Lamborghini’s V12 Vision GT is a digital concept you’ll be able to drive

“Come va, ragazzi compagno?” I’m not sure if the Steve Buscemi “fellow kids” meme from “30 Rock” is well known in Sant’Agata Bolognese, but Lamborghini seems to understand the popularity of video games and racing sims with what they hope will be the next generation of car enthusiasts. At the World Finals of the 2019 Gran Turismo Championships, now certified by the FIA, held in Monte Carlo, Lamborghini introduced the V12 Vision Gran Turismo, a concept within the digital environment of the Gran Turismo Sport video game for the Sony PlayStation 4 gaming console. For now, it’s just a concept, but starting next spring, you’ll be able to race it in the digital realm on GTS.

In introducing the new virtual Lambo, Stefano Domenicali, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said, “Lamborghini is a very young brand, and this is why we are here today to present our newest virtual vision in the form of a real model, with a highly futuristic and cool design to be enjoyed by the young generation of racing game and super sports car enthusiasts.”

Yes, kids, he actually said “cool design,” and described a 56-year-old company as “a very young brand.”

The single-seater Lambo V12 Vision GT was designed in-house by Lamborghini Centro Stile and gets its virtual powertrain from the hybrid Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, the fastest real-world Lamborghini so far.

The digital concept, however, is not constrained by real-world realities, so starting with Lamborghini’s signature silhouette, the designers at Centro Stile have come up with something radical. Another signature Lamborghini styling element, Y-shaped lights, are featured front and rear, with the taillights mounted on a huge, gull-wing rear spoiler, while the main body shape is disconnected from the fenders, Le Mans prototype style.

A clamshell canopy opens to let the driver enter the cabin from the front of the car, as the pilot of a military jet fighter would do. Main driving controls are ergonomically mounted on the steering wheel, radically shaped, perhaps to resemble a hand-control for a video game, and all driver information is presented in a virtual head-up display.

Removing real-world constraints gave the stylists a much freer hand.

“The Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo is created to provide the ultimate virtual car for young fans and gamers, who are ultra-enthusiastic about Lamborghini and its futuristic aspirations,” said Mitja Borkert, Head of Lamborghini Centro Stile. ”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 hybridization.”

Unlike some other concepts developed exclusively for video games, Lamborghini actually constructed a physical, not just virtual, example of the Lambo V12 Vision GT, though the one on display in Monte Carlo was almost certainly a non-functioning “pushmobile.”