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The Mazda RX-Vision GT3 is an ultra-sleek virtual race car

It’s the latest virtual racer to feature in the Gran Turismo Sport game on PlayStation 4.

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Mazda RX-Vision GT3

Mazda has revealed a sleek virtual race car with a high-performance rotary engine.

Called RX-Vision GT3, it’s the latest addition to Gran Turismo Sport’s Vision series of fantasy racers, and is available to download and race in the PlayStation 4 game now.

While most manufacturers let their imaginations run totally wild when designing Vision cars, Mazda has kept its new creation grounded in motorsport reality. Based on the RX-Vision concept first revealed at the 2015 Tokyo motor show, it has been modified to conform with official GT3 regulations.

Mazda RX-Vision GT3
(Mazda)

Modifications include a wider track front and rear, chunkier wheel arches, removal of heavy materials and a stripped-back interior. The aerodynamics have been improved through the addition of a large air bonnet vent and tweaks to the front and rear spoilers and rear diffuser.

Power comes from a front-mounted four-rotor engine making 562bhp. Mazda enthusiasts have lamented the death of the rotary engine, which powered the firm’s classic sports cars such as the RX-7, but rumours suggest the quirky motor could make a return in Mazda’s hybrids in the future.

Like a piston engine, a rotary engine – often referred to as a Wankel engine after its inventor Dr Felix Wankel – makes its power through igniting a compressed mixture of fuel and air. However, instead of using pistons, it uses a triangular rotor that spins within an oval chamber.

Increasing the number of rotors increases the capacity of the chambers, similar to increasing the size and number of pistons in a typical engine, which improves performance by allowing more fuel and air to be ignited in each revolution. Therefore, the ‘four-rotor’ engine in the RX-Vision GT3 uses four separate rotors within four chambers.

Mazda RX-Vision GT3
(Mazda)

Rotary engines work well in performance applications because they perform best at high revs, but have proved difficult to make reliable in mainstream applications as they require a completely different style of driving to work properly. They also use a lot of oil, making running costs higher than conventional engines.

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