In the Rearview Mirror: The importance of On-Ramps

May 1, 2022

Like many people of my generation, I grew up with the earliest video games. In the 1970s, I played Pong for endless hours on an Atari. I transitioned to computer games in the 1980s and ’90s. My adult video game experience has been more about watching my kids play on various systems. But I never thought I would be in Gran Turismo 7.

Yeah. I’m in that, part of the Sony PlayStation juggernaut. I can’t believe it either. How did this come about? Well, Sony is always looking for unique features to add to the game, and Hagerty was looking for a way to introduce serious esports drivers and casual gamers alike to the best cars in the history of motorsports. Our world, in other words.

Match made in heaven.

In the game, players can earn credits toward the “purchase” of over 70 carefully curated cars in the Hagerty Collection, which is located in the Legend Cars Dealership, found right on the home screen.

All of them, I can assure you, are a blast to drive—and I have had the chance to drive many of them in real life. But the hook is that I am personally depicted as a guide in the garage to help people make their purchases.

Here are a few of my favorites:

  • 1964 Aston Martin DB5, about which avatar-me says: “A rare gem both in terms of price and its head-turning allure. And we all know who’s responsible for that, don’t we? That’s right. Bond. James Bond, from the hugely popular 007 movie series.”
  • 1963 Chevrolet Sting Ray Sport Coupe (C2). My take: “No sports car says ‘America’ quite like the Corvette! Later versions that feature the L88 racing engine are very collectible and regularly sell for over a million dollars. The 1963 coupe is perhaps best known for its split rear window.”
  • 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. “One of the last Ferraris that could be driven on the road and successfully raced. Famous drivers including Graham Hill, Richie Ginther, and Mike Parkes drove them in the U.K. in the 1960s.” Side note: In 2018, a 1963 Ferrari 250 that won the 1964 Tour de France Automobile reportedly sold for $70M, making it one of the most expensive cars in the world.

Did you notice the value of each car was referenced? That’s because the value of the cars in the game will rise and fall based on their real-world value changes as determined by Hagerty’s data, lending an extra layer of realism.

While it is incredibly fun to be part of the biggest motorsports game franchise in history, there’s a not-so-sneaky goal behind our involvement in Gran Turismo and all of the other elements Hagerty has added in recent years to our growing ecosystem of car events and experiences. We strive to make people smarter about the cars they buy and own. That’s part of our larger purpose to save driving and car culture. Well-informed car owners are happy ones.

Cars and car culture matter to us. We know they matter to you, too. And we want the hobby to continue thriving, so we’re trying to build as many on-ramps to it as possible, including video games and esports, youth judging programs, manual transmission training, cultural events like Cars at the Capital, and so on.

Come join me in the game.