Audi e-tron Gran Turismo

● DRIVEN

Behind the wheel as gaming EV becomes reality

AUDI’S plan to launch three electric vehicles by 2020 is well known, but to whet our appetite, the German brand has brought its electric racer from the Gran Turismo video game to life, and Auto Express has been behind the wheel.

The Vision Gran Turismo won’t directly make it into production, but will be used as an official race taxi in the Formula E series. The ultra-wide and low-riding two-seater is inspired by the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO of the nineties, but unlike its spiritual predecessor, it does not run on petrol; the Vision GT is fully electric and power comes from a 60kwh lithium-ion battery.

It was built in less then 12 months and the team behind the project cherrypicked parts from Audi’s parts bin. The drivetrain has three 268bhp electric motors, while the battery is from the firm’s upcoming e-tron SUV. The ultradirect steering and the super-stiff suspension are from Audi’s DTM German touring car team; only the chassis and body are unique to the Vision GT. The 805bhp, fourwheel-drive EV weighs 1,450kg.

Picking parts from various sources fast-tracked the project and guaranteed maximum driving performance – and that was the main effort of the Vision GT.

Once you slide through the narrow door, down into the tight bucket seats and get to work on the five-point harness, it feels like a genuine race car. However, as a one-off, the cabin is a world away from the futuristic cockpit you see in the video game; instead there’s an exposed roll cage and a completely sparse dashboard.

Around Audi’s Neuberg test track its performance is savage; the sprint from 0-60mph in less than 2.5 seconds feels comically fast. The Vision GT is limited to 139mph, getting there with minimal effort, but the performance from the enormous carbon-ceramic brakes wipes off speed with just as much ferocity.

Approach a corner and the grip is amazing, with the direct steering making it feel light and agile in a way that other electric vehicles aren’t. Of course, this type of performance in an electric car on a track isn’t going to last forever; after just four laps, our fun is over.

We try one-off Vision Gran Turismo, developed from video game