If you're a fan of endurance racing, or even just a Gran Turismo veteran, chances are you've heard of Super GT. Japan's top-tier tin-top racing series (formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC) sees GT racing cars do battle on some of Japan's greatest racing circuits. Fuji Speedway, Suzuka, Twin Ring Motegi, and let's not forget the overseas round at Thailand's Chang circuit. You have the GT300 cars; a mixture of European GT3 cars and home-grown GT300 and Mother Chassis racers. Then there's the GT500 cars; the pinnacle of GT racing cars and some of the fastest closed-cockpit racers on the planet.
GT500 cars may look like road-going sports cars, but they're actually tube-frame silhouette racers that share very little if anything in common with production models. There are three cars found in this class: the Honda NSX-GT, Nissan GT-R Nismo and Toyota GR Supra. All of these cars are front-engined (even the NSX), with 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines cranking out 650 horsepower. The aero kits produce immense downforce, giving these cars similar cornering speeds to prototypes. In that opening image, I was going around the 130R curve at Suzuka at 175 miles per hour without lifting. These cars are fast. Faster than GT3s, faster than IndyCars, as fast if not faster than a 2014-era LMP1. Trust me, I checked.
So if you want to try out one of these beasts for yourself, then you're in luck. Japanese modder Natsuki offers the AVR 500-R, based on the 2020-spec GT-R Nismo GT500. It's a pay mod that costs ¥500 (around £3.70 at current exchange rates), although that price has been cut to ¥399 (around £3.00). I'm not sure if that reduced price will last, so bear that in mind. Once you get your hands on the car, you might want to swap out the generic liveries for some authentic Super GT replica paint schemes, which can be sourced from RaceDepartment (and which can be seen in these photos).
The vehicle is highly-detailed, with actual telemetry being used to create a highly-accurate simulation of the GT500 car. That also extends to the visuals, with both the interior and exterior boasting exquisite detail. This bodes well for the driving experience, since you don't get the sense that your money has gone to waste.
True enough, once you get out on track, you know you're in for a good time. The steering is somewhat heavy, though not excessively so, and allows for precise control through the corners. At slow speeds, you need to be careful with the throttle, as this kind of power in a light frame makes it easy to spin out. As you build up speed, however, the downforce starts to build up, and you can carry serious speed through the curves. Essentially, the faster you can enter a curve, the more grip you'll have and the better off you'll be coming out of it. It might sound counter-intuitive, and indeed there is still a limit to just how fast you can corner before you just spear off the road, but this car suits a driver who is not afraid to push. If you can race and be successful with a Formula One car or a Le Mans Prototype, then you'll do just fine with a GT500 car. Just ask Jenson Button.
So now it's time for the verdict, and since this mod costs money, there's greater pressure to get this right. I can unequivocally say that the AVR 500-R is worth the money. It has no graphical flaws, and although it replicates a racing series that is somewhat niche, the driving experience is sublime. In fact, the only complaint I have with this car is that it has no competition. Having the GT-R is great, but having an NSX and a GR Supra joining it would be even better, and I really hope Natsuki uses their talent to bring us these other GT500 cars. Considering how they've nailed this Nissan, I believe their future releases will be something to behold.
If you want to buy the AVR 500-R, then you can do so from this site. As mentioned before, it costs between £3.00 and £3.70.
As with other paymods, this car uses a generic name and liveries. You can source user-created replica liveries from RaceDepartment (as seen in these photos), including the #23 Motul Autech, #12 Calsonic Team Impul, #3 Craftsports Motul and #24 Kondo Racing (which is driven by Wales' own gamer-turned-racer, Jann Mardenborough) GT-Rs. As with all files from RD, you will need an account to download them.
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