Gran Turismo's February Update Is the Perfect Excuse to Get Back Behind the Wheel

The 1970 Citroen DS 21 Pallas is the first from the legendary list, and the graphics on this thing look superb. To say Citroen knew what they were doing with this model would be a bit of an understatement. During the 1965 Paris Motor Show, this baby managed to score 12,000 orders on its first day alone, but by the end of the 10-day event, that number skyrocketed to an astounding 80,000 units ordered.

These superb DS 21 models were made only from '68 until '75, and they came packing a 2.2-liter engine that could produce 101 hp (102 ps), 107 hp (108 ps), and 125 hp (127 ps), depending on the options. Overall, this thing was so impressive for its time that it came in third place for the "Car of the Century" title, only behind the VW Beetle and the famous Ford T.

Next up, it's the very first Japanese car to win an F1 race, the 1965 Honda RA272. Donning a 1.5-liter transversely mid-mounted naturally aspirated V12 engine, this 1,098 lbs. (498 kg) racing machine could output 228 hp (231 ps) at 12,000 rpm. When you visit the in-game Cafe, you will find that the Extra Menu No. 16: Collection: Honda Motorsports (Collector Level 47) has been added.

The 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS (901) also comes alive in GT7, with great-looking graphics, I might add. Compared to the standard 911 model of that time, the RS had lighter bodywork all around, including elements like the trunk lid, roof panel, rear quarter panels, and external door panels.

Porsche wasn't messing around when they tried to make this thing light on its feet. The badge was just a sticker instead of the normal metallic plaque you'd get. This was no "comfort-mobile" by any stretch of the imagination, on account that even the door handles were replaced with leather straps.

This RWD beauty was equipped with a 2.7-liter engine that had the bragging rights for 207 hp (210 ps) with 188 lb-ft (255 Nm) of torque, and it could get from 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 5.5 seconds. Its top speed reportedly was 152 mph (245 kph).

In the corresponding Cafe in-game section, you will find that the Extra Menu No. 17: Collection: Porsche 911 Carrera RS (Collector Level 39) has also been added.

Finally, we have the Italdesign EXENEO Vision Gran Turismo model that looks like the Mars Rover and Tesla had a baby together, and it grew on steroids to compete with the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, for some reason. At least, this is what I see when I look at it. But getting back to normalcy, the EXENEO marks the first time Italdesign has made a Vision model for the franchise, but it's also meant to celebrate the company's 55th anniversary.

The fictional vehicle is powered by a V10 and has an electric motor hybrid system. Its first mode of driving is "Street," which is logically better suited for the track, but it also has an off-road mode with a higher ride height and bigger tires, so you can play with it in the dirt.

This would be all as far as the new car content is concerned, but that's not everything the update has to offer. When you hit Collector Level 15, you will unlock the "Grand Valley - Highway 1" track in the Americas section.

Also included in the World Circuits are the World Touring Car 600, the Gr.1 Prototype Series, American Sunday Cup 600, the Japanese Clubman Cup 550, and the historic Sports Car Masters. If you can't see some of them, it means you haven't yet gotten to the required Menu Book number, so just keep playing until they show up.

New camera functions have been brought over to the Scapes mode. For example, Drift Photography, Height-Adjustable Spots, and a Heat Glow effect are now available. If you don't get all the knobs and dials figured out for the drifting part, don't worry about it, just look for the in-game tutorial.

In Garage mode, when you fiddle around with your most prized possessions, you will discover that the DualSense controller is more "alive," if I may. Every time you will change cars here, you'll hear the engine startup sound coming from the controller and feel an appropriate haptic vibration.

Things like this make you wonder why they didn't think of that during production. In any case, big picture-wise, this is kind of it for the February update.