I Tested Some New Gran Turismo 7 Engine Swaps to Warm Up for the Latest Time Trial

It’s raining outside and I’m just itching to jump in the RX-8 and go “buy some bread”. I just know I won’t be able to behave if I do so, especially since I was so chill about driving for nine hours straight yesterday. At least it’s Thursday and I can log in to Gran Turismo 7 for the new Time Trial.

Sometimes I think that I may be so obsessed with racing because of all the video games I played in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

But then again, spending years and years with Real Time Strategy titles and shooters didn’t make me want to join the army or anything along those lines.

And I know I will often say the virtual world is no match for the real world, which is still 100% valid. While I’m working on starting my own real race team, spending more time in front of a TV screen is currently my only option.

And I just knew I could get a fast lap at Barcelona-Catalunya (GP Layout, no chicane), as I must have racked up thousands of laps around it in 25+ years. By the way, I’m still trying to raise enough credits for a McLaren F1. Even though I scored 250K from the Fugu Z Time Trial plus the two Stealth Cars from the Viewers Campaign, I’m not quite there yet.

Honda-Swapped Citroën 2 CV 6 Charleston ’86

Nine times out of ten, I will tell you that it’s simply not worth doing engine swaps in Gran Turismo 7. But ever since Spec IV arrived, I’ve been thinking about checking out the latest ones. I initially upgraded the Citroen 2 CV 6 Charleston for a Weekly Challenge event, and found out it could handle the extra power.

Going for a Honda Integra Type R B18C engine will turn the heat up a little more, and it’s not particularly expensive either. You’ll also gain a few pounds while you’re at it, but the whole package will still weigh less than two Honda Goldwing motorcycles put together.

If you know how much I like Hondas, you’ll realize why I had no choice but to go for a Spoon livery. I was surprised to get wheelspin in fourth gear, and annoyed to discover I had forgotten that’s as far as this gearbox will go.

A top speed of 113 mph/182 kph is anything but ideal for a track like Barcelona-Catalunya, where the main straight is over 0.62 miles/1,000 meters long. Anyway, the Citroen/Honda hybrid felt strange to drive, but decently fast nonetheless. Being that light it almost doesn’t need to slow down for the corners ahead, and I scored a 2:03.370 on my second lap.

Ferrari F355 Berlinetta ’94 Race Car

Have you seen the latest upgrade on the Ferrari 12Cilindri? YouTube was buzzing with videos on the topic, and Jason Camissa’s take on the whole thing was my favorite.

Who would’ve thought people would be happy to get a simulated manual gearbox on a Ferrari in 2026? When the F355 F1 showed up, I just knew I had to go back to GT7 and drive my virtual one again. I thought I’d bring it up to GT4 spec by increasing the power output and lowering the weight, but I may have gone overboard with the whole thing (418 bhp/2,678 lbs/1,215 kg).

After installing a widebodykit (100,000 credits), I looked at some of the 24 pages filled with custom liveries and opted for the Momo theme (42,500 more credits). Shouldn’t people get paid for the liveries they make for this game?

Or is that a thing and I’m just not aware of it? Anyway, I found myself hitting 161 mph/260 kph just before Turn 1, thinking I might aim for a GT3 spec next. Despite the RH tires, I still went sideways a few times, especially in the second, right hand corner. My fastest lap was a 1:52.176, and I had a feeling I’d improve in the Honda Step WGN.

V12 Powered Honda Step WGN Spada Premium Line ’23

It obviously wasn’t going to happen with the stock setup, even after going for all the upgrades. There are three engine swap choices for this machine, and you can easily build a Renault Espace F1 opponent if you don’t mind spending 600,000 credits.

That’s right, that’s how much you’ll be spending for the F3500-A engine, which will get you an increase of over 600 horsepower and a boatload of torque. Combine that with some RS tires and all the weight reduction packages, and you’ve got yourself an insane build.

I was almost certain I could lap Barcelona in 1:45, and it did! The gearing is something to get used to, as this car will do 80 mph/130 kph in first.

I was doing nearly 186 mph/300 kph before the first corner, and it’s all quite manageable if you ask me. The sad part was knowing the car for the Time Trial wouldn’t be nearly as fast.

Time Trial

That’s right, I already knew the Hyundai Elantra N TC ’24 would be no match for the V12-powered wagon. Just two and a half hours after the event went live, Calster was the fastest in the world with a 1:50.281. The target for Gold was 1:53.589, while the one for Bronze was 2:01.309.

I already had a Sprite-themed version of the car, and was somewhat annoyed to see the BoP rules come into play again. That means you get access to less power while having to deal with more weight.

I improved to 1:54.610 after just three laps, and that should be good enough for the Silver Record Reward. Tidgney mentioned it should be easy to go even faster than that, which is why I recommend watching his tutorial on the fast lap below.

I preferred seeing what my GT500-spec NSX was capable of, and the 1:40.821 I scored is one of my fastest laps around this track ever. I’ll be back with more information on the Weekly Challenges soon!