September 24 marked the opening day of the 2009 Tokyo Game Show 2009 at the Makuhari Messe, located in Chiba prefecture, Japan. On display was Gran Turismo for the PSP®, and a playable demo of Gran Turismo 5. The Gran Turismo 5 area set at one corner of the Sony Computer Entertainment booth overflowed with visitors excited to get their hands on the latest version of the game.

In addition to the playable demo on display, there was something else that grabbed the attention of visitors to the booth: the brand new, gull-winged Mercedes Benz SLS AMG sports car. This is a new model that was just unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show opening in Germany two weeks ago, and as part of a collaboration between Mercedes Benz and Gran Turismo, the car made its first public debut in Japan at Tokyo Game Show in support of Gran Turismo 5.

The SLS AMG is the flagship sports car from Mercedes Benz, replacing the SLR. Though the traditional long nose style is itself attractive, the gull-winged doors that open upward, pivoting on the roof, is the icing on the cake of this gorgeous, luxurious design, and harkens back to the legendary 1954 300SL, which brought about a revolution in sports cars back in its day.
In addition to the sleek, elegant design, the engineering behind the car is a conglomeration of the latest and best technological advances. The body is constructed of an aluminum spaceframe, and the engine is mounted front-midship. The gearbox is in a trans-axle layout merged with the rear differential. Its performance is overwhelming, with the dry sump lubricated 6.3 liter V8 engine, built by AMG, producing 571ps, accelerating from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 3.8 seconds, and reaching a maximum speed of 317km/h (197mph).

As a bonus to Tokyo Game Show attendees, the SLS AMG was also featured as a drivable car in the playable demo of Gran Turismo 5 on display in the Sony booth, positioned next to the actual car. Visitors to the booth were given the chance to test drive the SLS AMG virtually, putting it through its paces on the Tokyo Route 246 track.

Gran Turismo 5 Feature List Revealed at Tokyo Game Show

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Official Site

Tokyo Game Show 2009 Official Site