Gran Turismo: Turning the exotic into household names

[GuyNamedJohn]

Couple days ago, I walked over to my local public library hoping to find the issue of Popular Science that had the whole Forza Motorsport blowout in it. I found it. It was ok. In all honesty, the team seemed merrily oblivious to the encyclopedic abundance and scope of Gran Turismo 4, but then that wasn't their story.

Anyways, while flipping through the oddly arranged PopSci mags, I happened upon a year-old issue in which the Jay Leno Tank Car was also a front-page feature. So I looked, and sure 'nuff, there was a nice pic of Mr. Leno, proudly posing alongside his pet behemoth for the camera. This next line is going to sound strange, but I thought: "'Ep, that's it, all right. Looks just like the one I've already seen from every angle in GT4." LOL And it does. It really does. Polyphony Digital has accomplished commendably faithful renders of some of the most unusual, rare, and exotic machinery on wheels in existence today.

That's when it occurred to me. Were it not for my Gran Turismo, that edition of PopSci would have held a much more spectacular aura. For you see, whether it's the beastly-sexy magnificence of the Chaparral "2D" race car from '67, the immaculate and futuristic angling on the Hyundai Clix, the lopped off, half-car look of the 1970 Toyota 7 race car, or the downright dangerous looking wedge-hooded Dome Zero concept car from 1978, this remarkable video game series has literally brought the extraordinary into our ordinary daily lives and conversations.

I think that says a lot. Thank you, Kazunori Yamauchi, for bringing your infectious love of the automobile to an entire new generation of people, both young and old!

-GNJ-

 

[smellysocks12]

Without GT4 I wouldn't even have known that Australian car manufacturers existed, like Holden and FPV.... Haha, seriously.



Because of GT1 I also started to like Skylines, when I first got the game it just looked like another sedan to me, but after playing it for hours with that car (fastest in the game, in my hands anyway) I learned to appreciate the looks of the car. The R34 in GT2 was even better looking to me. (unfortunately Nissan screwed up with the latest generation of Skylines, the non GTR-VspecII ones).

 

[GuyNamedJohn]

Yep, and it was GT that first brought to my attention the Mitsubishi 3000GT, in GT1 called the "Mitsubishi GTO." Haha, I still remember every frickin' where i looked, i started seeing frickin' 3000GTs. lol

Then I saw a "Dodge Stealth" and got suspicious.

"Dude, that looks just like a Mitsubishi 3000GT." It turns out they are one and the same car, slightly modified.

Just like the older Eclipses and the Eagle Talon. They're the same car!

Why do they do that; and how can they?

Stuff be messin' wiff me, dawg. stuff be messin' wiv my head.

 

[MaxxTraxx]

Without GT4 I wouldn't even have known that Australian car manufacturers existed, like Holden and FPV.... Haha, seriously.



Because of GT1 I also started to like Skylines, when I first got the game it just looked like another sedan to me, but after playing it for hours with that car (fastest in the game, in my hands anyway) I learned to appreciate the looks of the car. The R34 in GT2 was even better looking to me. (unfortunately Nissan screwed up with the latest generation of Skylines, the non GTR-VspecII ones).

I didn't that that thier were Aussie manufactures either! Kind of cool , I love thier hands they are so nice! I think car companys are glad to put thier cars in this game, because young guys who like cars on this game - Might buy THIER car. Which is free advertising! People know how to make money... 👍





**NOTE** GT DIDN'T MAKE ME LIKE SKYLINES!!!**NOTE**

 

[ktaylor57]

About the Stealth/3000GT and Talon/Eclipse - I remember reading that Mitsubishi had some kind of association with DaimlerChrysler?

But yes, without the GT series, I would have never heard of half the cars they included - Skyline, Silvia, FTO, NSX, Cerbera, Griffith, to name a few.

