Our 10 Favourite Vision Gran Turismo Cars

Okay, we know Vision Gran Turismo cars aren’t the most popular thing with the series’ community, but we think they can be pretty cool. After all, if a manufacturer is going to make a concept car anyway, why not make something we actually use in a game?

It’s that sort of thinking that seems to have captured the imagination of many car manufacturers and even a few brands beyond that. From Skoda to Ferrari, to Bugatti and to… watchmaker Bvlgari? Yep, everyone wants a slice of the VGT pie.

With so many now in the game (by our count, 38 if we exclude variations), there are bound to be some pretty special ones. In no particular order, we’ve picked out our 10 favourites.

Suzuki VGT

It’s a wonder why Suzuki has never put a Hayabusa engine into a road car. Well, probably because of profit margins or something boring like that, but we’re pretty certain it could form the base of something truly special.

The idea has been teased before with the GSX-R/4 concept, but the brand’s Vision Gran Turismo takes that a step further.

Under the Swift Sport-inspired bodywork sits the 1340cc four-cylinder engine, paired up with three electric motors. Total output sits at 426bhp, in a car weighing 970kg. In-game, it’s a pretty fun thing to drive.

Honda Sports VGT

From one sub-tonne Japanese sports car to another. The Honda Sports VGT is pretty restrained as far as these concepts go, utilising a 404bhp turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but it’s a pretty tantalising thing as a result.

That gets sent to a four-wheel drive system, and all-in the car weighs just 899kg. It looks sleek too – like a more grown-up version of the S600 Kei car.

We’d be surprised for Honda to put anything like this into production now, given its shift towards electrification. Oh, how we would love that, though.

Ferrari VGT

You know Vision Gran Turismo is getting taken pretty seriously when even Ferrari is getting involved.

Unsurprisingly, its VGT is one of the more outlandish of them all. It’s said to have been inspired by 1960s and ‘70s prototype race cars, but it looks more ready to take on Le Mans in 2045 to our eyes.

Curiously, it’s said to be based around the same engine as the two-time Le Mans-winning 499P which isn’t yet in Gran Turismo. Unhinged from regulations though, that V6 is producing 1016bhp alone with an extra 322 coming from three electric motors.

Mazda LM55 VGT

Since the Mazda 787B won Le Mans in 1991, we haven’t seen the return of the rotary engine to top-class endurance racing. Mainly because rotaries were effectively banned from 1992 as regulations tried to align with F1’s engine rules.

The LM55 imagines a modern-day prototype with Wankel power though, and it’s quite the thing. Not only does it look cool, but it’s pretty mega in GT7 as well – use it for 950pp fuel-dependent races, and most are a breeze in our experience.

Chapparal 2X VGT

Two words. Laser. Propulsion.

Ok, the Chapparal looks ridiculous. It’s so unrealistic, and we’re really unsure how to feel about the driver being positioned like a motorcyclist and being made to wear a wingsuit.

But it’s propelled by lasers! Really, what more do we need to tell you?

Dodge SRT Tomahawk X VGT

While many manufacturers try to at least align their Vision Gran Turismo cars with product strategies and some semblance of reality, the Dodge SRT Tomahawk feels like someone said “lol why not just make it really fast?”

There are three variants of the Tomahawk, but it’s the X that’s the most ridiculous. Over 2000bhp comes from a naturally-aspirated Viper V10, somehow. That’s then supplemented with an extra 500bp from ‘pneumatic cylinders.’ Right.

Then there’s the obscene aerodynamics complete with plane-like rudder panels, and an absurd amount of active elements which all deploy to look like some kind of mating call when you come to an instant stop from 404mph. We look forward to this trickling down into the next Avenger.

McLaren Ultimate VGT

Some Vision Gran Turismos remain just a virtual concept car. Some get a real, static version made. Only one, though, has inspired a limited production run.

That’s the McLaren Ultimate VGT. In-game, it utilises McLaren’s familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and sees the driver positioned like they’re on a motorbike. Nothing particularly outlandish by VGT standards, really.

But it’s the real thing it inspired that makes us love it. The Judd V10-powered McLaren Solus GT carried over much of the Ultimate’s design intact, only positioning the driver in an actually usable position. What a cool thing.

Daihatsu Copen Racing Jacket VGT

Not every VGT has to be some ostentatious, unrealistic concept car. Take the Daihatsu Copen Racing Jacket which, as the funky name hints, is in effect a track version of the Copen.

The official bumph describes it as an ‘almost armour-like exterior which embodies the anticipation of racing victory’. We just say it looks very cool.

It still utilises a 660cc Kei-spec engine albeit with boost pressure cranked up to allow for 147bhp. With its track-focused lightening, it only weighs 600kg too. Now, when can we get a version for the road?

Bugatti VGT

Nobody has tried racing a modern Bugatti. We think that’s a shame really, given how much of the brand’s history lies within its exploits at Le Mans.

Had Bugatti had a crack though, we know what a prototype could’ve looked like. This was the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo, a W16-powered prototype designed solely to be stupidly fast at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

With 1650bhp from its W16 and bonkers aero, Bugatti says the car could hit 250mph around four bits of La Sarthe and hit 278mph if given enough space.

If you’re wondering “That looks an awful lot like a Bugatti Chiron”, well, you’d be sort of right. The VGT preceded the Chiron, giving us our first preview of the eventual production car.

Volkswagen GTI Roadster VGT

We suspect it wouldn’t have felt very VW for them to come out with a 2000bhp+ prototype plastered in aerodynamics. So we’re pretty glad it went (relatively) restrained with its series of GTI VGTs.

Our favourite of its pairing is the GTI Roadster. We quite like how much it looks like someone simply stretched a Golf GTI and cut the roof off in Photoshop, even if the driver’s helmet is questionably poking above the windscreen.

It’s pretty good fun to drive in GT7 too, with 503bhp delivered to an all-wheel drive system. Granted, with that setup, we are a little bamboozled as to why it wasn’t labelled an R.

Honourable mention: Nike ONE 2022

Long before Vision Gran Turismo was a thing, and even predating the Citroen GT which arguably started it all, there was the Nike ONE 2022.

Made especially for Gran Turismo 4, it was the first time a brand had made a concept just for Gran Turismo. That fact was even weirder given it was Nike.

It was meant to resemble a buggy crossed with a Nike shoe, offering a theoretical top speed of 230mph – locked behind the driver having to be at their physical peak. Oh, if only some kind of sportswear brand could sell you gear to help achieve that. It may explain why in-game it could only hit 160mph – our virtual selves didn’t exercise often.

2022 was its stated production year. We’re now in 2025 though, and no closer to the ONE being a reality. Come on, Nike, we’re waiting.