► New Gran Turismo concept car
► Is this the new Mini Clubman?
► 390bhp estate, 180mph… virtually
This is our first look at the new 2016 Mini Clubman – through the lens of the suitably wacky Mini Clubman Vision Gran Turismo virtual racer.
Many car makers are seeding cars out on the popular Gran Turismo 6 game for PlayStation 3, and now Mini has succumbed with this estate car that thinks it’s a go-kart.
Mini Clubman Vision Gran Tursimo: the numbers
Take the spec with a pinch of salt, but Mini claims the 390bhp racer can do 0-62mph in just 3.5sec, thanks to four-wheel drive, a sequential six-speed race box and a fully adjustable suspension set-up.
Top speed? A faintly ridiculous 180mph. Perfect for Foxtons estate agents in a rush to their next viewing.
This is clearly a gamer’s fantasy edition, but it’s perhaps also an interesting first look at what should be launched later in 2015 as the roadgoing Mini Clubman. And this rear shot suggests that it might just keep the distinctive barn doors…
A look ahead – and back
Mini says it’s referenced the sporting great Coopers from yesteryear, with the upright windscreen wipers and extra spotlamps on the Vision GT, but we’d suggest this is also a sneak preview of the Clubman estate coming later in 2015.
Don’t expect the production car to be a three-door sports extremist rolling on 22in rims, but that long roofline and pumped-up boot look likely to feature on what is being positioned as more of a compact family wagon than an oddball model with asymetric doors.
The fast Mini is the latest Vision concept car made for the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo gaming franchise. Click here to see the even wilder Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo track special.