 

[GeGuy]

In 1998, I learned that the Toyota Vitz was out in Japan. Then it comes out here in North America known as the Echo Hatcback in 2004. So we get a car that's around 6 years old...
Then it will be sold for lets say 5 more years. Man it's slow to bring good cars over here.
Made me realize that we get only get the crappy stuff instead of the good stuff.
Never knew that a 2.0L boxer engine could produce as much as 276hp in Japan and Europe when we only get the 165hp version. Only recently that we got the WRX and the WRX STi.

In short, Kazunori Yamauchi made me rediscover the world of cars with every new release of GT.

 

[dbartucci]

I gotta say before GT1 I didn't know anything about Skylines, Evos, 22B, etc. In that sense GT has opened me up to cars available in Japan and Europe, but not North America.

Interesting topic anyways. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who was ignorant about Skyline's pre-GT.

 

[incredible]

yup PD is teachin us "unknowen" car manufactures or models

 

[lionel]

About the Stealth/3000GT and Talon/Eclipse - I remember reading that Mitsubishi had some kind of association with DaimlerChrysler?

But yes, without the GT series, I would have never heard of half the cars they included - Skyline, Silvia, FTO, NSX, Cerbera, Griffith, to name a few.

GT has really opened my eyes to the wide world of cars as well. And for the whole Mitsubishi/Daimler Chrysler thing, Chrysler either owns or has a very long standing relationship with them but I think it is the former. The second truck I owned was a 1985 Dodge D50, it had a 2.2 liter 4 banger made by Mitsubishi, which incidentally, locked up the second day I had the thing, the iol pump went out, anyways, the Eagle/Mitsu thing is Chrysler's doing as well, just as Honda has its Acura, Toyota its Lexus, Nissan its Infiniti, GM its Saab, Isuzu, Holden, and so on ad so on.

 

[smellysocks12]

Then I saw a "Dodge Stealth" and got suspicious.

"Dude, that looks just like a Mitsubishi 3000GT." It turns out they are one and the same car, slightly modified.

For real? I've had one of those standing around in the neighborhood for years and thought it was a weird car. I thought it was a poor man's dodge viper. Unfortunately it's gone now. I never really liked the looks of the 3000GT though, only ever once saw one irl, just like toyota supra (which was awful to drive in the first GT).




TVR is also a brand I never would have heard of if it wasn't for GT. I nearly got a seizure when I was watching that movie swordfish and I was like OMG A TVR SPEED 12??? The people around me in the movie theatre didn't quite share my enthusiasm.

 

[evil gremlin]

yea i was like 7 or 8 when gt1 came out and right off the bat my favorite car was the r32 skyline, im so glad the gt series came to be because now i can just laugh at the stupid people who watched 2fast2furious and said skylins are so awesome and they dont even know that the skyline evolved from an ugly old 4 door into the beutiful r34 and now into what i say looks exactly like an infinity g35 :-\ oh well the R32 is still my fav

 

[JohnBM01]

This may sound a bit cheesy, but I got into cars by being inspired by the lovely F-Body Camaros of the mid-late 1990s. I didn't get to appreciate all sorts of cars until I played Gran Turismo. I hated the Lancia Delta at first, said it was ugly and too boxy. Now I love it, especially the Delta S4 with its 400+ hp engine. Thought the Lancia Stratos was even uglier. Now I like it because it has that just right amount of oversteer to almost make it a fun-to-drive car. Maybe even a drifter. I still hate the Daihatsu Midget D-Type, but GT2's car info said that the Midget D-Type has specs that could put supercars to shame.. When you actually PLAY through the game, you'll learn about each car's strengths and weaknesses. I became a Mini Cooper fan by racing the Works Car in a GT2 Super License Test with Tahiti Road. Many will just want to play through the game (maybe cheat) and not get to know the car world courtesy of GT. To me, that's not learning about cars and ultimately, not appreciating the game. Now when I first seen this thread's title, I thought someone would come into this thread and post something like:

"Gran Turismo: Turning the exotic into household names (except Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and a few others...)"

