Watch a Life-Sized Remote Control Nissan GT-R Lap Silverstone
GT Academy alum Jann Mardenborough piloted the RC Godzilla up to 131 mph.
If you wanted to play Gran Turismo in real life, we'd probably advise you to rent or buy a fast car, head to a track and go wild. But what if you wanted to play real-life Gran Turismo in the most literal sense imaginable? Well, Nissan has cooked up just the thing.
In honor of the imminent release of the racing game franchise's latest entry, Nissan has outfitted a real-life, full-size GT-R to be driven completely remotely. Thanks to four robots responsible for steering, transmission, braking, and throttle, the Nissan GT-R/C (see what they did there?) is operated by a PlayStation 4 controller located up to 1 km away. Six computers located in the back of the car act as the brains of the entire operation, updating the controls 100 times per second.
With GT Academy alumni and pro racer Jann Mardenborough behind the wh—, um, gamepad, the R/C Nissan posted a lap time of 1:17.47 around Silverstone's National Circuit, hitting a top speed of 131 mph. Your move, Mattel.
"The response from the car when using the controller was far more engaging than I thought it would be," said Mardenborough. "Steering, acceleration and braking were all intelligently configured, allowing for controlled application so I could really get a feel through the corners and hold it steady down the fast straights."
Not surprisingly, the GT-R/C is also equipped with an emergency kill switch operated on a different radio frequency that immediately shuts off the engine and applies full ABS braking. Whether or not the trigger lies in a small, gray button marked "RESET" is unknown.