Pixel perfect
The Age
Saturday July 4, 2009
MAKING the leap from real life into a computer game is a well-driven path for many a car but it's rare to see a "virtual" car jump from computer screen into your driveway.Not that the car pictured left - dubbed the "GT by Citroen" - will grace too many driveways but Citroen is reportedly considering a run of 20 of the highly unusual supercars. This weekend a real one makes its track debut, taking a spin on the famed uphill course at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Britain.The GT concept was originally penned as a joint project between Citroen and Polyphony, the designer of driving simulator game Gran Turismo 5.To promote the game, Citroen built a one-off version of the car and featured it on its stand at last year's Paris motor show.The aerodynamic design, created for computer aficionados presumably without reference to real-world use, includes some of the wildest design elements ever seen on a supercar. It features wide frontal air intakes, an ultra low-profile wraparound windscreen, gullwing doors and a mobile spoiler and rear diffuser operation at the rear.Inside, it's also a story of the sort of futuristic indulgence that looks great in computer games but costs plenty to bring to real-world production.The two seats adopt low-slung positions in a sleek cabin that features premium, high-tech materials.All of these elements were present on the concept vehicle seen in Paris but should the green light be given for the car's production, it remains to be seen just what will be retained as practical or performance-enhancing and what will be deemed fanciful and superfluous.Latest speculation is that the drivetrain nominated for the computer game - an electric drivetrain powered by a zero-emission fuel cell - could make way for a high-performance V8 engine that certainly could not match its digital forebear for environmental credibility. -- STEVE COLQUHOUNFor more on the GT by Citroen, go to drive.com.au/citroen
© 2009 The Age
