Grand Turismo fans will have the chance to be a part of history Thursday as the camouflaged Corvette C7 Test Prototype will available for download in the PlayStation 3 video game Gran Turismo 5. The new download comes thanks to a long partnership between Chevrolet and Sony Computer Entertainment America.
General Motors President Mark Russ teased the download at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday as well.
"Starting today, everyone can drive a camouflaged Corvette test vehicle, on Sony PlayStation's Gran Turismo 5," said Russ at the event. "This is the first time the game's designers have worked with a car manufacturer to deliver an authentic driving experience before a car even gets to production. It's a great opportunity for customers, enthusiasts and gamers alike.
Chevy made the offical announcement in a company press release.
The car company and the award-winning developers at Polyphony Digital came together to give fans of the video game the most realistic and authentic driving experience for the seventh-generation Corvette vehicle. The actual vehicle is only available to less than 20 people in the world.
"Gran Turismo has had many firsts and we're excited to partner with Chevrolet for yet another - bringing the first-ever Chevrolet prototype vehicle into a racing game," said Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Polyphony Digital, Inc in the press release. "As car enthusiasts, we're thrilled to give fans this extraordinary level of access to the seventh generation Corvette that otherwise would not be possible."
Polyphony Digital worked with Chevy to make sure even the smallest details in the camouflage design would appear in the video game version of the car. The driving features and capabilities in the real car are currently being tweaked by designers to make sure the C7 is ready for its Jan. 13 release.
The previous six versions of the vehicle have been made available on past Gran Turismo games since first being introduced in 1997. The download will be available through the PlayStation Store for no charge. The game utilizes some of the best racing tracks around the world as well and also allows fans to create their own vehicle.
"Until now, only the most skilled drivers on the Corvette team have been authorized to push the test prototypes to the limits on some of the most challenging track surfaces in the world," said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Global Marketing in the press release. "Through this unique collaboration with Gran Turismo, Chevrolet is able, for the first time, to give performance car enthusiasts access to such an exclusive driving experience."
The Gran Turismo video game series is one of the bestselling video game series of all-time, having sold over 67 million units since first being introduced. The series is the top selling PlayStation franchise overall as well.
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