GTbyCITROEN supercar concept video driving in London

A new promotional video was released last week showing the GTbyCITROEN concept cruising around the streets of London.  You may recall that Citroen executive Vincent Besson told members of the media attending the Geneva Motor Show that the car will be produced in a limited edition of no more than 20 units.

Those details have changed a bit since March.  Autocar is reporting that Besson officially gave the car a greenlight.  Production will initially be limited to just six, with an expected retail price in the £1.1 million range.  Expect the car to keep it's carbon fiber body and less-than-common interior.  While we don't mind the copper trim, we get much more excited about the driver-side switches, and the F1-inspired steering wheel.  Expect the car to recieve a 500+ horsepower V8 engine provided by an American automaker.

We would not be surprised to see Ford win the bid for these engines, as PSA Peugeot Citroen already has a cooperative agreement on four different sets of common rail diesel engines.  Using Ford engines could keep relations positive between the two companies.

In this video, we see the proposed supercar just as much as we see stupified onlookers.  Needless to say, you do not often get the chance to see a production version of a car specifically designed for a videogame.  Takumi Yamamoto, of Style Citroen, created the 4.96 meter long exterior of the car while working with his friend, Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi.  The car will be featured in Gran Turismo 5, a videogame that may be released for the Sony Playstation this winter.

Instead of looking for the car virtually, you can check out the actual GTbyCITROEN at Goodwood from July 3rd to the 5th.  The current version of the car will attempt the 1.16 mile-long Goodwood Hill six times during the weekend.  Meanwhile, the first look at the final production model will take place at September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Press Release

CAPITAL THRILLS: GTbyCITROËN CONCEPT TURNS GAMING FANTASY INTO LONDON REALITY

Citroën's stunning concept supercar, the GTbyCITROËN, took to the streets of central London on Tuesday (23/06) to recreate part of the ‘street circuit' featured in Gran Turismo® - the PLAYSTATION®3 driving game which the GTbyCITROËN was designed for.

Taking in some of the Capital's most famous landmarks, the virtual-turned-reality supercar swapped pixels for Piccadilly as it swept through the world famous circus, toured Regent Street, rounded Trafalgar Square and cruised down the Mall past Buckingham Palace.

The result of a unique partnership between Citroën and Polyphony Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., creators of the Gran Turismo game series, the GTbyCITROËN concept measures nearly five metres long (4.96m) and just over a metre high (1.09m) with an impressive supercar design sporting wide air intakes, rear air-diffuser, horizontal LED headlamps, gull wing doors and diamond-effect 21inch aluminium wheels. Inside the cabin offers a refined racing experience with copper, steel and black leather finishes combined with hi-tech racing controls.

The GTbyCITROËN will be making its UK show debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (3-5 July) and will climb the famous 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill as part of the Sunday Times Supercar Run.