Remember when we said that the Red Bull X1 Prototype was merely just a figment of our imagination, trapped in the virtual world that is Gran Turismo 5 with no way of making it out to the real world where it can be properly – or improperly, depending on how you race it – driven around the race tracks of the world?
Well, you can throw all of that out the window.
We’ve learned that the virtual leviathan of a car is scheduled to make an appearance in Madrid at the official launch of Gran Turismo 5, which is set to take place on November 24th and 25th. It’s more likely that the model that will be in attendance at the official GT5 launch is just a model with nothing underneath it, but it would be ridiculously cool if that monster of an engine that we’ll talk about in a bit is really in there.
Details after the jump.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR
Simply put, the car looks like nothing we’ve ever seen before. We previously noted that at first glance, it looks like a cross between a Formula One->ke1535 car and an LMP1 racer with unique features present from both car formats. The X1’s wide body and the roof covering is decidedly LMP1-inspired whereas the front nose, the rear spoiler, and the overall slender shape takes its cues from an F1 car. The interior’s got nothing more than the traditional racing seat, a beyond complicated wheel, and a steady number of safety features, which, in our opinion, is of absolute importance given the power behind this car.
PERFORMANCE
Contrary to previous reports – we mentioned before that the X1 will be powered by some sort of gas turbine – this superbeast of a race car will come with an “F1-derived direct-injection 3-liter twin-turbo V6″ that produces an otherworldly 1,483 horsepower at 15,000 RPM and 526 lb/ft of torque at 12,000 RPM with a 0-60 mph time of a ridiculous 1.4 seconds, reaching speeds of 200 mph in just 6.1 seconds and having a top speed of somewhere around 280 mph.
Like we said: otherworldly.
PRICING
Technically speaking, you can own a piece of the X1 Prototype for just $59.99 – if you buy Gran Turismo 5, that is. Joking aside, the car is not for sale and even if it somehow finds its way into the production block, it’s probably going to be out of the price range of about 99% of the world’s population.
COMPETITION
As much as we’d like to come up with a car that can even remotely challenge the Red Bull X1 Prototype in a race both in the real and virtual world, such a quest will prove to be fruitless and a complete waste of time. Put it this way: if Sebastian Vettel’s lap time of the X1 at Nurburgring is 30 seconds faster than his fastest lap on-board his Constructor’s Championship-winning Red Bull RB6, what chance does any other car on the planet have?