Honda Racing Corporation has introduced the “SIM-02”: a fully functional Gran Turismo 7 simulator built inside the actual chassis of a retired GT500 racing car.
According to information posted on Instagram (and spotted by GTPlanet user XSquareStickIt), this is the genuine Honda NSX-GT chassis campaigned by ARTA in the SUPER GT series from 2017 through 2019. It last took the track in the real-world during the SUPER GT x DTM Dream Race at Fuji Speedway, and now, six years later, it has been given a second life as a sim-racing rig.
Rather than simply placing a large TV in front of the car, HRC engineers implemented a projection system that beams Gran Turismo 7 directly onto the windshield.
During a stage presentation at Osaka Auto Messe 2026, HRC project leader Yoshitomo Oka explained the philosophy behind the build. “Simply placing a monitor out front would have been easy, but I refused to do that,” Oka stated. “As someone with a technical background, my engineering spirit kicked in… I absolutely could not bring myself to compromise its beautiful proportions.”
The result is a “mixed reality” experience where the driver sits in the real bucket seat, strapped in with a six-point harness, looking through the real glass at the virtual track.
Igor Fraga Sets the Pace
To demonstrate the capabilities of the SIM-02, HRC called upon a man who knows a few things about bridging the gap between the virtual and real worlds: Gran Turismo champion and current Super Formula driver, Igor Fraga.
Fraga, who is racing for Nakajima Racing in the GT500 class this year, took the simulator for a time attack session at Suzuka Circuit. He didn’t hold back, setting a lap time of 1:41.948 using the NSX Concept-GT ’16 in-game.
“It’s fast — it’s a GT500, of course it’s fast!” Fraga joked during the presentation after watching the replay of his lap. “But even for a GT500 this feels even quicker somehow.”
Fraga offered some insight into the specific utility of a tool like this compared to real-world testing. While nothing replaces seat time on tarmac, the simulator offers consistency.
“One big difference from real racing is that in Gran Turismo you can lap the same circuit in the same conditions, over and over, as many times as you like. In a real Super GT weekend, when you first go out in free practice, the track isn’t rubbered in, there are lots of cars out, traffic to deal with… In Gran Turismo, you can do hundreds of laps in identical conditions.”
He also highlighted the “endless” nature of sim racing performance: “You can push to the absolute limit. And once you get there, you start to see that there’s actually a tiny bit more.”
Fraga even offered specific advice for tackling Suzuka in the game, noting that Gran Turismo 7 rewards aggressive curb usage more than some drivers might expect. “Instinct might say don’t ride the curbs too far, but in the first S-curve, going really wide over the curb is completely fine,” he advised fellow racer Syun Koide, who also attempted a time attack on the stage.
A History of “Real” Simulators
While the SIM-02 is unique in its use of a retired GT500 chassis, it’s certainly not the first time we’ve seen real cars repurposed as sim-rigs.
HRC itself previously built the SIM-01, which utilized a real monocoque from a Honda Racing School formula car. As Koiri mentioned during the event, “More than 90% of Honda’s current drivers have driven this monocoque. We all shed blood and sweat in it.”
More recently, we saw the Lexus Sport Concept paired with Gran Turismo 7 at the “Tokyo Future Tour 2035,” which allowed attendees to sit in a full-size physical model of the concept car. However, that experience was a bit more restricted; it was locked to a bumper-cam view, and the car itself featured a mysterious synthetic V10 engine note that raised questions about its powertrain.
The HRC SIM-02, however, appears to be the most authentic integration yet. By using a chassis that has actually seen combat in Super GT, it offers fans a tangible connection to motorsport history that a fiberglass mock-up can’t match.
For those in Japan, you might have a chance to try this rig out for yourself: it appears Honda plans to take the SIM-02 on tour to various SUPER GT race events throughout the 2026 season.
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