Virtual meets reality.
One of the most popular racing video games is Gran Turismo for the Sony Play Station platform. It’s so popular that automakers have created unique design concepts specifically for the video game, and now Bugatti is getting into the game with their new Vision Gran Turismo.
Developed in cooperation with Polyphony Digital Inc., the new Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo takes state-of-the-art motorsport technology and blends it with the brand’s historic racing successes. Designers worked alongside engineers to ensure to ensure that the design was also functional, leading many to believe that it is a preview for the brand’s upcoming Veyron replacement. The virtual car will also be built and showcased as a design concept as well.
“The Bugatti design team normally works only for the exclusive and very distinguished circle of the brand’s customers. Now Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo has given us the opportunity, for the first time, to do something special for our fans as well,” said Achim Anscheidt, Head of Bugatti Design. “When the target group suddenly grows from 450 Veyron owners to several million fans, gamers and high performance aficionados, it is a very exciting matter. We had a lot of fun with this project.”
The new Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo keeps with the brand’s values of ‘Art, Forme, Technique’ with every aspect having a specific function.
“In the Bugatti Veyron, we have developed a super sports car which unites two characteristics, the beauty and the beast,” said Anscheidt. “The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo embodies the performance beast. It has a more radical and extreme style. This is a thorough-bred Bugatti for the virtual race track, not for the street.”
The inspiration for the design comes from the Type 57 Tank that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 and 1939. The classic horse shoe grille is proudly on display at the front of the concept while a traditional Bugatti line runs the length of the car. The central air intake features a three-dimensional look between the eight-eye headlights.
The central fin that was originally worn by the 57 Atlantic in 1936 makes an appearance on the Vision Gran Turismo. On the front and rear fenders are two wings while another runs the length of the concept on the roof similar to modern-day Le Mans prototype racers for better stability. Atop the roof also sits a NACA air intake to help cool the engine and other components.
“This is an uncompromising race car,” emphasized Etienne Salome, the Head of Interior Design at Bugatti. The interior is designed to meet racing requirements. All indicators, displays and controls are located where a race-car driver expects them – easy to read and easy to reach.
“We wanted to develop a virtual race car for our fans which is a genuine Bugatti down to the last detail and radiates the unrestricted values of the brand,” the designers said. “We hope that the gamers will have just as much fun racing the car as we did in developing it.”
The new Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo will be on display in the flesh from September 17th to 27th at the Bugatti exhibit in Hall 3 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Gallery
Source: Bugatti
Do you like the design of the new Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo?
