Motor Trendâs Angus MacKenzie talks about the 2016 Chevrolet Chaparral 2X from the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Hi, I'm Angus McKenzie and we're here at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
00:15 Now, in an era where cars are designed on computers, it's perhaps only appropriate that
00:20 we're now getting cars designed for computers.
00:24 Behind me is Chevy Chaparral 2X and it's a car designed for the Gran Turismo 6 PlayStation
00:31 game.
00:32 It's part of the Vision Gran Turismo project, which is cars designed, futuristic cars designed
00:38 to be raced on the various circuits in the game.
00:41 Now Mercedes-Benz has done a car for this program, Volkswagen's done a car for this
00:45 program, Aston Martin has done a car for this program.
00:49 Chevy Chaparral 2X recalls a classic sports car icon, the Chaparral designed in cahoots
00:56 with the Texas racer Jim Hall in the 1960s.
01:00 Jim Hall played a part in designing this car too.
01:03 In fact, GM design chief Ed Welburn said Hall was on the phone making last minute changes.
01:10 Ed said to him, "Hey Jim, this is only a computer game, you know?"
01:14 And Jim, legendary racer, said, "No, I want a win."
01:18 The driving position is just as futuristic.
01:21 The driver sits spread-eagled in the car, the limbs out toward each wheel.
01:27 I'm not sure I'd like to drive it, but as you're sitting behind a desk in PlayStation
01:31 land, it's probably okay.
01:34 Now while this car might be a computer fantasy, the Gran Turismo game of course uses real
01:39 world physics engines to determine performance.
01:42 So this car has a laser beam propulsion system, a 900 horsepower air thrust generator, and
01:49 four-wheel steering.
01:51 Now in the virtual world, this car will do 0 to 60 in 1.5 seconds and reach a top speed
01:58 of 240 miles an hour.
02:01 Gran Turismo's six owners will be able to download the Chaparral 2X this holiday season
02:07 and start racing straight away.
02:09 Although with that weird driving position, I'm glad this is a video car.
02:14 Not sure I'd like to crash one of these things.
02:17 Probably just as well I'd be driving it in the safety of my living room.
02:20 (upbeat music)
02:22 (upbeat music)