Further forward in the month than has been the pattern, CEO of Gran Turismo 7 developer Polyphony Digital Kazunori Yamauchi has teased not three, but four new vehicles on the way to the ever-developing racing game.
So far, in the final week of each month, a new update is released which has added new vehicles, races and quality-of-life features. Preceding these drops by a matter of days, the series producer traditionally posts on Twitter a darkened image of three car silhouettes.
Today’s (16th October) post breaks that cycle, a week earlier than anticipated and features one additional vehicle outline.
“Update is coming next week,” said Yamauchi-san who also indicated the new content is arriving the week commencing 17th October, instead of the anticipated week commencing 24th October.
Maserati Merak
A curious sports car from the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Merak came from a time when the Italian manufacturer was owned by Citroën.
That meant it used a French five-speed manual gearbox, and also – when in 3.0-litre – the same engine as the Citroën SM. Hydraulic brakes are also featured.
The model was closely related to the Bora, too, which featured a V8. The body for both cars was near identical, although the Bora features a glass house at the rear, the Merak opting for a pair of flying buttresses instead.
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
Now, the GT3 version of Nissan’s time-worm GTR is already within Gran Turismo 7 in 2013-specification.
The outline here looks reminiscent, so what we’re hoping for is either one of the revised 2018-spec or 2020 EVO versions. They notably updated the headlights to match the road-going facelift models, alongside a revised aerodynamic package, uprated engine and enhanced driver assistance software.
The final livery and team that is included will not be revealed until closer to the update release.
Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R (KPGC110)
The second Nissan GT-R in this update, but it’s very different to the GT3 beast. This is the 2000GT-R, from the 1970s.
Based on the humdrum Skyline of the time, the GT-R threw in a 2-litre S20 engine and four-wheel disc brakes.
This is based on a later-generation Skyline than the 1970 KPGC10 2000GT-R that is already featured within the Legend Cars pavilion and is distinguished by its square-nosed face, two-door profile and long bonnet.
Mazda Roadster (MX-5) ND
Wait, ‘there’s already an ND generation MX-5 within Gran Turismo 7’, I hear you cry. You would be right, too.
But it’s the zesty little 1.5-litre engine. The more powerful 2.0-litre is so far absent, so this could very well be one with the larger motor. It could also be the retractable hard-top RF model too or one of the slew of special editions, such as the 100th Anniversary model depicted here.
The unique shut line between the front bumper and the bonnet/hood gives the game away in our opinion, especially combined with the short vehicle length and open-top appearance.
