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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spawns Real-Life Car

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Fri Oct 03, 2008 02:54 PM
from the and-i'm-sure-it-will-be-affordable dept.
Car Analogy Please writes to tell us that a new car unveiled at the Paris Auto Show was modeled after the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue car. GTbyCITROËN is the first car that has been designed in tandem with a video game to then spill out onto the actual pavement. "The GTbyCITROËN is the product of a partnership built up during the creation of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Takumi Yamamoto, from Citroen and Kazunori Yamauchi from Polyphony Digital Inc, the games developer were inspired by each others industries to design a concept car for the game that then flowed further into the real-world. The game version of the car mirrors the real-world performance of the concept."
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  • pretty cool (Score:5, Funny)

    by pak9rabid (1011935) on Friday October 03 2008, @03:00PM (#25250309)
    Now if only the gun industry would follow their lead and build me a hand-held railgun.
    • BFG 9000 FTW!

    • I would be happy with being able to buy a P90 or a Glock 18.

      • Short of full auto, the P90's pretty easily done. Get a PS90, and assuming you live in an NFA-friendly state you can pay the $200 tax stamp and cut down the barrel to the correct length.

        Pulling the trigger on a PS90 a bunch of times really fast doesn't really make the gun move off target.

        If you don't want to do the SBR conversion and still want it to look like it's out of a video game, attaching a fake can to it makes it look just like a suppressed version. That's how I have mine, since I live in a state

        • Can you get away with that? I thought creating a new restricted weapon required a special mfg licence and the tax transfer fee was just for existing weapons.

          • The NFA (National Firearms Act) has a number of different classifications, many of which are treated differently. One class of weapon isn't necessarily as restricted as another. The class of weapon which you're thinking of is machine guns. Those are restricted in absolutely the way you describe - since 1986, it's been illegal to build a new transferrable MG. They have to be purpose-built for law enforcement, military, or dealer sample purposes.

            However, a P90-length-barrel PS90 is a different class of

    • Dude, a handheld railgun [hackedgadgets.com] is so 2006...

      .
      Now, a multi-loaded rocket launcher - THAT could be fun!

  • Better pictures (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 03 2008, @03:04PM (#25250353)
    Better pictures [jalopnik.com].
    • from press release found at parents link:

      "In the game, the GTbyCITROÃN showcases CitroÃnâ(TM)s dedication to the environment with an electric drive train powered by a fuel cell, totally eliminating pollutant emissions."

      So they are worried about the virtual environment. gee, thanks, I always hated driving through virtual smog...

  • I want the nike (Score:5, Interesting)

    by philspear (1142299) on Friday October 03 2008, @03:06PM (#25250385)

    That's great, but call me when THIS car from gran turismo 4 is actually made (if it's not already)

    http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/top-Nike-ONE-Gran-Turismo.htm [seriouswheels.com]

    http://ac520.mygallery.biz/albums/gt4/Nike_One_2022_p03.jpg [mygallery.biz]

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      Not exactly the same, but the T-Rex [campagnamotors.com] has fairly similar looks.

      And of course, a body-heat powered vehicle (or whatever it was) is a really stupid idea IMO, even if the Nike One does look pretty cool. ;-)

    • The law requires all new cars to be nice and round and pedestrian-friendly at the front.

      This thing is all sharp and pointy so it would never get approved.

      • For street use, yes, but I'd be suprised if the car mentioned in the article were going to be made to sell. I didn't RTFA, so maybe I should be suprised already, but seems like just a concept car.

  • On a smaller scale (Score:4, Informative)

    by joeflies (529536) on Friday October 03 2008, @03:14PM (#25250471)

    Polyphony Digital has made the jump from video game to real world with the Nissan GT-R as well. The video game designer worked on the design of the driver gauges in the GT-R

    • When you see the interior it's obvious the same people did the GT-R's interior as did GT4/GT5.

      How fast could you drive one across Japan [bbc.co.uk]?

      Thanks to Canada's strict (i.e. insane) vehicle import laws the best we can do at the moment are early '90s R32 Skylines. Not my kind of vehicle anyway; I'll stick with my grey market Mitsubishi L300 Delica.

      ...laura

      • How fast could you drive one across Japan [bbc.co.uk]?

        Probably just as fast, if not faster than Jeremy Clarkson! As long as I knew there were no police around though. That guy has no shame, and I think something like 17 unpaid speeding tickets in Nevada. I've only ever been caught speeding one time, but ended up with a 3 month driving ban for it because of the speeds involved..

        It was sad, but funny too when Jeremy put his neck out driving the GT-R around a test track :) I mean he tends to do a lot of powersliding so he must have developed half-decent neck musc

      • Thanks to Canada's strict (i.e. insane) vehicle import laws the best we can do at the moment are early '90s R32 Skylines.

