It’s nearing the end of yet another month, and that means the now-customary new car teaser tweet from Gran Turismo 7 producer Kazunori Yamauchi.
This time, we see three cars under the cloak of darkness, one of which has been unveiled already, the second being VW’s electric monster and the third a sports car with a sunroof.
Volkswagen ID.R
The ID.R was built as a public relations exercise to showcase the German manufacturer’s rebirth following the Dieselgate saga. It was also a way of utilising the motorsport team after the company withdrew from projects such as the World Rally Championship and World Rallycross Championship.
It went to town, creating a purpose-built time trial beast, with two electric motors generating 680bhp and a swopping aerodynamic shape featuring a drag-reduction system, an upgrade after its first record.
The car was initially used to break the record at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in 2018, driven by Romain Dumas. The venue has an official association with Gran Turismo but is yet to appear in a Polyphony Digital-developed game since Gran Turismo 2.
A year later it was heavily modified and set a new marker for electric cars around the daunting Nürburgring Nordschleife, followed by the overall Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb – a venue that was last seen in Gran Turismo 6, however, it will be part of the upcoming Rennsport.
Still in 2019, a new livery was introduced, and Dumas flew up the Tianmen Mountain road in China. The ID.R was rolled out for one final time in 2020 when VW test driver Dieter Depping lapped the Bilster Berg circuit.
The EV prototype is in several virtual platforms already, such as Real Racing 3 and RaceRoom Racing Experience. He’s our very own John Munro trying to beat Dumas at the Green Hell.
Porsche Vision GT Spyder
One we already know about, and the second electric vehicle in this update, the chopped-top variant of the existing Porsche Vision GT will also make its debut.
This was revealed by Porsche’s social media channels three days ago (21st September), which is also why we know the update will land on Thursday 29th September.
A mystery sports coupe
The final car, on the right, looks to be a coupe with sporting pretensions, potentially of Japanese origins. All we know is, it’s got a sunroof. Very 1990s. Potentially a Nissan Silvia S14, maybe even reminiscent of a Toyota Soarer – we’ll know more very soon when the next Gran Turismo 7 update lands.
Image: Motorsport Images, Volkswagen ID.R Roman Dumas, Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019
