Racing Modifications probably aren't likely for Gran Turismo 5. A long time ago, I had planned a YouTube video about the Racing Modification progress. So here is a little study I did on Racing Modifications. Racing Modifications from Gran Turismos 1 and 2 are based on taking a car from stock appearance to a real race car.
(NOTE: All pictures in this blog entry are my own work, and not stolen from any other image gallery):
LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):
MAR 14 2012 - updated to include link to JGTS blog post related to this entry as well as a basic overall change of this post's appearanceThis blog post may be incomplete. Future edits will complete this blog post. Also- this blog post is VERY old, and the information included before edits is as old as of the date of this blog's initial post. Later in this post, a link to my JGTS blog post has been included for people wanting more info on Race Modified cars in Gran Turismo 5.
--- Racing Modifications in General ---
So what are Racing Modifications? In a basic sense, it is a makeover for street cars to become proper racing cars. Look at the Dodge Viper GTS below. The top picture is a base Dodge Viper GTS, and the bottom picture is a Racing Modified Dodge Viper GTS.
^ TOP PICTURE: base Dodge Viper GTS. BOTTOM PICTURE: Racing Modified Dodge Viper GTS.
Enhanced bodywork and some other modifications are added to further enhance the race car image. The thing that interests me on past Racing Modifications is how incomplete most of them are. That incomplete factor relates to how certain cars don't have driver numbers and things like that. I sometimes wonder about properly placing sponsors and decals on cars. I think it's time to make this customization process the best ever.
The main deal about Racing Modification is that it's a top-to-bottom customization process primarily in lightening the car and making a paint scheme. For if Gran Turismo 5 brings back this level of customization, it needs a new sense of direction. I don't think you have to be required to go down to a Stage 3 Lightweight just to have a Racing Modification like in Gran Turismo 2.
What you will be reading is a certain study I've done on Racing Modifications that I've done in addition to thoughts on Racing Modifications for Gran Turismo 5.
--- Racing Modifications: Gran Turismo 1 ---
Have you 80K or 82K Credits? Any car can be given a racing makeover with a Racing Modification. They can range from simple paint jobs to complete race cars. Racing Modifications only allow you two different colors. Sometimes, the color choices were ludicrous. For example, everyone knows the Castrol colors are white with red and green accents. But when you choose a different color scheme, you could choose white with red and green accents... or white with red and BLUE accents. Also, I could never fathom the traditional Subaru blue replaced with a black color for the Impreza Rally Car in GT1.Here is an example of a Racing Modification in Gran Turismo 1:
^ - Racing Modification for the mid-1990s Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO.
Racing Modifications only granted you two color choices. Anyone who knows their Japanese race cars know that this design is based on the Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO that raced in Super Taikyu back in the mid-1990s. The original car was green and white with Puma livery. Here is a sample:
^ from: chollian.net - the Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO Puma as raced in Super Taikyu in 1996.
--- Racing Modifications: Gran Turismo 2 ---
Gran Turismo 2's facility for Racing Modifications is different. A Stage 3 Racing Modification is now required before going with a Racing Modification, granted a car has a Racing Modification available. What was different about Gran Turismo 2's model was that some Racing Modifications have different types. Let's take a look at GT2's facility.Racing Modifications: Real Cars.
^ This is what you end up with if you give a Racing Modification to a late model (in GT2) Toyota Celica GT-Four. Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec would be the first GT to feature the proper Celica Rally Car.
Racing Modifications: Real Race Car, Fictitious Paintscheme.
^ - a Nissan 300ZX Racing Modification with a familiar certain paint scheme.
If you even remotely know your racing liveries, a yellow car with black accents is usually a Pennzoil paint scheme. Instead of the "Fairlady Z" graphics, there should probably be "Pennzoil" graphics.
Cars With Multiple Racing Modifications.
^ - a few cars in Gran Turismo 2, like the Volkswagen Golf, have multiple paintschemes.
