Let your eyes digest this stunner for a moment, because this is what McLarens of the future are likely to look like in two decades’ time.

The funny thing is it doesn’t really exist, at least physically; the car – named Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo – was created digitally, so it only exists in a digital sense.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t drive it, because it appears exclusively in the new Playstation 4 game Gran Turismo Sport.

In most cases, you’d have to fork out six figures to gain access to a McLaren this exclusive, so this is great news for cash-strapped McLaren fans. Because all this is digital, players can choose from three liveries to grace their car: Performance, Ulterior and Noir.

A taste of 2030 and beyond

The McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo was designed in response to a call from game creator Kazunori Yamauchi for vehicle manufacturers to design ‘visionary GT cars’ to compete in the new Gran Turismo game.

McLaren says the car isn’t a prototype for any specific future model, instead it showcases the kind of car the brand could produce beyond 2030.

There’s a unique approach to seating too, with the driver lying on their belly, head front, with the car essentially ‘shrink wrapped’ around them. Sounds like the weirdest driving experience ever.

“We wanted to break new ground and to innovate and the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo does exactly that,” said Rob Melville, McLaren Automotive’s design director.

“From the game player’s point of view, the driving experience in this car will be like nothing else: the amazing glass cockpit and the motorcycle-like driving position – with your head far forward, almost right above the front axle – combine to allow you to see exactly where the apex of the corner is so you can shave vital milliseconds off each lap.”

Spec

This is of course all hypothetical, but the car has a virtual kerb weight of just 1,000kg – so roughly a ton.

It is powered by a hybrid powertrain that combines a twin-turbo four-litre V8 driving the rear wheels, with high output electric motors sending 1,134bhp and 1,275Nm of torque to the front.

All this sounds incredible so it’s frustrating and mildly heartbreaking that it’s all make-believe.

Still, anyone with a PS4 can virtually live the dream of racing a McLaren around world-famous tracks, such as the Nürburgring 24 Hour circuit and Brands Hatch, when Gran Turismo Sport is released on October 17, 2017.

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