After first showing us some Gran Turismo awesomeness late last year, BMW->ke178 has finally pulled the covers of its latest concept vehicle, but one that will only be available in the world of Gran Turismo 6. This is the 2014 BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept and as we had expected, it looks positively insane.

Remember when Mercedes->ke187 became the first company to unveil its own Vision Gran Turismo Concept? When it did, we all fell out of chairs, blown away by the insanity of Merc's creation. But what it also did was set the bar really high for the rest of the car brands that were preparing their own concepts->ke169 for Gran Turismo 6.

Admittedly, we had some trepidations on what other companies had up their sleeves. But with the arrival of BMW's GT6 concept, all the doubts that crept up in our heads about what the car was going to look like quickly evaporated.

At first glance, you get the vibes of the M4 Coupe->ke4183, albeit one that's been rebuilt specifically for video game-racing purposes. But the best part about this concept->ke169 is that unlike the Mercedes version, this one looks like its ready to be transformed into the real world.

Should that happen, trust us when we tell you: it's going to be have a lot of people clamoring for a piece of it.

2014 BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept
  • Engine/Motor: inline-3
  • Horsepower: 549 @ 6200
  • Torque: 501 @ 1900
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept is a study in contrast with the only other Vision concept that has been revealed, that being the Mercedes Vision Gran Turismo Concept. Whereas the latter looked completely mental and fit the title of an actual concept car, the BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept looks like an actual race car with serious intentions.

The first thing you notice about the concept is its similarity with the M4 and how aggressively BMW styled it to become a full-fledged race car.. The front section alone features sharp angles on the bumper and a gnarly front spoiler that helps produce excellent downforce to keep the car balanced even at high speeds. The car also makes good use of carbon fiber, reducing the overall weight to give the car more pep and bounce at high speeds.

Finally, we can't let this moment pass without giving props to the sick BMW M graphics that decorate the front and side sections of the vehicle. With the graphics in place, it's really hard to take your eyes off of this concept, especially when it looks ready to jump out of the screen and become a real race car.

Interior

Not a whole lot of details were released on the interior, but we imagine it to be decked with a full specification of racing components mixed with touches of BMW style and luxury. We've seen that formula in a number of BMW race cars over the years so there's no reason to think that the Vision Gran Turismo Concept won't have at least some parts of it.

Drivetrain

Far more than just being a prototype with no real-world implications, the BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept a three-liter, inline six-cylinder engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology, delivering a stout 549 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. That's more than enough output to turn the BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept into a bonafide beast on four wheels.

Type

Three-liter six-cylinder inline engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology

Output (HP @ RPM)

549 HP @ 6,200 - 7,300

Torque (LB-FT @ RPM)

501 @ 1,900


Just a concept, or image of the future?

We'd love to say that BMW's Vision Gran Turismo Concept has a production future but judging by how BMW has successfully expanded its lineup in the past year, we don't see a scenario where the company builds a road-going model based on this concept. If you look at recent trends, that space seems to have been successfully occupied by the BMW M4 Coupe.

Competition

Mercedes Vision Gran Turismo Concept

So far, there has only been one other Vision Gran Turismo Concept that has been unveiled. This incredible Mercedes set the bar so extremely high for the rest of the concepts that are yet to be introduced. BMW's version came close to matching it, but the Mercedes' otherworldly design still has us wondering if we'll see it on the road soon. And we're not the only ones thinking about that too because when It was unveiled at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Mercedes Vision Gran Turismo Concept really did create quite a buzz in the automotive world.

The concept features an aggressive design language, with elements inspired by the 1952 300 SL race car and an interior with F1 elements. It also gets a powerful AMG engine and an exhaust system with eight end pipes.

As far as output is concerned, the concept comes equipped with an AMG-sourced, V-8 biturbo engine that delivers a total of 585 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.

Conclusion

We're not going to lie. The BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept looks positively bad-ass. The look of a true race car is there and it's got some serious power under its hood. Heck, it even looks sexier with the iconic M racing graphics. It's just too bad that we're not likely to see a production model anytime soon.

That being said, you can still enjoy the BMW Vision Gran Turismo Concept if you have Gran Turismo 6 on your PlayStation 4.