed from the rear, the carbon blades at the front continue uninterrupted across the side skirts and into the rear section as a wrap-around element. At the rear, they serve as aerodynamically optimized air ducts. The rear diffuser is highlighted by metal slats and two low-slung rear lights. The trapezoidal dual exhaust tailpipes (with GTI badge) are positioned in the middle of the car above the diffuser. Adding to the layered look at the back are the narrow three-dimensional lights and the spoiler above it.
The driver and passenger sit in a dual carbonfiber monocoque. The two sides are partitioned by an open bar that ascends from rear to front, with a fire extinguisher beneath it. The GTI Roadster is equipped with two race-style buckets, placed low. The seats and the four-spoke grip steering wheel are covered with Alcantara. Another motorsport-style feature is the cockpit display mounted directly to the steering column, far ahead of the driver. The steering wheel is mounted on a very long, exposed steering column, which is typical of a race car, too. Designers located the red, illuminated rotary light switch and shift paddles to the left and right of the steering wheel’s central axis, so the driver never has to move his or her hand off the wheel.
The interior and exterior materials and colors were intentionally differentiated: the typical GTI red is used for some interior accents, such as the five-point safety belts, contrasting stitching on the seats, the door handles and the steering-wheel controls on the steering wheel, but the rest of the color selections were reduced to “Black” and “Anthracite”. Inside the GTI Roadster, most decorative elements were omitted in favor of an uncompromising motorsport look so that the driver can focus exclusively on both the real and virtual race track.
See more articles on Kazunori Yamauchi, Vision Gran Turismo, Vision GT, and Volkswagen.
There are two things in the feature video that VW has made: 1) This might be the first Vision GT car with an interior. 2) The solar array thing (I forget what it is called) used in Photo Mode can be used as a track…appears to be used as an out and back drag strip in the video.
There is so much untapped potential in this game…and a game of this caliber should not have untapped potential; tap that b****.
Loads of fuss around this one for weeks and not coming till June
Now we know why because they got a real live version and are in ka hoots with Kaz and a very big celebration… Who thinks free roam in a photo location is coming when this is released into GT6?
I personally don’t care much for this car. VW have already admitted they don’t have a gearbox which could take this power. This game is no longer a driving simulator, it’s become an advertising revenue for the big boys.
They do surely, they have Lamborghini, Audi, Bentley etc. Half of those sort of cars pump out more power and torque, and offer similar top speeds
How many is that now for the Vision GTI? My estimate is about 5 or 6 delays?
I wanna see it in lime green!
The old adage ‘you can’t polish a turn but you can wrap it in glitter’ comes to mind
Haha, I prefer: you can’t polish a turd, but you can spray it with febreze
“Yamauchi is a big GTi fan…” Kaz is always a fan of something… I think Kaz is only a fan of himself.
That makes 1 fan of his then :D
Hahaha!!! It so will not be released in Mid June. PD should just stop making timeframe announcements.
Then we’d be complaining for a release date.
-_-
So far all the VGT cars haven’t disappointed. This GTI is going to rip!
Thank god there’s a cockpit.
It was such a bummer to me that the BMW had no cockpit. I feel like I would’ve drove that car alot if it had one but I’m not a big fan of staring at a black interior. It’s better than roof cam but still not as good as it could be.
They could paste in the same cockpit as the Z4 GT3 or M3 GT3 and I’d be fine with it. Wish they’d just come up with some generic cockpits for the standards.
To me, the VW VGT is the winner for now!
Awesome :)
looks pretty sweet
at least we have a rough idea on when this car comes into the game
I knew it was “June 2014”, but have never seen a “mid-June” quote.
Source?
It’s in the Volkswagen press release.
Cheers.
Lets just see if they have “issues” with licensing by mid-june.
I am betting late june.
Sweet set of wheels I hope I can put a race suspension in it :)
Ok one question, what if I rains? I would love to see a hardtop version with and without the wing, I have a feeling we might see the “Design VisionGTI ” also, the hardtop one. Kaz is a fan of the GTI huh? Well he must not be a fan of the mk2s 16v and rallye and mk3s vr6s and syncro because he just skipped right past them. Nice job GTPlanet, Volkswagen, and Kazunori and team, can’t wait to see what the other car companies “vision” is.
“What if it rains?” Not to sound like a d!ck, but what do you think the people who own an Ariel Atom, KTM X-Bow, or any other vehicle without a fixed roof or convertible top do? You either get wet or don’t drive it if there’s a chance of rain.
Sounds like a response to me, not a gentleman’s sausage as you described, lol, but me the aerial and ktm seemed to be designed for any weather as the VGT GTI seems to me is not a track only car, I just would rather be getting wet in the atom, ktm or the r500 than the GTI. GTI has always been a daily driver hot hatch, unless they want to change the focus of what the GTI has always been about.
Wow… It’s even more beautiful in reality… Sexy a** vehicle!!!
I just hope they don’t limit/restrict us to the red paint job & stock rims. Not as fun having one make races with completely identical vehicles. Kinda kills viewing the replay as well.
Mid June = June 30th 11:59pm
I trust the “mid-June” date, but only because they didn’t specify the year.
It sort-of reminds me of the Citroen GT
Mid-June!!! Looking forward to driving it next Trucktober.
I’m getting used…
Shiney
That thing is HOT! Put it into production Volkswagen!
Cool.