Gran Turismo developer Polyphony Digital is at it again, with five new cars and other tidbits in Update 1.48, released on May 30. This time, there's nothing new and revolutionary in the lineup, but old-school enthusiasts are sure in for a connoisseur treat. Today, we're having a look at classics like the 1993 Honda Civic SiR II, the 2000 Honda NSX GT500, the 1987 Nissan Skyline GTS-R, the 1993 Volvo 240 SE Estate or station wagon, and the more recent 2013 Volvo V40 T5 R-Design.
One of the most exciting cars from the new lineup has to be the 1987 Nissan Skyline GTS-R, which can be purchased from the Used Cars menu. Upon its release, the 7th generation R31 Skyline came as a four-door hardtop, a sedan, and a good ol' station wagon, but come May of 1986, you could have opted for the more dashing two-door coupe.
Legend has it that Nissan only made 800 units of the '87 GTS-R nameplate. It was fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged RB20DET-R engine, producing 207 hp and 180 lb-ft or 146 Nm of torque.
If you're yearning for the "good ol' days" of the 1990s, you can find the Honda Civic SiR･II (EG) in the Used Cars section. In its heyday, you could have gone for the 3-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and the 5-door "Sports Civic."
Photo: Polyphony Digital
In addition to the 1.3- and 1.5-liter versions, there were also those equipped with the 1.6-liter SiR DOHC VTEC engine. In GT7, the top-of-the-line model produces 167.7 hp with 115.7 lb-ft (156.9 Nm) of torque and can reach a top speed of 142 mph or 228.5 kilometers per hour.
Next, we have the classic, family-friendly 1993 Volvo 240 SE Estate (station wagon). While some ache for the long-lost days of the 240 series, others thought to make the best out of it and equip it with a turbocharged V8 that produces 860 horsepower and can even defeat the mighty McLaren 570S Spider.
Another exciting item is the Honda NSX GT500, which you can purchase from the Legend Cars "shop." Previously featured in Gran Turismo 5 and GT6, the NSX has a 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated V6 engine that delivers 518 hp, meaning it was bred for the track and nothing less.
Lastly, we have a more modern approach to a Volvo, the V40 T5 R-Design hatchback. This version has a sportier feel than your average 120-152 hp base model, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that can produce 210 horsepower. The phrase, "they don't make'em like they used to" applies heavily here because they don't make them at all these days, since the series got axed back in 2019.
Photo: Polyphony Digital
However, ever since it was released, the T5 legacy kept marching forward, with an impressive, more powerful model arriving circa 2016 that upped that power to 242 horsepower and 258 lb-ft or 350 Nm of torque. In its prime, the T5 could hit 62 mph or 100 kph in just 6.3 seconds and had a top speed of 149 mph or 240 kph.
If you're lucky enough to own a PS VR2 unit, you can enjoy and cherish every adrenaline-filled second Gran Turismo 7 offers like you're inside the game, provided you don't suffer from vomit-inducing motion sickness.
While PlayStation has yet to announce (at the time of writing) a GT7 PC port, a recent discovery shows that Sony has applied for a PlayStation VR2 PC adapter certification, which could mean we'll soon be able to use the virtual reality headset on our computers. With any luck, after Gran Turismo 7 inevitably hits the mouse and keyboard platform, we'll be able to cherish it in VR with improved graphical fidelity.
Aside from these new entries, new World Circuits have also made an appearance, like the European Sunday Cup 400 - Kyoto Driving Park - Yamagiwa, Japanese FF Challenge 450 - Autopolis International Racing Course - Short Course, Japanese FR Challenge 450 - Autodrome Lago Maggiore - West, and World Touring Car 800 - Circuit de Sainte-Croix - A.
Now for the controversy report! When Gran Turismo's creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, posted the initial update teaser on X (ex-Twitter) a few days ago, some people wholeheartedly accepted the upcoming offerings and said, "Can't wait! Definitely liking the ads coming to the game," or "Honda NSX Castrol is going to be lit."
Photo: Polyphony Digital
However, others were quite dissatisfied with the lineup and replied, "Enough with the old cars," or "Better than nothing, but I hoped for new GT3s. Almost all GT3s are outdated. I would even pay for such a DLC like in ACC. We need the M4 GT3, 296 GT3, McLaren 780s Evo, 911 (992) GT3 R, Vantage Evo, Mustang GT3. Please nothing that could I more wish for than that."
Some even tried to keep the peace by saying things like "Man we got 5 REAL cars one of them is the Castrol NSX, this update is fine Stop complaining." Suffice it to say that it's no easy task to satisfy a crowd that's part of a franchise that pushed over 90 million units and earned Sony a cool $4.8 billion as of 2022.
Also, let's not forget about the excellent Gran Turismo movie recently available on HBO's Max streaming service. Inspired by real-life events, it was directed by the famous Neill Blomkamp, starring David Harbour (Stranger Things), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), and Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough.
If you're into well-paced, intriguing, action-racing movies that can leave you breathless with anticipation at times, you shouldn't miss this great popcorn flick.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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