...or at least not yet. GT may not have some of the other car manufacturers people been wanting for a while (as I keep reading, they won't allow the cars into the game because of the level of tuning or something like that), but you get to know all sorts of other companies. I'm going on record to state that Gran Turismo has grown from a mere video game, almost to a member of today's modern car culture. There's the Gran Turismo awards at SEMA and everything, certain manufacturer-specific versions of GT, it's really evolved into something us car lovers can appreciate. It's not just a video game anymore, folks!

But yeah. Gran Turismo. Learning tool (no info on cars in GT4, but that's okay). Car culture family member. What more could you want?

 

[evil gremlin]

In 1998, I learned that the Toyota Vitz was out in Japan. Then it comes out here in North America known as the Echo Hatcback in 2004. So we get a car that's around 6 years old...
Then it will be sold for lets say 5 more years. Man it's slow to bring good cars over here.
Made me realize that we get only get the crappy stuff instead of the good stuff.
Never knew that a 2.0L boxer engine could produce as much as 276hp in Japan and Europe when we only get the 165hp version. Only recently that we got the WRX and the WRX STi.

In short, Kazunori Yamauchi made me rediscover the world of cars with every new release of GT.

yes about the vits thing its just like the scion xb all it is is a toyota Bb look for it on the net they are exactly the same

 

[Joey D]

I think the only thing Gran Turismo did for me was show me some old and new crappy Japanese cars that should have never been put into a racing game. But other then that, I pretty much knew all the cars that were in the game, however I think the game helped make really start to like some of the Audis.

 

[Rb26dett_240sx]

the 3000gt/stealth are not part of teh daimler star deal. Those cars where made here in america. Eclipse,talon,Laser. Where as the 3/S were made in japan. The only major differnce between bodel panels are that the RT/TT and VR4 *high end Twint turbo,awd versions* the VR4 has some featrus that the RT/TT didnt' get. Active aero, active exhaust, all wheel steering on some.

 

[franz]

It happens to me since GT2
there are some cars that I really never heard of
funny thing that I went cleaning up my old car mags at my parents' home
those mags I brought them since I was in grade 4
I found some cars from those magazines are actually in GT4 ... like Ginetta G4
well ... at that age I was only looking for Lambo/Ferrari/Porsche photos

 

[Crayola]

...or at least not yet. GT may not have some of the other car manufacturers people been wanting for a while (as I keep reading, they won't allow the cars into the game because of the level of tuning or something like that)

I think its because they fear the brand name will be cheapened or people will think:" hmm I guess its a ferrari but I can still lap the Nurburging quicker if I get an Evo 6.5 with a bigger turbo."

 

[z06camaro]

This may sound a bit cheesy, but I got into cars by being inspired by the lovely F-Body Camaros of the mid-late 1990s. I didn't get to appreciate all sorts of cars until I played Gran Turismo. I hated the Lancia Delta at first, said it was ugly and too boxy. Now I love it, especially the Delta S4 with its 400+ hp engine. Thought the Lancia Stratos was even uglier. Now I like it because it has that just right amount of oversteer to almost make it a fun-to-drive car. Maybe even a drifter. I still hate the Daihatsu Midget D-Type, but GT2's car info said that the Midget D-Type has specs that could put supercars to shame.. When you actually PLAY through the game, you'll learn about each car's strengths and weaknesses. I became a Mini Cooper fan by racing the Works Car in a GT2 Super License Test with Tahiti Road. Many will just want to play through the game (maybe cheat) and not get to know the car world courtesy of GT. To me, that's not learning about cars and ultimately, not appreciating the game. Now when I first seen this thread's title, I thought someone would come into this thread and post something like:

Im glad for you John because i grew up loving F-bodies too! Now that I own one, every time I see my car it always puts a smile on my face(exept when i lock my keys in my car!). But yeah people don't appreciate the REST of the cars in the game, but mostly focus on the Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porchea...there are alot cars that are more fun to drive even if it HAS less horsepower and what not. In GT1 the skyline was my favorite car and was through GT2 just becuase it could outhandle most cars with a good amout of power, but now i love driving slower cars to get a little taste of everything...Keep your mind open, you might like it.

