Lamborghini V12 Vision Gran Turismo: a preview of the rumoured Aventador successor?

Lamborghini has become the latest manufacturer to unveil a virtual concept car designed specifically for popular PlayStation 4 racing game Gran Turismo Sport.

Unveiled in Monte Carlo at the GT Championships final - an esports series certified by motorsport’s FIA governing body - the V12 Vision Gran Turismo takes the form a single-seater hypercar with the same hybrid powertrain as that in the real-world Sian FKP 37, reports automotive news site Motoring Research.

Lamborghini design chief Mitja Borkert says the hypercar has been created “to provide the ultimate virtual car for young fans and gamers, who are ultra-enthusiastic about Lamborghini and its futuristic aspirations”.

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“It is an opportunity for the design talent within Lamborghini to stretch its wings and visualize a car that, like every Lamborghini, is a head-turner and the best driving experience, but also mirrors Lamborghini’s push on future technologies, particularly in the arena of lightweight materials and hybridisation,” he continued.

The new Lambo is the latest in a long line of concepts developed under the Vision GT programme, a scheme that encourages carmakers to dream up new models for the virtual world.

Since the virtual concepts are not bound by the laws of physics, these vehicles are not destined to hit the production line. But they do sometimes serve as a preview of the maker’s future models.

Design

The V12 Vision GT’s design is about as radical as it gets. The virtual vehicle mixes elements of the all-electric Terzo Millennio concept - which first appeared at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s EmTech conference in 2017 - with the company’s upcoming track-only SVR hypercar.

The Vision GT’s Y-shaped headlights appear to be in keeping with the company’s new design ethos, having appeared on not only the Terzo Millennio but also the limited-run Sian, and being tipped to feature on the SVR track car as well.

The single-seater cabin, meanwhile, is a nod to the one-off Egoista and continues the aeronautical theme that the company has experimented with since 2008’s Reventon, says US motoring blog Jalopnik.

Other notable style elements include six exhaust outlets, a vast carbon fibre diffuser, and a giant rear wing that is similar in style to that of a Formula E car.

Is this a glimse of the next Aventador?

Possibly. Although Lamborghini has no plans to put the V12 Vision GT into production, the design may filter down into future production models such as the next-generation Aventador.

Bugatti’s radical Vision GT concept, which first appeared at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, served as a preview to the French firm’s Chiron hypercar that launched a year later.

Toyota’s FT-1 Vision GT formed the basis of the company’s revived GR Supra sports car, and design elements from Alpine’s video game concept later made their way onto the reborn A110.

According to Autocar, Lamborghini views the Vision GT as “an opportunity for designers to explore future themes”.

And that suggests some elements from the concept could find their way onto the rumoured Aventador successor, which is due to arrive within the next year or two.

When will it arrive in GT Sport?

The V12 Vision GT will be available to download in Gran Turismo Sport next spring.

The download is expected to be free, but players will have to spend in-game money if they want to take the V12 Vision GT out on the track.