Virtual reality became reality reality at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week as Nissan unveiled the physical version of its Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo “virtual supercar.” The futuristic concept will be available next month as an avatar in PlayStation Gran Turismo 6 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the driving game.
The 2020 Vision started life as a study model for young designers at Nissan Design Europe in London. Borrowing design cues from current Nissan supercars and adding a dash of the futuristic, the results were impressive enough to engage a Nissan engineering team in Japan to make the four-wheel drive chassis with active suspension more realistic. It was duly tweaked from an engineering point of view so that the aerodynamics would match the aesthetics.
The design was later adapted as an avatar for the Gran Turismo 6 video game along with models from 28 other car makers, who were invited to participate in filling the game’s virtual garage. Up to this point, the only versions of the Concept 2020 were digital, but now there’s a physical version sitting at Goodwood. Unfortunately this "real" concept is only for looking at, if you want to drive it you'll have to head back to the virtual reality of the Gran Turismo 6 game.
"This is in line with the Nissan philosophy," says Koji Nagano, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe. "In reality, not everyone would be able to own a car like Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, but through Gran Turismo anyone can drive it and experience Nissan's promise of delivering innovation that excites."
Source: Nissan
