The GT by Citroën, sometimes written GTbyCitroën, is a sports car that debuted as a concept at the 2008 Paris Motor Show on 2 October. It was a collaboration between Citroën and the Japanese racing simulation developer Polyphony Digital.
GT by Citroën at a glance
| Maker | Citroën, with Polyphony Digital |
|---|---|
| Type | concept sports car |
| Debut | Paris Motor Show, 2 October 2008 |
| Designer | Takumi Yamamoto |
| Real engine | modified Ford Modular V8, 646 hp |
| Real weight | 1,400 kg |
| Planned production | six cars at about $2,100,000 each |
| Production | cancelled in 2010, reportedly over cost |
| In game, road version | 500 hp |
| In game, race version | 599 hp |
| In game, concept version | 778 hp from four electric motors |
Based on one source (English Wikipedia).
History of the GT by Citroën
A game car that became real
The GT by Citroën was created, designed and produced for the video game Gran Turismo 5, and was included as a download in its initial version Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Its designer came up with the project and sold it to both Polyphony Digital and Citroën; Polyphony had collaborated with Japanese performance parts manufacturers, mainly related to Nissan, since January 2002, and those cars had virtual counterparts in the games as “Concept by Gran Turismo”. The exterior was designed by Takumi Yamamoto, a Japanese designer in Jean-Pierre Ploué’s Citroën style team and a childhood friend of Kazunori Yamauchi, director of Polyphony Digital and creator of Gran Turismo. According to Yamauchi at the 2008 Paris show, the two began collaborating in 2003, and a press release on the North American Gran Turismo site described the collaboration as a joint effort first discussed at the Geneva show in March 2008. Yamamoto convinced Ploué to submit his concept to Citroën’s head office in Paris, which agreed to build the real car; the rear was carefully designed to suit what gamers would see, since it is the most powerful vehicle in the game.
The real car
The road-going car used a modified version of the Ford Modular V8 petrol engine producing 646 hp and weighed 1,400 kg. In the game there were three versions: the road car with 500 hp, a Gr.4 with 394 hp and a race or Gr.3 version with 599 hp, while the concept version in the game has a battery powering four electric motors producing 778 hp. In Gran Turismo Sport only the road and race versions appear, plus a lightly modified Gr.4 racing car.
Six cars that never happened
In June 2009 Citroën confirmed plans to produce an extremely limited number of GTs for sale to the public: only six, each costing $2.1 million. In July 2010 rumours that production had been suspended began to surface, citing excessive engineering and development costs relative to the size of the run, and the production run was reportedly cancelled. The car went on to appear in Gran Turismo games, in the Facebook game Car Town, in Asphalt 8: Airborne from October 2016 and in Asphalt Legends from December 2020, and in The Crew 2 from November 2019 without the Gran Turismo logo on its livery, and in The Crew Motorfest in 2023.
Design and features
- Born in a video game: designed for Gran Turismo 5 and downloaded for Prologue.
- Real Ford V8: a modified Modular V8 of 646 hp in a 1,400 kg car.
- Takumi Yamamoto: the designer who took the idea to Citroën’s head office.
- Rear for gamers: the tail was shaped around what players would see.
- Six cars planned: at $2.1 million each, cancelled in 2010.
GT by Citroën versions
- Concept (2008): the show car built for the game.
- Road version (in game): 500 hp.
- Gr.4 version (in game): 394 hp.
- Race / Gr.3 version (in game): 599 hp.
- Concept version (in game): four electric motors, 778 hp.
The GT sits with Citroën’s other design studies such as the Survolt and the Metropolis. More cars are in the Citroën collection.
Video: Citroen GT start up + HUGE sounds !!!
Video by alexsmolik on YouTube.
Sources
- GT by Citroën, English Wikipedia: design, collaboration, specifications, production plans, game appearances
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