These VGT concepts are an outstanding presence in the automotive world. They push boundaries with a totally blank-slate design remit. Anything is possible, and it is a savory treat for the design and engineering skunkworks in every car company.
Mazda’s entry is just-revealed and is called the LM55.
This is an LMP1 racer to be played and raced against the absolute quickest cars in the game — and in life.
It nods to the 1991 Le Mans LMP1-winning 787B racer — the only Japanese car to ever win the 24-hour race. Interesting themes throughout, and a body that (slightly) recalls the LMP2 class a bit more than the latest LMP1 cars.
Even so, stunning details throughout — including the closed-cockpit layout and almost a dozen exposed body panels for aero venting needs.
Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo
Dec 24, 2014
Introducing the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo with a Holiday Season Update
The “Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo” has been released on “Gran Turismo 6”, available exclusively on PlayStation®3, with a special holiday season update. In 1991, Mazda achieved an overall win at the famed Le Mans 24 hour race. This was the first victory ever for a rotary engine as well as for a Japanese car in this prestigious race. This racing car pays homage to the history, while combining the spirit of ambition and challenge for the future.
How to receive it
After the latest update has been installed, the car can be purchased from the [Vision GT] area within the [CARS] section in “My Home” (here, you can also find the car’s presentation movie). Alternatively, it is also possible to obtain the car by completing a lap (regardless of the lap time) in the new Seasonal Event, available only for a limited time.
About the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo
The Vision Gran Turismo project is the setting for the world’s best automakers to develop concept cars for motorsports fanatics. The Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo pushes the boundaries at the intersection of technology and design. This is not your traditional Mazda but a vision of the future with a healthy dose of respect for the past. It’s the product of setting your sights on outright victory at the world’s most demanding endurance race, the famed 24 Heures du Mans.
For the design of the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo, the Mazda Design team blended agility with elegance. Its dynamic silhouette is drawn with sensual forms inspired by Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy. Even the shape of the front grille is an interpretation of the Mazda signature front end developed for its production vehicles. The stance of the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo, reminiscent of the famed 787 B that took overall victory at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, is powerful yet graceful.
The Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo barely tips the scale with lightweight, carbon fiber components, including a monocoque chassis clad in striking atmospheric-white paint. Pair this with advanced drive train technology that offers the epitome of power, efficiency and durability and the result is an exceptional power to weight ratio exceeding that of most cars in its class.
The Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo is Mazda’s vision of the future born of their unrelenting challenger spirit.
About Vision Gran Turismo
Vision Gran Turismo is a project in which the world’s leading brands develop concept cars for Gran Turismo and its fans. Please look forward to more fantastic car models in line to be released in the near future!
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.