Eleven years ago, Mazda revealed a stunner of a sports car concept, the RX-Vision Concept. As is often the case with these Mazda sports car concepts, it didn’t culminate in a production car. We at least got a virtual example to drive with the RX-Vision GT3 race car variant, designed specifically for Gran Turismo Sport. That car appeared six years ago, so Mazda felt it was time to update it, and it will be called the RX-Vision GT3 Evo.
It’s Clearly An Evolution, Not A Revolution
Mazda only provided a teaser video and a few dark close-ups of the Evo, so we don’t have a clear picture of the whole car, but there’s still plenty to see. Starting from the front, the Evo now features LED auxiliary lights in the lower outboard air intakes. It also looks like the main grille opening now extends all the way down to the splitter. On the edges of the bumper we can see quick disconnects for easy removal, along with new side plates for the splitter and canards above them. All of this suggests some aero improvements and a more aggressive front end design.
Close-up of the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Evo sideMazda / Polyphony Digital
The sides look mostly unchanged except for the side skirts. They now have tall side plates similar to the front splitter, continuing the theme of updated aerodynamics. The rear also looks to have mild changes on the whole. It has a new diffuser and wing, the former looking a bit more prominent than on the standard GT3. Nestled inside is a rear rain light. The video also shows a bit more exposed carbon fiber around the exterior, such as on the front fender vents and the bar across the taillights.
Close-up of the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Evo rearMazda / Polyphony Digital
It May Not Be Real, But The Specs Should Be Sweet
Even though Mazda didn’t reveal any specifications for this virtual-only car, we do have the standard RX-Vision GT3’s specs as a baseline. The car is meant to weigh 2,756 pounds, and it has a slight weight bias to the rear with 48% over the front and 52% over the back. Under the long hood is a 2.6-liter naturally-aspirated four-rotor engine capable of producing 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. It’s effectively built to match the real world’s GT3 class of cars, and it falls into the equivalent Group 3 class in the Gran Turismo video games. Odds are that most of these specifications will be about the same on the Evo. We should have all the details soon, as the car will appear in the game to drive by the end of the year.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
We don’t expect to ever see a production version of the RX-Vision Concept, whether it’s a road car or a race car. Not only is the concept quite old at this point, but Mazda has moved on to creating other concept sports car designs. In fact, one might even wonder why Mazda is bothering to do anything at all with this concept. It’s surely an easy way for Mazda to maintain interest in the brand from car and racing enthusiasts.
The race car is completely digital, and based on an existing in-game car, so it would be relatively quick and easy to update, and it would get a bit of low-cost buzz from fans who own the game. Also, since it represents the manufacturer team in the Gran Turismo World Series, it makes sense to keep the car looking spiffy and up-to-date, rather than an aging reminder of what the company used to do. From another perspective, you might just wonder why Mazda didn’t do this sooner.
