The only real-life Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo is on Singapore soil and we had the opportunity to take a ride in one with Swiss racing driver Rahel Frey.
One year ago, the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo was a concept car created for the leading racing video game Gran Turismo Sport, and within a year it was built into a life-sized automobile fully equipped with specifications that matches its virtual version.
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The only thing that wasn’t shown in the game was the conventional race car interior – plain, no air-conditioning, no stereo and most definitely no fancy leather seats.
Even before Rahel started her safety briefing, it was a requirement to don the racer jumpsuit, ski mask and helmet – nothing wrong with heating oneself up a little more in the 32-degree heat!
After a few pictures it was finally time to maneuver into the car. It was no easy feat and the worst part for us was that Rahel had her own sports seat, while the passenger side was barely butt-comfy.
As it was Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo’s first time in blistering hot weather, it wasn’t safe to push boundaries. Rahel had to warm up the brakes over a couple of laps before reaching an admissible top speed of 140km/h within three seconds of taking a bend into a 100-metre stretch.
And the most interesting part of the whole ride was the fact that Rahel didn’t even shift gears – imagine if she floored it and tested the cars limits. Somewhere around the 350km/h range felt do-able.
For the unprepared body, riding shotgun in the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo might feel like a roller-coaster ride, but our NXT editor thoroughly ‘enjoyed’ it although he looked rather shell-shocked.
Check out his face during the driving session with Rahel below:
The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo will be showcased at the Audi Brand Experience event from 10 to 14 October 2018 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands.
