Gran Turismo Awards Topped By 1960 Chevy Corvette

A 1960 Chevrolet Corvette has won the “Best in Show” award at the fourth annual Gran Turismo Awards, hosted by Sony Computer Entertainment America at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas, meaning the classic car will appear in a forthcoming Gran Turismo title. Hundreds of entries from the auto show were entered into the competition in one of five categories, the overall winner of which will then be included in the next edition of the popular video game series, just as winners from 2003 and 2004 have been included in Gran Turismo 4 on the PlayStation. Alongside the 2006-winning Chevrolet Corvette, the 2005 winner, a Honda S2000, will also be included in a future game, implied to be either Gran Turismo 4 Mobile on the PSP or Gran Turismo HD on the PlayStation 3. The other winners from the awards were as follows: Best European Import: Don Nicholson, for his 2008 Volvo C30. Best Domestic Automobile: Tajai Das for his 2006 Pontiac Solstice. Best Hot Rod: Craig Morrison for his 1960 Chevrolet Corvette. Best Japanese Automobile: Leigh Guarnieri for his 2007 Honda Fit. Best Truck / SUV: Daryl Klassen & Mike DeFord for their 2006 Hummer Judges consisted of various respected journalists and personalities in the automotive industry. Judging for each category is based on the judge's choice for a car with well-balanced performance, style and speed. The "Best in Show" award is selected by the creator of the Gran Turismo franchise, Kazunori Yamauchi. "The Gran Turismo Awards has established itself as a perfect forum to honor those automobile enthusiasts that share a passion for video games," said Yamauchi. "There is a strong parallel between the automotive and gaming industries, and we're excited to have an opportunity to celebrate that through the SEMA show."