Ferrari Gets Gran Turismo of its Own

It could be said that some cars have developed their strongest and most faithful following through video games like Polyphony

Digital's Gran Turismo. No doubt Subaru's WRX STI, Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution and Nissan's GT-R wouldn't have anywhere near the sales levels they're now enjoying in North America, or for that matter they might not even be offered here at all if it wasn't for the “Need for Speed” generation's desire to finally drive these cars for real, instead of virtually.

The latest car to get the Gran Turismo nod is Ferrari's beautiful new California, and not just because the Gran Turismo game designers wanted to bring it to life on screen. No, this initiative was started by Ferrari's marketing department in Maranello, and along with what we can only imagine will be the car's installment in the game, Ferrari has been releasing short vignettes on a dedicated flash website, www.ferraricalifornia.com/webapp/.

Now, no matter your budget, as long as you have high-speed internet you can drive the new California, virtually at least. OK, it's more of a film than a hands-on drive, but we expect that the guys at Gran Turismo will have the California ready for PS3 soon.