An example of a car in Gran Turismo 2 with multiple Racing Modification types is the Volkswagen Golf above. This car comes in three different types. Some paintschemes for cars are basically a a single skin in multiple colors. The picture features every paintscheme in order as you select "Change Type." Another car with multiple paintschemes in GT2 is the Honda S2000 (among a few others).
--- Racing Modifications: M.I.A. in GT3 and GT4 ---
The only thing even remotely close to a Racing Modification is in GT4 (Gran Turismo 3 has nothing even remotely close to a Racing Modification):
^ my Ford GT in Gran Turismo 4 in Midnight Blue with White Stripes and a rear wing.
Adding a rear wing makes a car at least feel like a complete race car. However, it does little else to make a car really feel like a race car. I'm most disappointed in Gran Turismo 4 that there aren't a lot of races for road cars with Racing Tires. A street car (especially a fully-bred for racing car) handles terribly on Standard/Sports tires. The assumption that races requiring Standard/Sports tires disallows race cars. Of course, you can just slap on some Standard/Sports tires to enter race cars into these events (unless the event disallows Non-Production cars).
I'll show off MUCH more on this deal later in this blog entry using Gran Turismo 4.
Are you reading the full post? If not, click "Read More" to see the rest of this post. Or more importantly, check out my blog post on "John's Gran Turismo Space" (JGTS) featuring this topic. Most of this material is mostly obsolete at this point. Click on the banner below to go to my JGTS post, or "Read More" to continue your reading of this post:
--- Reading Between the Lines: A Racing Modification Study ---
Being that kind of guy who tries to answer questions that were never asked, let's delve further into Racing Modifications and how I would modify the process. Have a look...
^ - a BMW (not sure which 3-series model) Racing Modification.
^ I'm not sure what BMW this is (only one or two BMWs can be Race Modified. Pay attention to the two callout points. Callout point "A" is the windshield visor. Imagine if you could replace that graphic with your name, the team name, another sponsor, or something like that. Callout point "B" is to the driver plate number. Imagine being able to change up the... (will be completed in future blog edits)
Racing Modification Study Using Gran Turismo 4: Street Car.
I will be using a 1998 Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO to explain Racing Modifications for road-going cars in the game. To further express things, I've added a rear wing to this car to show the range of possibilities in painting up a car for Racing Modification. Four pictures are included with callout points to explain my ideas to all of you. A lot of these ideas come from "Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2."--- RM: Front ---
The front of the car features a handful of ways to customize with racing graphics. I've seen small sponsors below the headlights, so that's why you see "Small Sponsor Decal" below the lights. The "Front Hood Detail" can feature a long decal featuring a certain sponsor. Like you'd see on almost any race car, a primary sponsor is usually draped across the front bonnet of a car. Some have huge sponsor decals on them, and some others just have the big sponsor followed by the driver number (like on most Super GT cars). A lot of race cars have a visor decal draped across the top of the windshield. This is usually reserved for sponsors, team names, or in events such as the Pro Celebrity Race around Long Beach- driver names.
--- RM: Rear ---
A look from the rear yields a few more areas for sponsor placement. A few sponsors can be placed on the rear bumper on either side. That's why you see two Small Sponsor Decals called out to you. The top of the rear bumper can display the name of a certain sponsor. Let's say that I wanted to put on a long "Mitsubishi" decal. That would work perfectly fine here. At least in kart racing, I see these driver plates at the rear. How about this for a novel solution: rather than the license plate, imagine replacing this section with your driver number? It would make things interesting in feeling more like you have a car modified for racing rather than a vastly-tuned street car. Underneath the rear wing, you sometimes see a number of sponsors. Use this space to show off a certain sponsorship decal (usually a large one).
--- RM: Sides ---
Let's talk about the sides of the car now. The quarter panels often have some sponsors. Pretend this car was riding on Firestorm tires. I could put "Firestone" decals on the front quarter panels. Usually on race cars, the rear quarter panels are usually used for displaying smaller decals of a car's primary sponsor. That is what you can use to display on the rear quarter panels.
I have made a makeshift driver plate, and the reason is because I want street cars tuned for racing to actually FEEL like racing cars. I think for a race car, you should be able to choose almost any number ranging from 0 to 999. The majority of cars have one or two numbers, but think back to the Aston Martin DBR9's that had 007 and 008 for driver numbers. The only thing I'd be uncertain of is if you can choose numbers 1 through 4 in championships. It would probably depend on the series. As important as picking a number is, you should be able to choose a certain font. You may even have NASCAR-style numbers where you have big numbers emblazoned on the sides of the car and on the roof. That's also your call. The space above the driver number can be used for a number of purposes: title sponsor, championship sponsor, class name, nationality, etc.
I've also included sponsors on the doors and on the side skirts. Rather than sponsor placement, your nationality or the nationality of your team can be placed on the doors. A bunch of other small sponsor decals can be placed on the side skirts.
--- RM: Top ---
Finally, let's look at Racing Modifications for up top. Note that I've included two graphics for the windshields. I sometimes see rear windshield decals to compliment the front. Look on the driver window. I've included a graphic that has "NAT" and then "F. LastName." Use this space to put in your nation's flag and your name. There is also a "[NAT] F. LastName" on the roof of the car with space for extra teammates. Most racing cars have anywhere from two to four names on the car. I've seen an amateur-level endurance race that had six different drivers represented. Below the space for a rear windshield decal is where the name is placed on the back of the car in ToCA Race Driver 3. My name is John Marine, so this section would read either "J. Marine" or "Marine" if I were to fill that area. The final callout point is on the rear wing. This is where you put on a big sponsor decal on the rear wing. While I haven't mentioned it, you can also think of some small decals and designs to put on the endplates of the rear wing.
The thing to take away from this section is that street cars modified for racing shouldn't have to feel like just street cars. They can be Racing Modified to complete the look. We're not just talking about painting up cars. Instead, this is about painting up cars while also making them feel complete as race cars. Elaborate Racing Modification schemes may not be possible for Gran Turismo 5, but this is a different look at making this element come alive in a new way.
Racing Modification Study Using Gran Turismo 4: Racing Car.
Take a look at the Peugeot 206 WRC below.
There are three callout points:
(1) - flag and name
(2) - driver plate: championship sponsor
(3) - driver plate: driver number
(CALLOUT POINT 1) - This was one of the first areas of concern for me. Imagine if you can replace the generic text with your name (and even the name of any extra drivers or a rally co-driver). This is one of the things that immediately comes to mind when seeing this section. The flag is quite self-explanatory. Just pick your nation's flag to represent yourself in Gran Turismo 5. There are different ways I've seen names displayed on cars. Consider this handle: "FirstName M. LastName." A name can be displayed with the first name as an initial and the full last name (such as "F. LastName"), the last name only (such as "LastName"), or even the first and last name (such as "FirstName LastName").
(CALLOUT POINT 2) - The "Gran Turismo" decal is pretty basic as it is. However, imagine putting the sponsor of a race or a championship here instead. Imagine you were doing the Honda Type-R Cup in a Honda S2000. Don't you want to have Honda Type-R decals with your driver plate? It would show some character and show a car meant specifically for a series like whatever you're racing in.
(CALLOUT POINT 3) - If you learn anything from Tourist Trophy, you'll know that you're able to customize your number. The number I usually prefer is 25. With the exception of a few motorsports, no one can use a number like 1 for a driver number unless that car and/or that/those driver(s) are the defending champions of a race or a championship. Tourist Trophy allowed you to change the rider number anywhere from 5 to 99(?). When you complete a championship, you can elect to change a rider number from your championship finish number. So if you win the championship, you can elect to switch to the #1 driver plate.
--- What Does the Future Hold Here? ---
It depends on how you look at Racing Modifications for Gran Turismo 5, should we get any. A proper suite for modifying cars' exteriors with sponsors and certain paint styles is a start. Whether or not taking hold of various sponsors will be the other deciding factor.Aftermarket exterior parts will be of tremendous concern in how far the Racing Modification suite is extended and executed. In the future, I'll discuss sponsorship issues.
--- An Update on Gran Turismo 5 Racing Modifications ---
(added Nov. 29, 2010)PERSONAL NOTE: I want to thank everyone who have visited my blog on racing modifications! This post was supposed to be a look at Racing Modifications for Gran Turismo 5 (from a speculative standpoint), but I've since included info on cars that can be Racing Modified. Thanks again for your support.
According to what I've read on GTPlanet, only 15 cars can be Race Modified in GT5. It is disappointing that not every car can be Race Modified (then again, not every production car could be Race Modified in GT games. GT1 had only one car that could not be Race Modified- the Dodge Concept Car). Some cars are already Racing Modified and ready for you to unlock. Some cars, like the 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR have Racing Modification available to fully bring out the absolute best in the car's performance. For a discussion on Race Modified cars from my friends on GTPlanet, check out Racing Modification Cars (GTPlanet). The full list of Race Modified cars can be read in this thread where someone says Race Modifications doesn't seem to have a purpose, or, you can read this list below to see cars that can be Racing Modified in GT5:
Cars That Can Be Race Modified in Gran Turismo 5:
- Acura NSX RM '91
- Chevrolet Camaro SS RM '10
- Chevrolet Camaro Z28 RM '69
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) RM '06
- Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C6) RM '09
- Dodge Challenger R/T RM '70
- Honda CIVIC TYPE R (EK) RM '97
- Honda INTEGRA TYPE R (DC5) RM '04
- Lexus IS F RM '07
- Lotus Elise RM '96
- Lotus Elise 111R RM '04
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR RM '05
- Nissan SILVIA spec-R AERO (S15) RM '02
- Subaru IMPREZA Sedan WRX STI spec C Type RA RM '05
- Suzuki Cappuccino (EA21R) RM '95
- TVR Tuscan Speed 6 RM '00
- Volkswagen Golf IV GTI RM '01
And for those who think that Racing Modifications serve no purpose, well... THEY DO! Do you want to complete your racing machine or not? It DOES serve a purpose if your answer to this question is yes. It is a great shame that so few cars can be Racing Modified, but at least it's better than none that can be Racing Modified.
JOHN'S GT SPACE NOTE: If you love the Gran Turismo series, check out my all-new blog called John's GT Space, complete with various resources of mine and commentary regarding the GT series.
(ADDED: May 25, 2011) I found a website showing off all of the cars in Gran Turismo 5 that can be Race Modified. You can also see how they look when Race Modified. Feel free to visit
"Gran Turismo 5 Race Modification Car List" on granturismo5support.com to see all the cars in their Race Modified form.
--- GT5 Racing Modification Demonstration ---
(ADDED: Dec. 12, 2010)Hi, everyone! I'd like to thank everyone who have taken the time to visit my blog post on GT5 Racing Modifications. This blog post was initially a speculative look at Racing Modifications in Gran Turismo 5 with insight from Gran Turismo 1 and Gran Turismo 2. That was the main point of this blog post. Now with GT5 released, I must continue to service my readers. And to do so, I want to show you Racing Modification in action.
This video below shows you a 2005 Subaru WRX STi Spec C Type RA (good grief, Subaru... that's a LONG name for a car!) being Race Modified. Watch it go from production to race car and listen to the roar of the engine. There may be only 17 or so cars that can be Race Modified, but you can enjoy one of those few RM cars here in the video below. Enjoy!
Cars that have been Race Modified have some of their parts unequipped after Racing Modifications have been complete. However, you can re-equip certain parts of cars previously bought for that car.
I am just going on what I've read online. I do NOT have a PlayStation 3 (as of Jan. 9, 2011), so I am going on impressions from other people.
What do you make of Racing Modifications, should there be any (regardless of whatever form they may come in)? Comment on my work!
Thank you for reading!
Love John's Blog Space? If so (and if you haven't yet subscribed or followed), Subscribe and/or Follow! Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
• Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
• Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
• Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment