You know NZ's influence in motorsport is big when some of our cars start making it into video games...
The second installment of Project Cars (which wears the groundbreaking nametag of Project Cars 2) will once again endeavour to deliver a true racing sim experience to a mass audience when it launches in late September.
Naturally, a lot of the big news leading up to release has been the drip feed of what cars the game will offer — the addition of rallycross machines as well as the coveted Porsche license rate among the top announcements. And with Slightly Mad Studios releasing their latest trailer overnight, a few more of the blanks were filled.
Included in them are a few 'Kiwi' cars.
The first of them is 'Mad Mike' Whiddett's 'RADBUL' Mazda MX-5 drift car. This car was a DLC from the first game, and re-appears in the second. Though notably they've only replicated it in its first-generation NC-MX-5 guise. And the second is Scott Dixon's Ganassi Racing machine from last year's IndyCar Series, which appears alongside a fully licensed 2016 IndyCar grid.
The third is a curious one; Tony Quinn's McLaren 650S GT3, as driven by Tony and a whole host of New Zealand drivers (including Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Gaunt, and Andrew Waite). The Macca, dressed in its familiar STIX livery, lurks in the background of the trailer for a few cheeky frames [as seen on the right of the above screenshot].
It's not the only GT3 car with Australian heritage in the game either. The Nissan Nismo R35 GT-R that ran in the 2016 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour also makes an appearance. Given that traditionally the majority of GT cars in Project Cars use unofficial liveries, their inclusion is a nice touch for Australasian motorsport fans.
With a bit of luck even more of them come out of the woodwork before September.