Gran Turismo 4 Car Picture Movie

GT4 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT SR (J)

My summer villa has a working PS2 console (slim version) plus a copy of Gran Turismo 4 so this summer of 2016 I am making and posting some GT4 car pictures.  

And while I am at it, today's second car in GT4 pictures is the 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT SR (J).

Wearing a (paint) coat of Hamilton Silver Metallic.

Pictured here at Piazza San Marco aka San Marco Square which is "the beautiful square flanked by tall bell towers set in the surrounds of Venice, the city of water".

Sold as the GTO in its native Japan, Mitsubishi marketed the car in the U.S. as the 3000GT. Chrysler sold its own version of the car, called the Dodge Stealth that featured a different body style, but the same mechanical components as the Mitsubishi. Chrysler, quite impressed how its version of the car turned out, made the Stealth pace car for the 1991 Indianapolis 500 (the first time a "Japanese car" was bestowed that honor, albeit unofficially).

The GTO was based on the same platform as the Mitsubishi Diamante, while the engine was a 3.0-liter DOHC V-6, available in either naturally aspirated or twin turbocharged form. The turbo-boosted unit produced a hearty 276 HP and 307.3 ft-lb of torque while the non-turbo powerplant cranked out a respectable 222 HP and 202.5 ft-lb. The GTO made use of many novel automotive technologies at the time, including all-wheel drive, 4-wheel steering, an electronically-controlled suspension, and ABS braking system. It also featured an active aerodynamic system that would adjust the front and rear spoilers according to vehicle speed, along with an active exhaust system that could modify the exhaust note. These numerous high-tech featured intrigued automotive enthusiasts in large numbers.

In 1993, the car's retractable headlights were swapped for a set of fixed headlights, the twin turbo engine was mated to a Getrag 6-speed manual gearbox and peak torque was upped to 314.6 ft-lb. With its high-tech wizardry and distinctive coke bottle shape, the GTO was one fascinating machine right up to the end of production run in August 2001.

GT4 2002 Toyota RSC Rally Raid Car

By way of an introduction and as I mentioned earlier, my summer villa has a working PS2 console (slim version) plus a copy of Gran Turismo 4 so this summer (2016) I am making and posting some GT4 car pictures.  

Today's car is the 2002 Toyota RSC Rally Raid Car.

The GT4 photo travel location is Sagano.

Sagano, Kyoto, "the hidden world of Kyoto where ancient temples and shrines dot the landscape between the abundance of nature. This stage shows one of the narrow roads that run through the bamboo forests".

This car is my fat cash cow. Easy to win it at Costa di Amati Easy and sell for over Cr. 260,000 and buy whatever you really want. I must have flogged dozens of them already.

 In-game description says:

"A dream car that converts the durable RSC coupé into a rally spec machine."


Designed by the company's CALTY Design Research facility in Newport Beach, California, and debuting at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, the Toyota RSC ("Rugged Sport Coupe") was a rally racing-inspired concept car that looked ready to do battle in the African desert in the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally, and quite possibly the inspiration for BMW's X6 model.

Looking a bit like a muscular version of the Toyota Celica, this concept car measured 162 inches long, 72.8 inches wide and a somewhat tallish 61 inches in height. But its pugnacious front end and blistered wheel wells made room for large 19-in. wheels for increased stability on or off the road. Under its muscular exterior resided numerous components sourced from the Toyota Celica GT-Four rally racer. A full 414 HP (with the air restrictor removed) was provided by Toyota's turbocharged 3S-GE 2-liter DOHC inline-4 beneath the wide hood.

Like many rally cars, the RSC featured an all-wheel-drive system, accompanied in this instance with a conventional center differential (today's competition cars in the top-flight World Rally Championship use sophisticated active electronic differentials for maximum tractability). Other elements for off-road travel included a raised ride height, beefed-up suspension arms, springs and shocks all around. You never know what you'll encounter cruising at high speed in the middle of nowhere.

All this bamboo and it looks like a fat panda.

GT4 2002 Saleen S7

As I mentioned earlier my summer villa has a working PS2 console plus a copy of Gran Turismo 4 (the game that started the car photo thing with its Photo Mode feature) so this summer (2016) I will be making and posting some GT4 car pictures. 

The 2002 Saleen S7 is today's featured car.

The color is Speedlab (!) Yellow.

The Saleen S7 was designed from scratch by Steve Saleen, a professional racing driver turned car tuner (of Ford Mustangs) and then car designer and builder who pioneered the concept of "lifestyle performance autos", i.e. cars designed to appeal to celebrities.

In designing the Saleen S7, Steve Saleen aimed at combining the performance of a track-race car with the driving pleasure of a regular road car.

The Saleen S7 is a rear mid-engine supercar with butterfly doors and the interior that supposedly makes a point of using plenty of luxury and functionality.

Here it is pictured at Shibuya, Tokyo, which is one of the GT4 Photo Travel spots representing the "intersection at the bottom of Dogenzaka in Shibuya where an endless stream of people and cars continuously cross back and forth and is set to the flow of car lights throughout the night".

The GT file on the car says:

"An ultra-special supercar from Saleen, to which there is also a Le Mans spec car."



The Saleen S7 is an elegant midship sports car that perfectly fits the description of "supercar". The Le Mans prototype racecar was released before the street car, and with that kind of detail and performance, it had an unprecedented position for a street car.

The body construction is a slightly old fashioned, aluminum honeycomb composite center hub with steel tube sub frames extending towards the front and back. The front and rear suspension were double wishbones using racing style long arms. The coilover dampers, and brakes developed in a collaboration between Saleen and Brembo, are pretty much racing spec.

The V8 OHV engine may seem ordinary, but this is a Saleen original. An all aluminum, miniaturized engine based on the Ford big block design, it produces 550 HP from its 7-liter displacement, 0-60 mph acceleration is 3.3 seconds, with 1-100 mph in 8.9 seconds, and a quarter mile time of 11.8 seconds. Top speed is over 215 mph, and obviously its performance is exceptional.

Mechanically speaking, the specs of the street version were not much different from the Le Mans Prototype Saleen S7R, but its interior was filled with unreal luxury.

Of course air-conditioning and an audio system were standard, but of the two full bucket seats made of Connolly Leather, the driver's side seat is custom made to fit the owner.

No Saleen in the below picture, just plenty of Toyota taxis.

Update: the S7 is your best choice in the American events, it wins all races it can be entered into hands down.

You won't have to do much yourself as races will be reduced to 1 A-spec point (but you won't get many points, but again what is the point of having a lot of A-spec points?).