X1 Prototype The fastest car never made

Mike Bantick
Friday, 17 September 2010 11:55

Your IT - Entertainment

...but you will be able to drive this Red Bull Racing team designed vehicle in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5.

Developers at Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo series of racing titles for the PlayStation platform have had a 'What if' bar chat with F1 Racing team Red Bull.

The developers posed the question 'If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform and how would it feel to drive?'

The result was the X1 Prototype, which will be a playable vehicle in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5

According to Sony: Red Bull's aerodynamics expert, Adrian Newey, performed the role of technical advisor on the X1 Prototype project. Newey is renowned in the motorsports world for designing championship winning cars. Throughout the X1 design process by Polyphony, Newey contributed his vast experience, as well as a pure, child-like technical curiosity. As a result, the completed X1 Prototype became an extreme car, having a unique form and mechanism unlike any other racing car in history.

Performing the shakedown test and settings for this Gran Turismo 5 car was the world famous driver Sebastian Vettel. On his first virtual lap, Vettel achieved an unbelievable time on the Suzuka circuit, beating the course record by over 20 seconds.

Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc., commented, 'Every race in the world today conforms to some sort of regulation, and every racing car is built to fit within those various regulations.  However the X1 is something new, created from a 'what-if' dream we have long held at Polyphony.  We want to inspire racing fans and the industry alike by exploring the realm of possibilities for the future of motorsports.'

Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer of Red Bull Racing added, 'We all have a dream about pushing the boundaries, where the performance of the car and the experience of the driver take precedence over the rules. Only with the technology of PlayStation®3 and the virtual environment of
Gran Turismo 5 could that dream become a reality that millions can explore. This is the inspiration that brought Red Bull Racing and Polyphony together. And as a result the X1 Prototype is dynamite to drive.'

Earn your chance to drive the X1 Prototype when Gran Turismo 5 launches in stores across Australia on 4th November 2010.