It’s Gran Turismo 7 update day, but instead of using one of v1.34’s new cars Polyphony Digital has gone left-field and presented us with another taxing Lap Time Challenge to match last week’s Super Formula cars at Autopolis combo.
This time we’re presented with the Streets of Willow Springs’ Reverse layout alongside the funky GReddy Fugu Z. It’s a car notable for its connection to ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise actor Sung-Ho Kang, who employed tuning company GReddy to completely overhaul a Nissan Fairlady Z (known as a Datsun 240Z outside Japan) to his personal tastes.
As a result, the car was fitted with a modern 2.6l RB26DETT motor from a Nissan Skyline GT-R (minus the turbocharging), and underwent a complete body transformation in the form of a full Rocket Bunny bodykit. Thanks to its distinctive looks and character, the car won the ‘Gran Turismo Best in Show’ award at the 2015 SEMA show (Specialty Equipment Market Association).
As is tradition, the winner of this award goes on to appear in the Gran Turismo franchise, with the Fugu Z first appearing in GT Sport. But why the name ‘Fugu’? Well, Fugu is a Japanese pufferfish dish, which, if incorrectly prepared by specially-trained chefs can lead to poisoning or even death.
Which seems appropriate for the Z given its vintage proportions and surplus of power. Dominic Toretto would naturally approve of such silliness. (“You don’t need grip when you got family” etc.)
The Streets of Willow Springs is an odd track. Located next to the spacious, high-speed and characterful Willow Springs International Raceway, the Streets of Willow Springs is a relatively low-speed and frustrating ribbon of asphalt to attack. Better known as a skid pan and filming location for car shows, the track is still used for testing and track days.
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