 

[GTurtle]

Funnily enough, GT4 has made me learn about and like the tracks a whole lot more, moreso than the cars.

I also love how they've included a lot of really awesome race cars in this iteration (moreso than 3). In 3 I would have seen the gt-one, r390 GT1 and say....well those are great but there aren't many more of those. But now in 4, there's plenty like the 807, r92cp, minolta, pescarolo cars, speed 8, etc.

Makes for a whole lotta fun.

 

[JohnBM01]

Rather than exotics, let's not forget all the classic cars, Dakar racers, trucks... I think GT4 went all out. It was a bit disappointing to not have the SRT-10 Dodge Ram. I'll take the Hemi Ram, but the SRT10 would have been killer for the Sport Truck races. Or if you don't want players to get the truck right away, it can be a prize machine for you to win that is Not For Sale or hidden.

Australian cars are perhaps some of the coolest machines in the world. To me, they are like the ultimate sleepers. They don't look too intimidating on the outside, but inside, I have yet to see an Australian car in a GT game that has less than 300 horsepower. I think Australia is pretty unique. That FPV GT is a pretty nice car with a nicer roar. I may go and buy that Tickford V8 Supercar while I'm testing out my Nissan R92CP. With all due respect to the Panoz Esperante GT1, those less powerful Esperantes would be nice to maybe see in a game. It never won Le Mans, but the LMP Roadster that Panoz used would be a nice addition to a future GT game. For now, it's about the only front-engined LMP sportscar I've ever seen. The front engine placement means that you'll get a better grip of the road (just ask the stump-pulling, torque crazy Dodge Viper), and this is about the only car that took the fight to the Audi R8s.

I try to respect domestic (for me, America) and foreign cars as much as I can. After all, a car is a car is a car. Anything from a Mitusbishi i Concept all the way up to the outlandish Nike One are fine with me. Maybe with an open heart, I am able to accept any car, no matter if it's a small car that handles like a go-kart, an outrageous and flamboyant tuner car, a nitro-burning American beast, or anything like that, my heart is open. GT has exposed me to the world of cars if magazines and Speed Channel haven't done that enough.

 

[GTurtle]

For the record, the FPV F6 Typhoon had a lot of clutch problems (pointed out in various reviews in Australian newspapers and magazines).

 

[Max_DC]

Gran Turismo introduced me into the world of japanese sports cars... today I drive Subaru Impreza WRX STi, also a Civic Type R is in my family... more to come... thanks GT...

 

[GuyNamedJohn]

Re., people's appreciation for the slower (stock) cars: Yeah, you really have to immerse yourself in them first, to ever feel the road, the suspension, other nuances. By definition, a highly racing-tuned car is just less friendly, gives a more jarring ride, and has the hard-tuned suspension. For fun, you just can't beat stock! 👍

For real?

'Ep. For realzies. A doctor owned it. <shrug>

I never really liked the looks of the 3000GT though, only ever once saw one irl, just like toyota supra (which was awful to drive in the first GT).

omg, R U forking kidding me!!! The Supra could be super-modded out with turbos all the way up 2 (I B leev) Stage 4, which would put it very nearly at 14,000 HP. j/k It's just one of the tuff 2 handle high-powered FR cars, is all, U have 2 tame it!

Ok, E nuff chat speek it's going 2 my HED.

TVR is also a brand I never would have heard of if it wasn't for GT. I nearly got a seizure when I was watching that movie swordfish and I was like OMG A TVR SPEED 12??? The people around me in the movie theatre didn't quite share my enthusiasm.

lol.. I thought that was a Speed 6, myself. But who's countin'.

