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Ferrari makes its stride towards Gran Turismo with its first-ever Ferrari concept car created specifically for the world of virtual motor sport. For the uninitiated, the Gran Turismo is a series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital for the PlayStation systems that has garnered a surge of popularity for its vivid graphics, attention to vehicle detail, realistic driving physics emulation, and the ability to tune performance accurately, hence the subtitle “The Real Driving Simulator”.

The Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo’s design has its roots firmly placed in Maranello’s unparalleled racing tradition, with the number 75 embedded on its flanks to reflect the noble heritage of Ferrari. The launch of the virtual GT model carries its significance in twofold. Firstly, it marks an important step for Ferrari in the virtual environment where it seeks to inspire new generations of passionate drivers and enthusiasts via simulated racing. And secondly, it represents a futuristic design manifesto for Ferrari’s road and racing cars, exploiting the cyberspace to showcase its limitless expression of formal beauty and innovation, providing a stimulus for both the engineers and drivers of tomorrow.

The master design of the Ferrari Vision GT was penned by Ferrari Centro Stile under the direction of Flavio Manzoni, where he took inspiration directly from the legendary 1960 and 1970’s Ferrari Sports Prototypes which have seen their success in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Under the (virtual) hood, the electronic vehicle sports the same 120-degree 3-litre turbo V6 architecture adopted on the 296 GTB, 296 GTS and 296 GT3 that also powers the new 499P. In this particular configuration, the engine is tuned to deliver a whopping 1030 cv at 9000 rpm, with an additional 240 kW (325 cv) available from the three electric motors placed on the rear axle and one on each of the front wheels. Ferrari worked closely with Gran Turismo to ensure that the exhilarating roar of the engine is faithfully reproduced to provide SIM racers with an even more thrilling racing experience.

The outline was conceived around the idea of a speed form with very geometric, sharp, angular lines that coats a very organic shape. The bodyshell appears as if suspended over the flat, highlighting a carbon-fibre underbody which incorporates all the car’s technical components and bestowing its shape with a degree of purity.

The chassis is designed to emphasise the car’s lateral dynamics in on-the-limit handling. The powertrain layout guarantees an optimal front-rear weight balance and an extremely low centre of gravity to the benefit of the AWD. The elasto-kinematic suspension set-up was developed around the performance characteristics of the tyres used in Gran Turismo together with the car’s aerodynamic balance, with the aim being to guarantee a superlative performance on both torturously winding city circuits and traditional endurance race tracks.

The suspension is also designed to maintain the tyre contact patch to ensure maximum traction, enabling the Ferrari Vision GT to handle the 1100 Nm of rear torque from the combined ICE and MGU-K. The result is a cutting-edge electronic vehicle with unrivalled cornering agility and handling balance that Ferrari’s road and racing cars have long been renowned for. The in-game experience is thus designed to replicate Ferrari’s in-car driving performance and excitement, conveying a realistic stimulation of the limits achievable by the car’s performance.

The Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo will become available to all users of GT7 from the 23rd of December 2022. The full-scale design study is also set to make its first public appearance at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, where it will be displayed alongside the current exhibition dedicated to the marque’s exclusive one-off models from the 15th of December until March 2023.

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