Virtually Stunning: Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV
The specs sounds wild, but most importantly, the electric Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV concept looks wicked.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit something. When I see manufacturers release “concepts” for video games? I’m generally of two minds.
The half-full side of my brain laments the fact that we’ll never get to see one of these on a plinth at an auto show, or eventually, even rolling down the street. But as someone who loves Gran Turismo — and who somehow managed to not rage-suicide while attempting to beat Willow Springs on expert level — I do appreciate the opportunity to virtually “drive” some of these digital creations.
Which brings us to the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV concept, which is coming to the beloved racing game next year. This is an all-electric beast, which Jaguar says is powered by a quartet of electric motors good for a whopping 1,900 horsepower. All that poke will allow the car to hit 60 in a quick-as-a-wink 1.65 seconds, and top out at over 250 mph. No estimated range is listed.
Obviously, since this is a car designed for a video game, and not the real world, those stats have all the practical relevance of saying that my Dungeons & Dragons character can harness the power of black magic and slay a battalion of orcs with her mind. That said, the aerodynamic stats are a little more interesting, because computer simulations are often used to test vehicles, so I feel these have a little more basis in reality.
According to Jaguar, the Vision Gran Turismo SV has a drag coefficient of 0.398 Cd, which is pretty slippery, though it still manages to create 1,000 pounds of downforce at 200 mph. That means it should make for interesting handling characteristics on some of the game’s more high-speed sections, and I’m looking forward to testing it out personally.
While this machine looks more circuit board that circuit racer in many ways, it’s still unmistakably a Jaguar, and while we’ll never see a full-scale, operational example, future Jaguars will likely incorporate some of the styling cues. The most obvious candidate, of course, would be in an all-electric complement to the F-Type. Perhaps it could be called a G-Type? That’s a tough-sounding name, and maybe Coventry could even get Snoop Dog to help with the hype.
All kidding aside, gamers will get to experience the Vision Gran Turismo on the new PlayStation 5 early next year. So expect a full review after myself or another of the editors here gets some wheel time with this virtual beast.
Photos: Jaguar Forums