Renault has become the latest manufacturer to reveal its Vision Gran Turismo concept car. The Alpine concept, which is powered by a 4.5-litre mid-mounted V8 engine, is the latest in a long line of digitally realised racers.
Concept cars from the likes of Aston Martin, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Toyota have all been created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo racing series. The series' creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, invited 28 manufacturers to create their dream two-seat sports car for the latest iteration of the game in 2013.
While some of the concepts in the gallery above are pure flights of fancy, others have a basis firmly rooted in reality. Mercedes' AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept offered a strong look at the AMG GT, while BMW's Vision Gran Turismo gave us clues as to the look of the M235i Racing. Meanwhile, Toyota's racing FT-1 continues to intrigue those looking for a modern-day successor to the Supra.
Arguably, the strongest collaboration between digital and reality came with Nissan's 2020 Vision Gran Turismo concept, which made its debut at last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Hinting that the model could inform the next GT-R, design manager Darryl Scriven told Autocar at the Festival of Speed that clues from the concept would "hint towards 2020" and that "the volumes and nuances here are something you will see in the future".
The Goodwood event also saw the unveiling of Aston Martin's DP100 - which featured a 'virtual' 800bhp V12 powertrain, as well as a second outing for Volkswagen's 496bhp Golf GTI Roadster concept.
Other concepts include Subaru's Viziv GT, which draws inspiration from 2014's Viziv concept and weighs a virtual 1380kg. It features a hybrid powertrain developing a combined 583bhp. Mazda's LM55, meanwhile, is the product of the company setting its sights on winning the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance event. The car's look is inspired by the 787B, which took overall victory in the 1991 race.
Infiniti's entry, simply called Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo, is described as being "part beautiful and part beast", with the manufacturer saying it wants to take the design "to a real race one day". Power comes from a 4.5-litre V8 engine working in combination with an electric motor.
One of the more curious designs in the series is the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X, which has been conceived as part of the 'Garage 56' experimental entry for Le Mans. Drivers lie face down in the concept, with physical inputs from both hand and foot controls changing the direction and speed of the car.
Upcoming cars still to be revealed come from the likes of Lamborghini, Zagato, SRT and Peugeot. Like the majority of the models revealed so far, the digital creations should be joined by real-life scale models.
See pictures of all the Vision Gran Turismo cars in the gallery above, and let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
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