Meet the 550bhp BMW GT6 concept

BMW has a fine tradition of building good-looking race cars. Step forward then, the newest - though admittedly somewhat imaginary - contender, the BMW Vision Gran Turismo.

It's a game concept built for Gran Turismo 6, and was the result of GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi's call to arms to the world's manufacturers to build him bespoke monsters for his new game. Who could forget that evil Merc GT?

This BMW follows the "successful BMW touring cars of the 1970s". We're told it's built for fast laps and optimum handling (well, duh), and anticipates "future racing trends". We can only hope that future racing will take place in the real world as well as virtually. But hey, if it looks half as good as this, we won't complain.

We're told the digital BMW hosts a 3.0-litre straight-six engine, good for 550bhp (why the hell not?) and peak torque of 501lb ft, running through a six-speed sequential transmission to the rear axle. In game, the kerbweight is a lithe 1180kg, and there's perfect 50:50 weight distribution.

Of greater importance is the design, though, and this 3-Series-on-steroids is a mean mother. There are front and rear spoilers (for digital downforce), air conduction elements that reduce digital drag, and digital carbon fibre along with that lovely livery that actually traces the flow of the digital airstream.

"It's a precise driving machine engineered and designed to race and win," says BMW design chief Karim Habib.

The BMW is the latest in what will be a long line of Vision GT cars, with more be gradually released online through game updates. Have a click through the pictures and tell us if you think this BMW is worth a place on the list of Munich's very best concepts...