Kazunori Yamauchi hints at engine swaps in Gran Turismo 7

Car tuning is making a comeback in Gran Turismo 7, with the Tuning Shop allowing you to upgrade your car's performance.

This week’s State of Play show gave a breakdown of the extensive tuning options, hinting that engine swaps will be in GT7. And now series creator Kazunori Yamauchi has seemingly confirmed engine swaps for GT7 on Twitter.

Does Gran Turismo 7 have engine swaps?

Spotted by GTPlanet, a shot of the tuning menu in the State of Play video shows a heavily modified 1966 Volkswagen 1200. A closer look at the menu screen reveals the Beetle is upgraded with a 3.8-litre engine producing 455 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque.

There’s also a new “Engine Model” section that reads “M96/76-Porsche-’01.” This suggests the VW’s stock engine was replaced with a more potent Mezger engine from a 2001 Porsche 911 GT3. Engine swaps were not confirmed in the GT7 State of Play, however.

One user spotted the tuned Beetle during the stream and shared a screenshot on Twitter. Since then, Kazunori has shared this Tweet on his official Twitter account. While he hasn’t explicitly confirmed it, this strongly suggests that engine swaps are in GT7 for the first time in the series. Swapping engines will make it possible to build some crazy restomod projects in GT7.   

The Beetle was also upgraded with slotted brake discs and a racing exhaust manifold in the video. A comparison video between the stock and modified car showed how the upgrades significantly improved the performance on the track.  

Upgrade your car with over 60 performance parts

State of Play confirmed GT7 will have over 60 types of custom parts to improve your car's performance and handling.

The GT Auto shop is also returning, allowing you to change your car’s appearance with over 650 aerodynamic parts, 130 wheel types, and 1,200 paint shades. With thousands of customisation parts available such as rollcages and wide-body kits plus an improved Livery Editor, the personalisation options are endless.