While most people are settling in with the latest generation of gaming consoles, Gran Turismo 6 and its tenacious user base still keep the Playstation 3s chugging along. This is mainly due to the fact that the venerated racing simulator is still the best way to get up close and personal with some of the most exciting race cars on the track today, including Nissan’s new GT-R LM car.
With just a few weeks until the car’s debut at the famed 24 of Le Mans, the unique front-wheel drive LMP1 can be added to your garage for free- no actual or in-game money required.
It’ll take a bit of effort to get it though, as seasoned Gran Turismo Players will be used to. TO acquire the car, players need to select the 2015 GT Academy special event and get bronze or better in four race events. Once you’ve set a time around the Circuit de la Sarthe in the last event, the GT-R LM is yours to play with forever.
This is a great opportunity to get a feel for a race car that motorsport fans are eager to see prove itself, due to its unique layout. Traditionally, cars of this racing category tend to be either rear or all-wheel drive, but Nissan opted for a front-engined, front-wheel drive arrangement, which they believe will give them an edge during the legendary endurance race.
For starters, the putting the 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder engine up front with the driving wheels gave Nissan some more leeway in the car’s aerodynamic design. This approach netted the GT-R LM the fastest overall time through the speed trap during the test day held last Sunday. They also believe this setup will be more fuel efficient, which is a key factor in endurance racing.
Nissan and Gran Turismo have a storied history. For one, Polyphony Digital, makers of the series, designed the GUI of Nissan’s GT-R sports car: All the menus in the car are nearly identical to the ones in the game. Secondly, the GT Academy, which takes players into the game and puts the best drivers into actual race cars, is the source of the GT-R LM’s driver line-up. Yup, three of the drivers in Le Mans started out just being really, really good at a video game. Yet another reason to log on and get racing.