        Saywha? I've seen at least four or five GT-Rs driving around my neck of the woods. Heck, yesterday I drove past a Nissan test drive event that had a GT-R centerpiece. And no, they weren't letting people test drive it. :P

        • I know Nissan are bringing the GT-R to North America, including Canada, but I have yet to see one in real life. I see lots of older Skylines around town, and saw an S-Cargo van on my way home from work today. The GT-R is going to appeal to a very different sort of driver than an R32.

          I see from their web site [nissan.ca] that they're planning to bring the Cube in next year. Cool! Now if we could only persuade Mitsubishi to bring in the D:5 Delica we'd be all set. Same engine/chassis/driveline as the Outlander SUV, but

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      ITs more than just gauges. Its a complete tuning interface. G force acceleration, body roll, all kinds of fun telemetry in a production car.
    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Yeah we all know the Polyphony Digital guys are good at designing.

      But they should first try to code a decent and realistic physic engine before naming their game a "simulator".

      At the moment, the only thing it simulates is collecting cars, not driving them.

  • What next, cars from Speed Racer?

    (None of the cars from the movie actually work. The ones that aren't entirely CG don't have engines.)

  • How much? I want one!

    Ok, I can't afford it, whatever it costs, but I still want one!
  • by 427_ci_505 (1009677) on Friday October 03 2008, @03:54PM (#25250913)

    That actually looks pretty cool. Though TBH I don't see how much the video game aspect can help,
    since you could design whatever you want that looks cool in a game but have it not work in reality.

    But good publicity.

    • That actually looks pretty cool. Though TBH I don't see how much the video game aspect can help,
      since you could design whatever you want that looks cool in a game but have it not work in reality.

      A lot of video game designs would work perfectly well as vehicles.
      The problem is that the design cannot possibly be built on an assembly line.
      Further, no one is all that interested in spending the millions on R&D necessary to build a prototype.

      There are all kinds of companies that hand-build custom cars on top of existing chassis, but they are rarely a wild departure from the original design and usually cost several hundred thousand above and beyond the original price of the vehicle.

      • There are all kinds of companies that hand-build custom cars on top of existing chassis, but they are rarely a wild departure from the original design and usually cost several hundred thousand above and beyond the original price of the vehicle.

        Or, you could just design a kit yourself and probably get the panels made out of plastic/fibre-glass/wood/whatever for a few thousand.. if you're just interested in the looks at least.

    • that's like saying, i don't see how much pencil & paper can help, since you could draw whatever you want that looks cool on paper but have it not work in reality--design concepts are created by design artists, not engineers.

      most concept cars are designed to explore/show off design aesthetics. they show the direction an auto manufacturer is headed in in the future. they may employ general engineering concepts, but the detail technical aspects aren't dealt with until much later. it always starts with a co

  • No, It's Not (Score:4, Informative)

    by ovanklot (715633) on Friday October 03 2008, @03:57PM (#25250945)

    It's not a real-life car. It's a concept. Concepts are renders and at best life-size fiberglass models.

    Call me once it goes into production.

    • Concepts are renders and at best life-size fiberglass models.

      Several companies make working concept cars. Some concepts are just models like you say, but 'at best' the concepts are actually fully working race cars - see the Mazda Furai [youtube.com] if you don't believe me ;) That video is worth watching just to hear the crazy rotary engine!

      • I would guess that it never went into production. It was fun so it is too bad they still don't put it in the games.

        The crossfire has a similar look doesn't it?

  • by fgaliegue (1137441) on Friday October 03 2008, @04:50PM (#25251419)

    Yeah, I'm French, but I really have no respect at all for the French auto industry.

    It's plain and simple: for the last 10 years, any car produced in France has been (s)crap. Nothing else. US don't laugh, you're even worse (apart from the Corvette C6).

    The French auto industry can't make a decent engine, except when partnering with other manufacturers (Ford for Diesel engines, BMW for petrol engines, since we talk about PSA here - for Renault, see Nissan) and have managed to increase the average weight of their vehicles by 40% (a 207 CC weighs as much as a full blown BMW 330i, damnit!), all this while turning the driving experience from "fun" (Peugeot 106 Rallye; CitroÃn Saxo VTS; Renault Clio Williams) to "dull" (Peugeot 207 RC; CitroÃn? Hah! Renault is the exception here: Megane and Clio "RS Team").

    The only thing the French industry can provide excitement about today is concept cars, and WRC victories (which they don't even take advantage of to make an appealing road legal derivative - unlike Subaru, Mitsubishi, and even Ford, damnit!). Don't expect a CitroÃn like that on the roads in the foreseeable future. If ever.

    • You have to be joking. I would *kill* for a C6, if I wasn't the next closest thing to a pacifist. That thing beats the 750 hands-down

      • If you're talking about the BMW 750i vs any C6, just one thing: go to a showroom and just get into the car. Guess which one feels better just being at the wheel.

        And don't get me started on the engines. If you were to compare the most powerful C6 to the 7 series, then the 730i would be the one to compare it to. And the one with the better performance AND the better mileage would not be the C6.

        Pitiful, really.

