© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Reality, Virtually
There’s a new trend among many automakers that we really like — building real versions of virtual gaming cars. These are extreme examples of high-performance sports cars with standard design and engineering rules are thrown out the window. Designers get to have fun and we reap the benefits. The latest example is the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
For Bugatti Fans
“The Bugatti design team normally works only for the exclusive and very distinguished circle of the brand’s customers. Now Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo has given us the opportunity, for the first time, to do something special for our fans as well,” explains Achim Anscheidt, the head of Bugatti design.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Veyron on Steroids
Created for the popular PlayStation gaming franchise Gran Turismo, the Bugatti VGT looks like a Veyron on steroids. But it is much more than that. Bugatti designers wanted to pay homage to the brand’s legendary racing history while at the same time create something extremely modern.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Blue on Blue
Bugatti was quite successful on the racing circuits in the 1920s and 1930s. The Bugatti Type 57 Tank that was victorious at Le Mans in 1937 and 1939 provided the most inspiration for designers. The two-tone blue paint on the VGT matches that 1939 winning car.
© Bugatti Automobiles, SAS
Extreme Performance
The Bugatti Veyron was developed as a super sports car for the street; the VGT is purely about performance so it’s more extreme. Anscheidt points out that “This is a thorough-bred Bugatti for the virtual race track, not for the street.”
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Spirit of Le Mans
“Under no circumstances did we want to create a retro-style race car in memory of the successes in Le Mans, but rather to transfer the feeling and mood of these special moments in Bugatti’s history to a modern vehicle,” says Sasha Selipanov, the head of exterior design creative development.
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo17
W16 Engine
Like the Veyron, the Vision Gran Turismo is powered by a W16 engine, and while this car will never race at Le Mans in the real world, engineers have calculated that this extreme machine would exceed 250 mph on the 3.7-mile-long Mulsanne Straight.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Bugatti Shape in a Virtual World
The only place you’ll see the VGT will be in the virtual gaming world, but it was still important to designers that this unique sports car be recognizable as a Bugatti. The side view of the VGT carries the famous Bugatti shape, and up front is the expected horseshoe grille. The grille is flanked by eight-eye headlights that give the VGT an evil presence.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Aggressive Look
The center fin on the VGT is also a common Bugatti design element, first seen on the legendary Type 57 Atlantic in 1936. The large rear spoiler and quad exhaust pipes complete the aggressive look, and are likely what other virtual drivers will see most when racing against this beast.
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo16
Race-Ready
Designers went the extra mile on the VGT when creating the interior. “This is an uncompromising race car,” emphasizes Etienne Salome, the head of interior design at Bugatti. The interior design meets fundamental racing requirements. All indicators, displays and controls are located where a race-car driver expects them — easy to read and easy to reach.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Genuine Bugatti
“We wanted to develop a virtual race car for our fans, which is a genuine Bugatti down to the last detail and radiates the unrestricted values of the brand,” the designers note. “We hope that the gamers will have just as much fun racing the car as we did in developing it.”
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo
