GT2 Frequently Asked Questions
Cars not in game | Bugs & flaws | Different versions | GT1 differences | Other questions?

Cars/Manufacturers not included in the game?
There are so many cars in the game, but there are always persisting questions about some other cars...lets just say Gran Turismo did not include every car ever made in the known universe. There are licensing issues, that is, Polyphony Digital and Sony had to pay for the rights to use the car(s) likenesses, logos, and names to be included in the game. Think of the cars like sports draft picks; you can't have every cool car in the game. Even though some cars may be found in other games like Test Drive, TOCA, and Need For Speed, it's a matter of whether there were exclusive licenses or not pertaining to each manufacturer's car(s).

McLaren F1: The biggest rumor of them all. Yes, the dashboard is visible on the game cover (blame the Chiat/Day marketing department for that one). No, the car is not in the game. Don't bother to look for it, no GameShark code will unlock it, buying 99 black cars won't work either. A McLaren F1 has never been found in any of the Gran Turismo games. Don't waste your time. Anybody who says they found it is a liar. It's in Need For Speed, if you're desperate.

Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR: Another car rumor that just won't go away. It's not in any Gran Turismo game. However, there is the hidden CLK Race Car, which does not look quite like a CLK-GTR, but more like the CLK DTM racing machine. You must have a GameShark to get the CLK Race Car out from the disk. One theory is that Polyphony wanted the CLK-GTR, but couldn't because it was licensed to Need For Speed. Polyphony Digital went ahead and made their own version of the car, dubbed the CLK Race Car. Supposedly, Mercedes-Benz didn't like the CLK Race Car, so it was hastily removed from the game (but not the disk). Or maybe they put it there on purpose, because it is on the disk of all versions of the game. This is a case of "Those who know don't say, and those who say, don't know." There are reported press pictures of the CLK-GTR in GT2 (going around Tahiti Road), but they were included before the game was officially released. Live with it.

Ferraris: No Prancing Horses at all. They don't exist in any of the Gran Turismo games, except for the Ferrari-powered Lancia Stratos, and some of the formula cars in GT3. Lamborghinis: None to be found. Yes, a Diablo did sneak its way into GT3, as a hidden car. But there are no Lamborghinis in GT2, other than the Lamborghini-derived engine inside the Vector M12. Porsche: Nope. But there's hope in the shape of Ruf, a tuner of that famous German manufacturer. There are eight iterations of the 911, but no Boxsters or GT1-Evos. And to put down another rumor, there are no hidden racing modifications on the Rufs. Somebody at Stuttgart would have gotten mad. BMW M-cars: Forget it. You won't find an M1, M3, M5, M6, or any Motorsport-tuned BMW in the game. The same goes for the Z3 and the Z8, they nowhere to be found in the game. However, there are eight other BMWs to try out. No M-cars are hidden anywhere in the game, neither GameShark nor driving around the racetrack backwards will make them appear. Again, blame the manufacturers for the lack of these cars.

Volkswagen Polo: The car's title wound up in the intro sequence of the Arcade disk, but the car is hidden unless you have a GameShark code to buy it. I have no clue why the Polo is hidden, but for some reason, However, sometimes the AI races it in the Event Generator, so you can see what you're missing (not a whole lot, in fact).

Shelby GT500KR: If you go to the description of the Shelby GT500, it speaks of the GT500KR (King of the road). If you really want this Shelby, then you need a GameShark. It isn't any different than the GT500 you can normally buy.

There's also a few Japanese-spec Hondas hidden, but they offer no performance difference other than a racing modification. If you have the NTSC versions, then the Hondas are hidden; if you have the PAL or Japanese version, then the Acuras are hidden. It's the same scenario with Opel and Vauxhall. In the PAL version, you can change the language settings, and drive Opels in one language, and go to a separate Vauxhall dealership when you select English language. This means you can actually attain 100.91% in the PAL version! In the other versions of the game, the Vauxhalls are available only with a GameShark, and they can't be tuned at the Opel dealership (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Other hidden cars? Not much, but there's also two versions of each Toyota GT-One race car; one with Esso sponsorship, and another with Exxon sponsors, making a total of 4 racing versions. Exxon-Esso conflict creates virtually identical, but separate Peugeots that have racing mods with the logos. Again, you need a GameShark. There's also a distinctions between the Nissan Primeras and Infiniti G20s; they are the same car. There's even a few car bodies that didn't get cars to go with them: The Subaru RX Supercharged and the Ford GT40 Mark III are notable bodies without any corresponding chassis.

Formula cars: No, they are in Gran Turismo 3, so somebody told you a lie. Get an F1 racing game (there are lots to choose from). Milk truck, airplane, or any other such nonsense: Look, don't you know a joke when you see it? Yes, I know there's a shark in Wipeout 2, but let's not get carried away here. There are plenty of silly cars in GT2 already...check out my list of every car, if you don't believe me.

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Bugs and flaws with GT2?
The Machine Test Bug: That's all it can be called, really. If you go to the Machine Test, there are flaws in the game that erase your entire garage. This happens if you save your game right after you make the top speed, 400m, or 1000m runs, and you have more than 8 records for each. The 9th save may erase your garage, and you won't know it because you have just saved your game. There are versions of the game that don't have the problem, but there 3 ways to avoid this problem: (1) Avoid the Machine Test (2) Make only 8 runs at each section of the Machine Test (3) Check your garage before saving your game in the Main Menu of GT2, not right before you exit the Machine Test. It's probably best to save your game before entering the Machine Test area for Max Speed Runs.

Drag racing missing: Despite what the game's manual may say, there is no drag racing in the game. Three years since its release, nobody has found it yet. There's always someone trying to hack it out, but nobody's been sucessful. Thus, don't bother looking for it. The absence is a possible reason the game doesn't always register 100% complete (in some versions), or that aforementioned garage bug.

BMW at the Wheel Shop: You can cannot enter this race...cryptic, but BMW didn't want people messing with their rims in the game. You can find a GameShark code to change them, if you really need to.

Horsepower changes: Yes, sometimes the dealership will lie to you about the horsepower output of the car you've bought. It's not a bug, it's just built into the game (to simulate lying car salesmen). There are also sudden horsepower increases when you modify the performace-enhancing parts of the tuned car. No, you didn't gain anything, it's just some sort of miscalculation in the settings area.

Used cars: Only the "East City" has used car lots, and the colors and cars offered are not random, there is actually a method to its madness. Some cars are rarer than others, so it's helpful to check back every so often. The used cars change every 10 days, and the cycle of used cars is 600 days. So day 1, 601, 1201, et cetera have the exact same used car lots.

Changing from miles per hour to kilometers per hour: Yeah, the instruction manual says you can make the switch, unfortnately, there is no way to do it unless you want to buy the PAL version of the game. Sorry, miles per hour only for the North American (NTSC) versions.

Mysterious car appearances: Sometimes you will find a corrupted car in your garage. It will have an insane amount of power, but no weight (0 lbs.). As soon as you drive it, it goes to pieces. Sorry, but it's some mysterious flaw in the game, usually related to the Max Speed/Garage bug. Some users have reported that the CLK Race Car has appeared in their garage this way, too.

The Eigen loop track and Palm Strip. If you look closely at the names of the tracks as they flash by the intro sequence, you'll see the names of tracks that don't exist. You can't use a GameShark, they are completely inaccessible.

Spelling errors. Too many to name. The most notable ones are the "Grand Valley Bast" and the "Silhouete Fomula", and the unfinished Toyota Prius description. We could fill a page on it, but they don't affect the game, so why bother?

The preview for the ~197hp Italian Nationals race doesn't work, it sends you directly to the race if your car qualifies for entry.

The Venturi Atlantique 300 Biturbo is an MR car, but the game allows you to upgrade to a carbon driveshaft. No MR cars are supposed to get the upgrade, but this one got by.

The Mine's Lancer Evo. V comes with an limited-slip differential that allows tuning for the front wheels only. It's a four-wheel-drive car, so go figure.

Car Wash: Some versions say 5000 Cr, others say 50 Cr; in any case, it will only cost you fifty credits. And no, it's not as interesting as it was in GT1, nor will anything special happen by washing your car.

Mark Martin's #6 Taurus: This will show up as a racing modification for the Ford Taurus SHO if you have the correct version. However, due to licensing issues, the modification changed in other versions of the game, so it might not be available in your copy of GT2.

Muscle Car Cup: It's incorrect in some versions of the game. You need an I-A license to race these events in some versions of GT2. That brings us to...

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Several versions of GT2?
There is PAL for Europe, the Japanese version, but three North American flavors:

(Version 1.0) Car Wash says 5000 Cr, Muscle Car Cup licenses are incorrect, #6 Mark Martin's Taurus SHO as racing modification, 98.2% complete maximum.

(Version 1.1) Car Wash says 50 Cr, Muscle Car Cup licenses are incorrect, #6 Mark Martin's Taurus SHO is gone, 98.2% complete maximum.

(Version 1.2) Car Wash says 50 Cr, Muscle Car Cup licenses fixed, #6 Mark Martin's Taurus SHO is gone, 100% complete maximum.

The differences between the versions are hardly perceptible; there are no extra or hidden cars in different versions, just the detail changes listed here. In the latter versions, it is possible the garage bug has been corrected. Unless you are using GameShark codes or building hybrids, then the different versions have relatively little or no effect on the game.

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Differences from GT1?
There is no high-resoltion mode (or GT Hi-Fi) in GT2. No GameShark code will unlock it, so you're stuck with the regular frame rate and resolution. And if you miss Super Stage Route 11, sorry to disappoint you, but's it's not in GT2, either.

Where's the Mitsubishi GTO? It's called the 3000GT in the game (the model name of the car in North America). You can find a "flawed" GTO if you race mod a '95 VR-4, though. Also, the Nissan Silvia LM edition isn't in this game. The same goes for the Toyota Chaser LM edition; it didn't make the journey to GT2. As for the FTO and del Sol LM editions, they are now much more difficult to attain. Of course, there are so many new cars in GT2, so hopefully, you won't miss them much. (Now you have an excuse to play GT1.)

How do I set lap records? It's a little different than GT1; you actually have to set the lap records in the Time Trial mode of the Arcade Disk, then save your game. When you boot up the Simulation Disk, you'll see you lap records during each event. Note that besting your record in any race doesn't affect your time or speed, only beating it in Time Trials will change it. Five-race series tend to show the first race's lap record during all events (another bug).

Another difference is the horsepower claims for many cars. Some get a slight upgrade, some get a slight downgrade, and there's also many cars that were able to get 700+hp which were given more realistic power ratings. It all evens out. Also, racing modifications no longer result in a 500lb weight loss for the car, but just a fraction of that.

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Other questions?
How do I win the (prize car): Go here! And in case you were wondering, some prize cars are randomly awarded, so all the tricks and tips you've heard about winning the GT90, the Stratos, Nismo 400R, etc. are garbage. Even racing a Nissan is no guarantee of a Nissan prize car. The game may decide to give you any car and any possible color it chooses, even though there is no random-number generator in the PlayStation hardware. Some mysterious algorithm must decide the car and color choice, nobody's ever figured it out.

Can I get more than 100 cars in my garage: No, and GameShark codes to boost the garage count don't work. These codes can increase the garage size, but you can't use any of the cars, so it's worthless. Yes, GT3 has 200 garage slots, but here in GT2-land, it's 100. Also, you won't win any prize cars if you have all 100 spaces full. Get another memory card for more than 100 cars.

Memory cards: The regular GT2 game save takes up 4 memory blocks. Saving ghost cars, replay files, and the like will take up more space, so it's possible to use an entire memory card (or more!) just for GT2. I'd advise a second card if you're getting serious about the game. Do yourself a favor, and get a 1x card, anything else will fail on you eventually. Better yet, if you have a few extra bucks, get a DexDrive and save yourself some hassles.

Where's Autumn Ring Mini, Rome Night, and Motorsports Land? These three tracks are all on the Arcade Disk only (Rome Night sometimes appears in races where randomly-selected tracks can appear). You can force them all to appear in Sim Mode if you want to use a GameShark.

Are there any GameShark codes available: You bet, there are some amazing things you can do with one and GT2. Check out my codes page. This is how hybrids are possible (cars with different parts from other cars), too. And there's many more out there on the web. However, there are no cheat codes to punch in with your D-pad controller.

If your question or answer was not here, check out these helpful forums at www.granturismo.com or www.gtplanet.net. Or you can send me an email, but it had better be a good question or an error you found on my site. Praise is very cool too.

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