        • You're on crack. The 750i (new F01) is 407hp@5500-6400, the stock C6 is 430hp@5900 so yeah I would say the C6 is completely comparable to the 750i. Price wise you can get a Z06 for about what a 750i costs and that does 505hp@6300. The standard C6 gets 16/26 mileage vs 17/25 for the 750i, so I'd call it a draw. At the high end compare the ZR1 with a 650HP 6.2L engine to the 760i with a paltry 438HP from a 6.0L engine!
          • He's not on crack. You are missing the fact that the C6 will have a completely different engine range for the US - or is there just one engine for the US version as you seem to be suggesting?

            The largest engine you can get in a C6 here in the UK - and therefore likely to be same for the rest of Europe - is a 3 litre V6, which has 215HP (you're probably giggling around now, right?). So the 730i would indeed be the more accurate comparison.

            • Huh? Both the 2009 ZR1 and 2008 Z06 are available in the UK, perhaps your local dealership doesn't have one but they are for sale in the UK from what I can find on the net. Both are outfitted with their US engines.
          • I think r_jensen11 was talking about the CitroÃn C6, not the Corvette C6.

        • So the 7 series is better how? Not that you can even compare the two. The Vette makes more power, and gets 30mpg+ highway.

          If you want to compare the 7 series, let's bust out the new CTS-V.
        • Power isn't everything. The BMW needs a lot of power because you're constantly slowing down for corners - its handling and ride quality are *abysmal*. I don't know what it is about German car manufacturers, but it seems that the next thing they do after fitting an engine larger than two litres is replace the suspension springs with concrete blocks.

          The C6, on the other hand, has Citroen's world-reknowned oleopneumatic suspension. It's a shame they didn't retain the fully-powered braking system from the ea

          • > Power isn't everything. The BMW needs a lot of power because you're constantly slowing down for corners - its handling and ride quality are *abysmal*

            Bwaahaha*hrm*.

            Sorry, but having had an E46 330d at the time, I can only laugh at that statement. There was just no car to compare it to at the time, and certainly not from France. The C5 felt sloppy compared to it. And no, the 330d didn't ride as a plank.

            I now own an Opel Speedster Turbo, but it's because I don't drive 40k miles a yeat anymore, only 4k, if

    • Being an avid Peugeot 205 Rallye & GTI fan, I feel a bit sad I have to agree... The time French cars where fun to drive has been lost since the 6 series (had a 206 GTI aswell, which was alright but not nearly as good as the 205 GTI). Never liked Renaults at all, except for the Renault 5 GT Alpine (which I never had btw).

      But anyway, it's no different with affordable cars from other manufacturers. For fun cars you now have to go up on class of cars, to the 200+ bhp models (which PSA doesn't have and Renau

      • If you are really into driving, PS3 is the only answer.

        err.... if you are really into driving, the PC is the only answer.
        Logitech is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to some of the stuff out there...

        Stuff like:
        http://www.act-labs.com/race_combo3.htm [act-labs.com]

        Although seriously, if you are REALLY into driving shell out for a track day at a local track with an in-car instructor. Games don't hold a candle to the real thing...

        • That race combo thing doesn't sound any better than the Logitech G25? Yes, I have one and a PS3. Works great using a Soundrocker chair as a driving seat :)

          GT5 is pretty challenging in 'professional' physics mode - there's a lot less grip than the standard physics. I wouldn't say everything about the pro mode is completely realistic though; the Elises I bought in game both oversteer far too readily (the Elise actually tends to understeer at the limit in real life, from what I've seen and heard on Top Gear, e

      • well at least the PS3 has Prologue. Polyphony Digital has decided to skip the PSP system completely. =[

        oh well, at least there's Test Drive, Race Driver 2006, and Asphalt Urban GT 2 (an unbelievably good racing title by Game Loft--a company previously known for making java games for cellphones)...

    • Yeah, its over-the-top and ugly. If you want to see a sports car done right (in my eyes) have a look at the Maserati Gran Turismo or Aston Martin DB9.

      The concept car is just too angular, busy, and masculine. They need to tone it down with some simplicity, grace, and feminine silkiness.

      • Depends what you like imho.
        I used to love citroen for their 'angular' approach, especially the XM and Xantia come to mind. They both resemble those early TGV's, I've always enjoyed that look above the more roundish speed-trains (eg. Shinkansen 0 series). Seems Citroen went the 'mainstream' roundish all-cars-look-the-same road after that, blending in with all the rest. Although they are trying to stand out again "lately" (C4 Coupé, C4 Gran Picasso), I hope they stick to it.

        FYI : I drove a Xantia T

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      that is the best-looking Citroen I have ever seen... it is still butt-ugly.

      I'm guessing you're from the US, home of such absolutely beautiful cars as the Chrysler 300 and the Ford Edsel.

      (Hey! You do NOT want to funnel air under the front tires! Duh!)

      You *do*, however, want to funnel air to the front brakes. Pretty much all the older big Cits (CX and XM in particular) had huge airscoops just under the front, for ducting lots and lots of cooling air to the front brakes. The actual discs, pads and caliper