Gran Turismo 6 Updated With New Cars, Tracks, and Modes

Sony today released Update 1.12 for Gran Turismo 6, introducing new cars, tracks, and modes for the popular PlayStation 3 racing game.

First up is the new Toyota FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo concept car (above). You can unlock this vehicle by completely one lap (regardless of how long it takes you) in the new FT-1 Seasonal Event. Polyphony Digital community manager Eric Fishback writes on the PlayStation Blog about the car that, "The designer's original intention in designing the FT-1 was to unabashedly appeal to the die-hard car enthusiasts."

A second new car available in Gran Turismo 6 today is the Nissan GT-R NISMO edition, an updated version of the R35 GT-R, which was first released in 2007. Fishback writes, "This latest version has set the fastest volume production car record at the famous Nordschleife (North Course) on Germany’s Nurburgring with a time of 7:08.679 with its retuned suspension, updated turbochargers, and increased downforce."

The GT-R NISMO will be given as a free gift to all players who took part in the GT Academy online event earlier this year.

Also available now in Gran Turismo 6 is a new "quick match" mode for Gran Turismo 6's online component. Unlike the game's standard multiplayer mode, through quick match, you can partake in races with predetermined regulations. This, along with the fact that player matching will happen automatically, means races should start more quickly.

Another new addition to Gran Turismo 6 today through the 1.12 update is a new course called Sierra Time Rally at Circuito de la Sierra. Modeled after the Ronda region of Spain, this course will challenge you to complete a lap within the alotted time, with time extensions granted for passing through checkpoints across 12 different sections of the course. The Sierra Time Rally at Circuito de la Sierra is available to play in both offline single-player and online race modes.

Gran Turismo 6 was released for PS3 in December 2013. Although Polyphony president Kazunori Yamauchi was initially optimistic about launching Gran Turismo 7 for the PlayStation 4 as earlier as this year, he has since dialed back his comments. In June, Yamauchi confirmed that development on the game is underway, but said it would be unlikely for the game to ship on PS4 in 2014.

Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch