On Wednesday, November 3, PlayStation hosted the 8th annual Gran Turismo (GT) Awards in Las Vegas, taking place in conjunction with the 2010 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, which recognizes and rewards automotive enthusiasts. SEMA Show participants were invited to submit their cars for consideration in the GT Awards, and a select panel of judges from the car enthusiast industry picked the top winner for each of five categories--Domestic, Truck/SUV, Hot Rod, Asian Import, and European Import. Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo franchise, carefully inspected each vehicle and learned about their history and performance from the owners themselves.

Every year, only one car can drive away with the coveted top honor. Nominees, family and friends, SEMA attendees and industry folks alike gathered at the Gran Turismo Awards ceremony, hosted by Cameron Evans at the Joint venue at the Hard Rock hotel, to find out who the award would go to. In the end, the Best in Show award went to went to Mark Stielow for his red 1969 Chevy Camaro. His gorgeous red muscle car will be digitally re-created and converted into a playable car in Gran Turismo.

Before and after the awards, attendees had a chance to test drive past GT Award winning cars, brought to life in Gran Turismo 5. And to end the night in style, attendees were treated to a set by DJ Diplo followed by a special live performance by rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Fans were pumped when lead singer Jared Leto invited them on stage to sing along with him during his last song.