At this point, you’d think there wouldn’t be any more carmakers to design Vision Gran Turismo concepts in celebration of that hallowed racing game franchise’s 15th anniversary.
That is, unless you consider carmakers that haven’t actually built a car in decades.
The latest Vision Gran Turismo concept comes from Alpine, the Renault-owned brand that’s supposed to return next year with a new sports car after a long hiatus.
First, though, we have this sleek virtual concept car. It’s described as “an Alpine for the 21st century” and features a modern interpretation of classic racecar styling.
The fairing behind the driver’s seat looks like it was pulled off a Jaguar D-Type, and the hood over the passenger side (where the fuel tank appears to be) recalls old-school racing practices.
Of course, the rest of the car is thoroughly modern, and even borrows a bit from the well-received A110-50 concept in the form of those cool looking headlights.
The concept is powered by a 4.5-liter mid-mounted V8 that produces 450 horsepower and 427 pound-feet of torque. It appears similar to the Nissan-sourced unit used in the current Alpine A450 LMP2 racer.
With the power sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential gearbox, the Alpine Vision Gran Turismo is supposed to have a top speed close to 200 mph.
Like the other Vision Gran Turismo concepts, that performance will only be tested virtually. The car will be available for download in Gran Turismo 6 this March.
Expect the production Alpine sports car to show up sometime next year. The original plan was to develop it as a joint venture between Renault and Caterham, but after the British company backed out last year, Renault has been going it alone.
