The Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo is a futuristic, high-performance, gullwing supercar with just one problem: it doesn’t actually exist.
The good news is that while it will never hit the road, fans will be able to get behind the wheel from next month when the AMG Vision GT debuts in the new PlayStation 3 racing game Gran Turismo 6.
The virtual Mercedes-Benz AMG two-door sports car is the first of the game’s ‘Vision Gran Turismo’ series of vehicles, which has been created by some of the world’s leading car makers and design studios with the brief of designing a vehicle that gives “a unique insight into the further development of the automobile”.
While designed specifically for GT6, Mercedes’ Vision Gran Turismo may also inspire elements of the German manufacturer’s SLS AMG successor, which is confirmed to replace the soon-to-be-discontinued supercar in the second half of this decade.
Daimler AG design vice president Gorden Wagener says the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo “embodies the brand’s defining design philosophy of sensual purity in a unique way”.
“The design of this concept car reflects to extreme effect the perfect symbiosis between emotional, sensuous contours and intelligently presented high tech,” Wagener said.
With a wide, low-slung stance, the Vision GT boasts muscular wheel arches containing massive alloys wrapped in paper-thin tyres.
Its LED-filled diamond-effect grille blends modern styling debuted on the A-Class with a shape reminiscent of the legendary 1950s 300 SL racer.
‘Powered’ by the twin-turbocharged 430kW/800Nm 5.5-litre V8 engine from the E63 AMG and featuring an aluminium spaceframe body and carbonfibre components, Mercedes says the Vision GT weighs just 1385kg, giving the imaginary racer a power-to-weight ratio unrivalled in the super sports car class.
It also claims “excellent deceleration” from its fade-resistant AMG ceramic high-performance composite braking system and a powerful note from its sports exhaust system with eight tailpipes.
Though not visible in these images, Mercedes says the two-seat cabin is inspired by a Formula One cockpit, with information projected onto a glass screen in front of the driver’s eyes and jet-style rocker switches positioned on the dashboard in an overhead console.
The Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision GT will debut in Gran Turismo 6 when the game is released on December 6.
