Gran Turismo PSP Cover Revealed, Corvette ZR1 Chosen

198w ago - Senior Product Marketing Manager Stephanie Yoshimoto has unveiled the official Gran Turismo PSP box art today, which portrays the Corvette ZR1.

To quote: The Corvette ZR1 was chosen by Gran Turismo producer and series creator Kazunori Yamauchi to grace the cover of the first Gran Turismo game to make its way to the PSP.

Dubbed the "Blue Devil" by the team at GM, the ZR1 is GM's most powerful production car ever, sporting a 6.2L V8 pumping out 638hp and a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds.

Motor Trend was able to get the ZR1 to an incredible top speed of 200.5mph, did the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds finishing at 130.5mph, and raved about its performance.





So, everyone else loves the ZR1, but why was it picked for the cover of Gran Turismo's PSP debut? Well, who better to explain that than the man behind GT himself, Kazunori Yamauchi, as follows:

"With all the automotive industry in the world at a crisis, I know that North American automakers are especially in a very difficult situation, and I understand the background and the reasons behind this.

And I can easily envision these things affecting our works as well. After all, as you well know, the game Gran Turismo is a video game that grew thanks to the insight and vision of the automotive industry, and in effect nurtured by its kindness, in its very womb.

And that's why I wanted us to make something that could cheer up those in the industry.

Many GM cars representative from the Autorama days have really helped build the foundations of my adoration and sense of value for cars. And something that had always been deep within my heart over the years is the long line of Corvettes;

As long as I've known in every era, even from when I was a very small child, the Corvette has always been one of the coolest cars around. And that is the reason why the newest Corvette, ZR-1, was selected for the package cover of Gran Turismo for the PSP.

Also, there's a fun little bit at the ending of this PSP version of Gran Turismo that is in concert with this package image of the Corvette.

I hope you'll look forward to its release."

And to close off the work-week with a bit of an international flare, here's a Japanese commercial for Gran Turismo, featuring two of the world's best three-lettered racing machines on one of the world's most challenging tracks.

Check out the video (above) and let your eyes feast on the future of handheld racing. Extra kudos points for anyone that can tell us what cars and track we're talking about...and if you need some extra HD help, the video is also available for download (for free) on PSN.

So mark it on your calendars: Gran Turismo, on UMD and PSN this October 1. More than 800 cars, 35 tracks, a lifetime's worth of racing.