Hello Gran Turismo Fans.

As posted last week I am very pleased to confirm that lots of great new GT5 DLC is in PlayStation Store update.

So what’s in this batch of new content? Well firstly there is a brand new car pack (Car Pack 3) featuring stunning new additions to the Gran Turismo car line-up. Vehicles offered in this pack include one of the most exciting cars of recent years – the outrageously quick Lamborghini Aventador. Lining up alongside that fine motoring specimen is perhaps one of the most potent vehicles ever released by Aston Martin, the beast-like Vantage V12.

Adding to the attractive line-up are two classics, the Jaguar XJR9 1988 LM and ‘vee dub’ 1200 1966 and finally if all this power and grace was not enough, completing the pack are the innovative Nissan Leaf electric car and Mini Cooper S.

The whole exciting package comes in at €5.99 or equivalent within your local currency. That’s a whole lot of hot virtual metal or bang for your buck – choose your own description!

The second DLC being released today is the Speed Test Pack. The Speed Test Pack features an oval enigmatically named Special Stage Route X. What it is behind the name is a beautifully rendered massive oval with extra-long 7.5 mile straights and large radius curves which mean you don’t need to lift off at any point. This pack also features a performance measurement mode that will allow you test top speed, acceleration and whole lot more.

Is there any better location to test the Red Bull X2011, Bugatti Veyron or possibly another much cherished, much enhanced motor from your garage?

The Speed Test Pack is priced at €3.99 or equivalent within your local currency.

And finally to top off all this great new DLC is the brand new FREE Functionality Update 2.03 (which you will need to install to run the new DLC). In addition to enabling the DLC, the new update features a host of improvements and new features.

Full details of all the great new content can be found on gran-turismo.com and more news will be coming soon on Gran Turismo, so of course keep checking back here on PlayStation Blog.

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If you saw the GT Academy post last Friday you will know that this weekend, history was made with a race team composed entirely of PlayStation gamers taking to the track at the Dubai 24H as the final act in the GT Academy competition run in conjunction with Nissan.

The record breaking team included Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the first GT Academy in 2008, and 2010 winner Jordan Tresson. The remaining two berths in the team were taken by Jann Mardenborough and Bryan Heitkotter, the winners of the 2011 GT Academy contests in Europe and America respectively.

Following a weekend of drama and tension, the four Academy winning gamers managed to achieve an outstanding third-place in class podium finish. The chequered flag was eventually taken by British driver Jann Mardenborough.

Reflecting on his incredible journey from Gran Turismo 5 gamer to real-life professional racing driver an ecstatic Jann had the following to say:

“That was without doubt the weekend of my life, the only thing that compares to it is winning GT Academy last June. It feels like pure joy. This is just the first step for me and now I hope that my performance in Dubai can take me further.”

The race marks the end of this particular chapter of the GT Academy story for both Jann and Bryan Heitkotter, but I’m sure it will not be the end of their journey.

More news on GT Academy will be coming soon and will be found here on PlayStation Blog and gran-turismo.com.

In the meantime I hope you will join me in congratulating our four gamers on their outstanding, record-breaking achievement.

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Hello Gran Turismo fans,

Last week we confirmed a whole host of new content coming your way for Gran Turismo 5 and I can confirm that it’s all now ready and available for your gaming pleasure.

First on the menu and published on PlayStation Store earlier today is DLC Pack 2, featuring four brand new rides including new Scirocco, Golf , Mini and GTR models.

Also available this week is Functionality Update 2.02 which went live yesterday. The update features a host of GT community inspired game improvements and the rather lovely Christmas bonus of a free Toyota 86 GT ’12 DLC vehicle (pictured at the top of this post).

So there you are lots of great new content to keep you going over the festive period, we hope you enjoy it (both the content and the festive period!).

Full details of Functionality Update 2.02 and DLC Pack 2 can be found on gran-turismo.com now.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Hello Everyone,

This Monday there were nervous, sweaty fingers aplenty poised on any manner of gaming peripherals…the reason? A special Gran Turismo 5 driving event that could possibly be the biggest ever race.

At precisely 15.20 BST on Monday, over 7500 Gran Turismo gamers lined up on a virtual starting grid in a unique 3-way simultaneous race that saw F1 legend David Coulthard put his driving reputation on the line in a real versus virtual driving battle quite unlike any other.

Coulthard’s real-life challenge on the Dunsfold circuit, better known as the Top Gear Test Track, was beamed live via internet to thousands, he was joined at the track by F1 race commentator Martin Brundle who presented the live race action.

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Hello Everyone

Avid PlayStation Blog readers may recall that when Gran Turismo 5 launched in November last year, alongside the standard and collector’s edition versions of the game, we also launched the GT5 Signature Edition.

Nestling amongst a host of premium content contained within the glossy sculpted metal box was the entry card to a unique competition to win a real life supercar – the gull-winged Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

The 6.2 litre dream machine that one triumphant Gran Turismo 5 gamer will eventually own is one of the world’s most sought after vehicles and delivers 571hp, acceleration of 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 317km/h.

Having honed their skills and mastered Gran Turismo 5′s in-game B-Spec mode, our 15 finalists will now take part in the real-life Mercedes-Benz GT5 Driving Challenge between 11th & 12th July at the famous Red Bull Ring in Austria in their bid for the top prize.

Standing between them and some seriously hot wheels are a number of testing challenges put together by an expert AMG driving team including former F1 star David Coulthard, and Bernd Schneider, the legendary German DTM driver.

Eventually, following a final a head-to-head drag race, one winner shall emerge with the keys to one of the world’s most exotic supercars.

To put things in context, getting yourself into one of the exclusive AMG driving schools is probably a dream enough experience for most of us, so it’s pretty incredible to think that very soon a PlayStation gamer will emerge from the Driving Challenge event as the proud owner of the flagship AMG sportscar – all from having qualified through Gran Turismo 5.

You can find full details of the fortunate 15 and follow their progress in the Signature Edition finale on Facebook.

We will be sure to bring you news of what is certain to be an extraordinary experience for all of them and one that’s going to be extra special for one person.

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