Creating Vision Gran Turismo->ke3689 concept cars has become quite the habit among automakers, as they rushed to showcase their design skills and advanced powertrains in the latest iteration of the franchise. This year's Goodwood Festival of Speed brought yet another futuristic supercar to the game, this time from British-based company Aston Martin->ke13.

Dubbed DP-100 and developed in-house by a team led by Design Director Marek Reichman, the concept car->ke169 highlights a brand-new approach for the company, as its engine is mounted behind the seats. The Brits have yet to build sports cars->ke506 in this configuration, except for the B09/60 Le Mans->ke1591 prototype co-developed with Lola, and the DP-100 comes to put an end to that. At least in the virtual world.

The DP-100 joins a large batch of virtual supercars->ke177 created for Gran Turismo 6 this year, and will be available for gamers to download starting July 2014. There are no production plans waiting to turn this virtual racer into a vehicle for the real world, but the DP-100 is a concept worth looking into from a design and technological point of view.

Click past the jump to read more about the Aston Martin DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo.

2014 Aston Martin DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 Aston Martin DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo
  • Engine/Motor: V12
  • Horsepower: 800
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The DP-100 Concept is radically different from any Aston Martin design we've see so far. Besides the trademark front grille, which now sits closer to the ground, the styling of the DP-100 is pretty futuristic and in line with most Gran Turismo concepts.

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The front end is distinguished by a three-piece lip spoiler that replaces the standard bumper, a short bonnet and a sloped, rounded windshield that reminds us of supercars like the Pagani Zonda. The muscular wheel arches rise above the beltline and house tiny, rectangular LED headlamps mounted in Y-shaped carvings.

Around back, a huge, carbon-fiber diffuser dominates the landscape, with the exhaust system mounted right between the aerodynamic element and the spoiler. The latter carries a distinct shape and extends away from the body, being flanked by V-shaped taillights on both sides.

The mid-mounted engine -- also a first for Aston Martin -- resides under a huge, see-through hood. When viewed from the side, the DP-100 seemingly hints at the wedge design of the 1970s, with only the bulging wheel arches and the rounded, carbon-fiber fins covering the sides of the cabin, suggesting this racer was crafted in the 21st century.

Drivetrain

Like most Gran Turismo concepts, the DP-100 carries a lot of power under its virtual hood. No less than 800 ponies are being pushed through the wheels and onto the track by the twin-turbocharged, mid-mounted, V-12 engine. There's no word as to how many liters the unit displaces, but we bet the Brits were looking at AMG's bi-turbo, 6.0-liter mill, which will replace Aston Martin's naturally aspirated, V-12 engines, while designing this concept car.

2014 Aston Martin DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo: Drivetrain Specification

Type

twin-turbo V12 mid-engined

Output

800 HP

Torque

TBA


Concept or a Glimpse Into the Future?

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Yes, we'd all love to see this concept car become a production supercar, but that's not going to happen. Aston Martin already stressed the DP-100 is a "virtual-only GT racer that will be available for Gran Turismo 6" and we're dead sure that's not going to change. However, some of design cues seen on the concept might just make it on the company's next generation of sports cars by the end of the decade. A turbo, V-12 engine, on the other head, is already a certainty due to the company's partnership with Mercedes-AMG.

Competitors

Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo

Unlike the Aston Martin DP-100, the Nissan Concept 2020 will serve as inspiration for an upcoming vehicle. Described as "a vision of what a high performance Nissan could look like in the future," the 2020 Concept obviously previews the next-generation GT-R, which is rumored to arrive in 2016 with a hybrid drivetrain.

Created by the company’s team of young designers at Nissan Design Europe in England, the 2020 Concept carries many cues reminiscent of the current GT-R, including the V-shaped headlamps and the glasshouse. However, the remaining design features are pretty much futuristic, and most of them are likely to be dropped when the production car is envisioned.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Gran Turismo Concept

The Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Vision is also a radical concept that has very little in common with the company’s current design language. The dramatic lines of this supercar split between a long bonnet, muscular fenders and rain drop-shaped rear end. A large front grille taken from Mercedes’ Le Mans racers of the early 1950s suggests the Germans designed the Vision Gran Turismo Concept with some brand heritage in mind.

The Formula One-inspired interior is complemented by a powerful, bi-turbo, V-8 engine sourced from the AMG division. The powerplant generates 585 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, which, when paired with the car’s weight of only 3,053 pounds, leads to an impressive power-to-weight ratio.

Conclusion

The DP-100 is far from being the most spectacular Gran Turismo concept car, but we have to tip our hats to Aston Martin for stepping out of its comfort zone. The mid-engine configuration and the bi-turbo, V-12 powerplant with 800 horsepower are a couple of details we'd very much like to see on a production car. But on the other hand, the DP-100's design is rather simple and unconvincing.