► Revealed at Gran Turismo World Finals
► Based on Bulgari Aluminium chronograph
► Car to be available early next year
It’s been a busy time for Gran Turismo; last weekend marked the title’s 2023 World Finals, but also saw the release of not one but two new concept cars commissioned especially for the game.
On Saturday, Genesis revealed the stunning X Gran Berlinetta concept car, but on Sunday we saw this. Called the Bulgari Aluminium Vision GT, it’s one half of a two-part collaboration; Bulgari is also releasing a limited-edition time piece to commemorate the partnership.
Wait… Bulgari?
Yes, as in the luxury brand. Gran Turismo’s Esports championship is now in its fifth year, and it’s increasingly becoming a hotline for brands to demographics they’d usually have trouble reaching. Vision GT cars puts brands in the spotlight of a much younger audience.
Tell us about the watch then?
It’s probably worth talking about the watch first, as the car is merely a drivable extension of it. The watch is a riff on Bulgari’s existing Aluminium chronograph – but with a few tweaks to make it different.
It comes flashes of yellow to echo the ‘dashboard dials of a legendary Italian gran turismo car from the 90s,’ while it uses a blend of high-end materials: The strap is rubber for a sportier feel, while the crown and case back are titanium with a black DLC coating.
It comes in two versions: one with a yellow dial and black counters, and another with a low-key anthracite dial with yellow indices. Both use the brand’s automatic Calibre B381 with chronograph.
What about the car?
Although the car is the product of an unusual – arguably cynical – tie up, it looks great. It’s designed to echo the feel and design of the Red Dot Design-awarded watch – and ends up looking like a retro modern mixture of a DeLorean and a Lancia Stratos. Take the branding away and you’d probably think this was another hydrogen-powered concept from Hyundai.
‘I envisioned a different way of playing with Bulgari’s DNA, creating a concept car that speaks the same language as the Bulgari Aluminium watch,’ said Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Product Creation Executive Director at Bulgari.
‘Its design is based on geometric, pure, and angular forms, inspired by the lines of legendary Italian gran turismo cars from the 1970s, featuring sporty three-spoke steering wheels and walnut dashboards.’
‘These shapes come together to create the unmistakable Bulgari aesthetic, resulting in a concept car with perfectly realistic proportions, also in the real world, at full scale,’ he added.
Made with a mixture of carbonfibre and brushed aluminium on the outside, the inside of the new Vision GT car deploys other materials seen around the rest of the watch, such as aluminium, black rubber and Alcantara – as well as the same yellow accents as the watch. The dashboard displays the most obvious link to the watch as it echoes the entire look and feel of the chronograph dial.
When can I drive it?
The Vision GT car should be available to download early next year, and the watch is available now.