The identities of the three new cars arriving with Gran Turismo 7’s September update have been officially confirmed, and it’s set to be a celebration of Japanese hot hatches old and new.
As indicated by Gran Turismo figurehead and creator Kazunori Yamauchi, and reported on by Traxion.GG on the 23rd of September, the three cars are the FL5 Honda Civic Type R, the SEMA award-winning Garage RCR Honda Civic and a racing version of the latest edition of the Mazda 3.
We’ve outlined more details below.
Garage RCR Civic
This highly modified Honda Civic completes the set as far as SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) award winners are concerned. During the glitzy car show, the ‘Gran Turismo Award’ is dished out to the finest car on display that particular year, as chosen by Kaz himself.
The car is then immortalised in-game, with Phil Robles’ (co-owner of the Garage RCR tuning shop)1992 Honda Civic EX now squaring the SEMA circle. (emphatically so, since the award was discontinued after 2018).
It features a sequential shifter and a high-revving, naturally aspirated two-litre K series engine (although a swap to turbocharging was mooted after its 2017 SEMA performance), plus an aggressive-looking Rocket Bunny/Pandem wide-stance body kit.
Honda Civic Type R 2022
Perhaps the most popular of the three new cars is the latest generation of the evergreen Honda Civic Type R.
It’s not as lithe as it used to be but the ‘FL5’ edition of the Type R still pushes the boundaries in terms of front-wheel-drive performance, driving more like a baby GT car than a family-friendly saloon – with a price tag to match. (£46,995 in the UK!)
Mazda 3 Gr.4
Coming from left field is this racing version of the Mazda 3 hatchback. The standard road-going version is already present and correct in GT7’s Brand Central, but this edition slots nicely into the Gr.4 racecar category, providing players with a new option for GT7’s regular Gr.4 Daily Races.
Undeniably an attractive-looking vehicle, the Mazda 3 will also appeal to motorsport enthusiasts – specifically fans of TCR championships like the TCR World Trophy (formerly WTCR and WTCC) – as Mazda cancelled its own 3-based TCR project in 2020. Shame.
This Gr.4 incarnation in GT7 looks remarkably similar to the biodiesel effort that competes in the ST-Q class of the Japanese Super Taikyu Series. That’s not included in the name of the vehicle, so we’ll have to test it on track tomorrow to see if there are any parallels.
Two further Cafe Extra Menu Books, which require the purchase or ownership of specific vehicles will also be added. One is themed around Porsches, the other Toyotas, meanwhile, further Nissan-related Scapes will be added.
Gran Turismo 7’s September Update will launch at 9am BST on the 28th of September, with GT7 servers going down for maintenance at 7am.
Which car in GT7’s September Update is your pick of the bunch? Let us know in the comments below.
