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If It Were MY Car: Developers Discuss Their Dream Rides from “Test Drive Unlimited”

On the season finale of A Time For Stylin’: A Test Drive Unlimited Story, Johnny explored the depths of the game’s intricate house upgrade system. Now, in tonight’s shocking conclusion, he ponders what it would be like to own one of the game’s 125+ officially licensed vehicles. Not just in the game, but in the real world as well.

Cruising down the road at unparalleled speeds, he’d drive so fast that red lights would turn green for him. (Cue dream sequence.)

“Wow! I can’t believe how fast this car is!”

A strange man pops out of the backseat. “May I take the wheel?”

“Hey, who are you!?”

“I’m the president of Gizmundi, an independent manufacturer of GPS devices that play video games.”

“Oh, really? Well, uhh…as prestigious as that sounds, my gut says…”

The man frowns.

“…I’ll drive now, you can drive later.”

“Thanks! I really LOVE Ferraris!”

(End dream sequence.)

Having such vivid dreams himself, Johnny was curious to know which cars the makers of Test Drive Unlimited would like to take off the lot. In his letter, Johnny asked the following questions:

1.) If you could own any of the cars featured in Test Drive Unlimited in real life, which would you want?

2.) Why would you choose that particular car?

3.) How would you customize it? (Looks, performance enhancers, etc.)

4.) What would you do with your new dream car once you were finished customizing it?

"Several developers (and others at Atari) took the time to answer Johnny's letters in this exclusive GameZone feature. The following are their responses."

Alexis Madinier, Senior Level Designer on TDU: “Aston Martin Vanquish S V12!!! Why? ‘Cause I love it!!!!!!!! It’s powerful, classy but it looks less “pimpy” than Italian beasties like a Ferrari. It could be the car I use everyday to go to work, unlike a Ferrari that is only for showing off IMO. It kicks m French pride in the ***, but my favorite car is an English car…eeeek I’m doomed !!! For customization, I'd throw on some 19” nine Spole lightweight Forged Alloy Wheels, my color would be Berwick Bronze, and I'd lay down some nice interior black leather. I would not modify its performance ‘cause I would never race with it and its original performance stats are already enough for me to lose my driving license! Although admittedly, I'd probably race this thing around some windy roads in the Alps with my girlfriend, just because I could!”

Alexis Madinier

Rick Meher, Atari U.S.: “Well if I had to pick one car from Test Drive Unlimited, I’d want the Koenigsegg CCR. I mean it’s one of the fastest cars in the world, with a top speed exceeding 240 mph. Who wouldn’t want to drive a car that fast? Once I got it I’d make some adjustments to the engine, to see if I could get it to go even faster. I’d also probably want to upgrade the suspension and handling system. Wouldn’t want to lose control of my dream car and mess it up as soon as I started driving it, right? Once I was done with my upgrading, I’d be taking it out on the roads to see how fast the CCR really can go. Everybody loves fast cars, and my Koenigsegg CCR would be the fastest car around hands down. I’d be the envy of everyone on the road!”

Nour Polloni, Producer on Alone in the Dark: “While my colleague would choose a car with raw power and speed, I’d pick a car that’s a good mix of speed and style. I’d go with the Pagani Zonda Roadster. It just looks so cool, and while it’s not as fast as a Koenigsegg, it’s no slouch in the speed department either. Once I got my dream car, I’d change the color of the paintjob and the interior to black, and add some stylish rims. After I’m done upgrading, I’d cruise around and show it off. I mean, what good is having a beautiful car if you’re driving so fast that it looks like a blur to everyone? My Zonda Roadster could fly when I needed it to, but I’d probably just drive it around casually so that everyone could appreciate how amazing my car looked.”

Nour Polloni

Alistair Hatch, Atari Europe: “I'd pimp out this already pimped out 1965 fiat! I'd use this car because well...just look at it! It's the size of a teacup! We'd be racing along Oahu's greatest coastal roads and I'd hit my turbo and be goooooooone!!!”

Stephen Baer, Atari Senior Brand Manager U.S.: “I'm a motorcycle fan myself, so I've already got this baby customized just the way it should be. Racing this in Test Drive Unlimited, I'd smoke you so fast I'd get the pink slip to your car, AND your house! My colors are obviously yellow and black and I'd race cars and bikes on windy mountain roads in Oahu.”

Stephane Caillet, Programmer on TDU: “I’d go with the Aston Martin Vanquish S. I mean who doesn’t want to drive around in an Aston Martin, especially one that was in a James Bond movie? Top speed of over 200 mph? Fastest Aston Martin ever? I’d upgrade the engine to make it go even faster. I’d also upgrade the brake system so I could stop on a dime if I needed to. Once I was finished with my upgrading, I’d drive through the city and soak up all the jaw-dropping stares that my dream car would surely receive. Nothing says style and class like an Aston Martin, and my Vanquish S would be the most stylish car on the road.”

Stephane Caillet

Alain Jarniou, Lead Scenaric programmer on TDU:

1.) Lamborghini Gallardo.

2.) Sooooooooooooo sexy!

3.) Don’t touch that car!

4.) Ten miles on a scenic se-side road, elbow by the window, with the radio set to max volume listening to the flight of the Walkyries on TDU classical.

Alain Jarniou