Kazunori Yamauchi has been at it again. The enigmatic head of Polyphony Digital – creators of the Gran Turismo series – has teased us with three silhouetted outlines of cars set to arrive in Gran Turismo 7’s June update next week.
Thanks to a bit of internet sleuthing the Traxion.GG team has had a stab at deciphering Kaz’s car-based puzzle, and we think June’s update will be a treat for rally fans of the Group A and WRC-spec eras, with two four-wheel-drive icons taking centre stage alongside an insanely fast hypercar.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI ‘04
The car at the top of Yamauchi’s picture is thought to be the 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Following on from Subaru’s 2000-spec Impreza – featuring the horrible ‘bug-eye’ headlights – the 2004 car is seen as a triumph of engineering, featuring a close-ratio gearbox and outstanding handling thanks to its trick four-wheel-drive systems.
Built to satisfy rally championship homologation rules, the WRX STI was built to perform over the toughest terrain at silly speeds thanks to its two-litre, flat-four boxer engine.
WRX STIs are well-represented in GT7 already, with the glorious ‘98 22B and the ‘99 WRX Type R STi Ver.VI both available in the game’s USed Cars dealership alongside the WRX STI Type S ‘14 in Brand Central.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III GSR
Another classic homologation special is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The biggest rival to Subaru in the ‘rally car for the road’ stakes, the Evo was a sensation on the rally stages throughout the nineties in the hands of laconic Finn Tommi Mäkinen.
This version – we believe to be the 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III GSR – last appeared in Gran Turismo 6 and is a firm fan favourite. (Who doesn’t love a nineties four-wheel-drive masterpiece, after all?)
The Evo produced a distinctive exhaust note despite its standard inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine and was felt to be more than a match for its Subaru counterpart at the time.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
From rally car to hypercar next, as the Aston Martin Valkyrie is the final car coming to GT7’s June update next week (pictured on the left of Yamauchi’s image).
The Valkyrie is a street-legal answer to the question “What if we let Adrian Newey design a road car with 1140bhp?” and boy, did he deliver.
With a 6.5-litre V12 engine mated to a 141bhp-producing electric motor, the Valkyrie revs all the way up to 10,000 rpm, with active aero containing all that shove by producing 1100kg of downforce.
It should prove a popular addition to GT7 players’ garages.
