We used to talk about art imitating life and life imitating art. Now we have the ‘real’ world and the ‘virtual’ world so we get to the added factor of virtual life and virtual art.
Kazunori Yamauchi is a Japanese game designer, professional racing driver, and CEO of Polyphony Digitaland, the producer of the Gran Turismo series for Playstation. Not content with making vivid digital images and amazingly detailed driving characteristics for real racing cars for the Gran Turismo race car simulator fans. Yamauchi inlisted the talents of Adrian Newey, the head engineer of the ‘real’ Red Bull Racing organization to design an ultimate racing machine – no FIA regulations – just built for speed and handling. The target was to make it superior to any Formula One car.
The car, as designed, has an engine that produces 1,479 horse power. Newey further increased the cars potential by adding additional fans that are used to suck air from below the car creating additional downforce holding the car to the track and greatly increasing its stability and cornering ability – think Chaparral 2J.
On the virtual track, with none other than world champion Sebastian Vettel piloting the simulator, the car was able to achieve 500KM/H (310 mph) and a maximum lateral G force in excess of 8G! Vittel broke the virtual track record by an astounding 20 seconds. The virtual racing world had a new ‘Holy Grail’
AUTOart has chosen to make models of ‘virtual’ race cars in the past but this is the first line of cars that are not based on ‘real’ race cars. It is hard to argue with the subject they selected, namely the X2010 in full ‘Red Bull’ livery.
This is a truly amazing looking race car that reminds me of some intergalactic a bird of prey. That the design is based on sound racing car design and not simply a flight of fancy makes it all the more remarkable.









As the car does not actually exist, except in the game, you have to concede that the stance and overall shape are correct. The fit and finish are up to AUTOart standards, which means they are excellent. The paint is outstanding and the graphics are clean and crisp – good stuff!

The car is really a visual treat from just about any angle and what detailing there is is well executed







The only actual ‘opening’ part of this model is the ‘canopy’ and it is very slick in the way it opens and closes







The interior is F-1 meets the Batmobile – fun! And the covered wheels give the car a real ‘other world’ look.





The car has great little details particularly at the front end.











And that thing in the tail is not a rocket motor, it’s the fan that sucks the air from the bottom of the car through two vents underneath.





It would have been nice to have been able to see a virtual engine and fan motor but as it is this car is outlandish and cool enough that I’m tempted to find a simulator someplace and see how close I can come to Vettel’s time. Failing that one is assured that owning this model will gain them ‘style’ points in both the real and virtual art world.