Jordan Greer

The Red Bull X1 prototype in Gran Turismo 5 made the jump from pixels to (partial) reality when it was unveiled to the world at the game’s international launch party in Madrid. I had a chance to personally inspect the model at the event, and its construction was very impressive (take a look at my up-close-and-personal photos from the event below, including partial disassembly of the model after the party was over). It was built by prototyping specialists IDC Models, and they’ve shared an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the X1’s construction along with their official press release. Nice work, guys – let’s hope this inspires Red Bull to take another step forward in development of the car!

In a new press release, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced the official sales data for Gran Turismo 5. As of December 6, 2010, GT5 sales exceeded 5.5 million units worldwide – or 423,000 copies sold per day for 13 days. That’s half a million more copies than what GT5: Prologue managed to sell in nearly two and a half years, and more than double what Gran Turismo PSP has sold since last October. GT5 is also now halfway along to GT1, GT2, and GT4’s total sales (approximately 10 million per title), but still has a ways to go to match GT3’s 14.8 million.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdRby4frgJA

If you’re in the UK, head to your local HMV electronics store and keep an eye out for their 3D GT5 display. In co-operation with Sony, HMV is launching a nation-wide competition, giving customers in each participating store a chance to post a hot lap on their regional leader-boards between November 27th and December 6th. The top two players from each region will then be invited to HMV Oxford Circus in London, to compete in a national finals event hosted by BBC F1 presenter, Jake Humphrey. Winners receive a full 3D GT5 set up and an all-expense-paid luxury holiday trip to Madrid, Spain (see the official site for more).