Gran Turismo. Learning tool (no info on cars in GT4, but that's okay). Car culture family member. What more could you want?

Well John you named it, ol' son: The immersive and educational aspects of the game ARE hurt by the new dearth of car information; IMO, that's decidedly NOT "okay." Guess I'll have to get one of them $17.00 "guides" just to complement the game, eh?

John

 

[Akina Racer]

If it weren't for GT and maybe Initial D I wouldn't have bought my R33.

 

[exhorst]

For the record, the FPV F6 Typhoon had a lot of clutch problems (pointed out in various reviews in Australian newspapers and magazines).

yeah FPV put a completely new clutch in it and it is all good now. it is an awesome car 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍
has one of the nicest engine sounds in the game i think
here ive got a photo of the new VZ Holden Monaro ( )for you all to look at from my website:
http://thecarshed.250free.com/munro_m.JPG

 

[daan]

Here's a little story about the FTO.

I got GT1 and found this nice coupe from Mitsubishi called the FTO. Bought one, drove it, loved it. I hadn't seen one in real life, didn't even know it existed. You could only get them in Japan. After GT had been out for a while, I then started seeing FTOs on the road. People were importing them from Japan. All because of GT.

As the cars were imported, Mitsubishi UK didn't want anything to do with them at first. You had to get them serviced at specialist Japanese import places. Then Mitsubishi UK relented and allowed their dealers to service them. All because of GT2.

Mitsubishi UK then officially imported them. You could walk into a dealer and buy a new FTO with a full Mitsubishi warranty. All because of GT3.

 

[magneticman]

Without GT4 I wouldn't even have known that Australian car manufacturers existed, like Holden and FPV.... Haha, seriously.



Because of GT1 I also started to like Skylines, when I first got the game it just looked like another sedan to me, but after playing it for hours with that car (fastest in the game, in my hands anyway) I learned to appreciate the looks of the car. The R34 in GT2 was even better looking to me. (unfortunately Nissan screwed up with the latest generation of Skylines, the non GTR-VspecII ones).

there have always been two brands of skylines, the GT-R (grovel) and the standard one, they just share their name, the new non GT-R skyline is not the successor (sp?) to the R34...

And yes because of the GT, i lurrve the skyline GT-R...

 

[gsavill90]

I think that says a lot. Thank you, Kazunori Yamauchi, for bringing your infectious love of the automobile to an entire new generation of people, both young and old!
-GNJ-

Well said

 

[punkrkr27]

I've been a huge car geek for a long time, and I pretty much knew about most of the cars in the GT series already. Being a car geek is waht really got me into the GT series. Seeing as how I can't afford most of these cars, an R34 GT-R will run you nearly 100 grand in the US even used, this was the closest I could ever get to driving these cars.

there have always been two brands of skylines, the GT-R (grovel) and the standard one, they just share their name, the new non GT-R skyline is not the successor (sp?) to the R34...

And yes because of the GT, i lurrve the skyline GT-R...

The next version version of the Skyline GT-R will be based off of the next version of the 350Z/G35 platform. It is currently being developed. Lotus is helping to develop the chassis and the engine will be a Cosworth designed V-8. It's expected to have around 425hp. And yes, it will look very similar to the Infiniti G35 (which is a Skyline in Japan)

http://www.edmunds.com/future/2007/infiniti/gtr/100486033/preview.html

 

[Jacks]

If it wasn't for GT1 getting me into cars i probably wouldn't be going to University at the end of this year to study motorsport engineering, it was GT1 that really got me into cars, and i was quite young, i like the idea KY has of making a GT game aimed at a younger audience to get them into cars. If it wasn't for the GT series i wouldn't be able to tell anyone who wants to know, the power and torque values, engine type and size, and drivetrain of almost any car i see, has anyone else found this??