Gran Turismo Mode is the primary Simulation Mode of Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Gran Turismo Mode leads the player through a full career, starting from license acquisition and featuring hundreds of races for the player to enter.
Upon starting Gran Turismo Mode, the player is introduced to the World Map. In line with previous incarnations of Gran Turismo, this map features:
In Gran Turismo Mode, the player starts with 18,000Cr with which to purchase a starting car. They may either do so immediately, or proceed to license mode to obtain their license. There are a total of 6 possible prize cars to be won through this method.
Available Starting Cars[]
The following is a list of available starting cars in Gran Turismo Mode:
Click "show" to view
Daihatsu MIRA TR-XX Avanzato R '97 (11,140Cr)
Daihatsu STORIA X4 '00 (13,900Cr)
Mazda DEMIO GL-X '99 (14,660Cr)
Mazda Eunos Roadster '89 (16,900Cr)
Mazda Eunos Roadster '93 (17,000Cr)
Suzuki ALTO WORKS SUZUKI SPORT LIMITED '97 (12,220Cr)
Toyota SPRINTER TRUENO GT-APEX (AE86) '83 (13,550Cr)
Toyota VITZ U Euro Sport Edition '00 (12,880Cr)
Toyota Vitz RS 1.5 '00 (14,530Cr)
Volkswagen New Beetle 2.0 '00 (15,930Cr)
Mazda Roadster 1.8 RS '98 (B-License)
Mazda RX-8 (A-License)
Nissan Z Concept (iB-License)
Aston Martin Vanquish (iA-License)
Dodge Viper GTS R Concept '00 (S License)
Subaru IMPREZA Rally Car Prototype '01 (R-License)
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 (Arcade Mode Time Attack)
Home[]
Home is an area of the World Map where a player can view their Garage and Career Stats, save their game, trade cars between memory cards, and test their car.
Garage[]
The Garage lists all currently owned cars. It is by this method that a player selects which car to use for the next event. Cars can also be sold here. In the Garage, cars can be sorted by any one of a dozen criteria, including power, value, drivetrain and manufacturer to make it easier to select the correct car for the next race.
Game Status[]
The Game Status Screen details Career Statistics including Completion Percentage, Win/Loss ratio, licenses acquired and mileage driven. The completion percentage increases by approximately 0.2% for each race won, and includes all Gran Turismo Mode events, license tests (although not necessarily to gold medal standard), Arcade Mode Time Attack, and Arcade Mode Quick Races. Bonus Cars are awarded at 50% (Chevrolet Corvette C5-R (C5) '00), 75% (Mazda 787B Race Car '91) and 100% (Polyphony001 or F094/S) completion.
Trade[]
Gran Turismo 3 offers the opportunity for players to trade cars between memory cards. If two memory cards are present, both with GT3 game data, a player can buy a car from a second garage on the second memory card. In doing this, the car is traded to memory card 1 at dealership price.
Run & Settings[]
This mode allows the player to fine-tune the setup on a car by running it on one of the available tracks. The tracks to choose from are:
License Centre[]
- Main article: GT3 Licenses
In Gran Turismo 3, each event (except some Beginner League events) in Simulation Mode requires a license. The Gran Turismo License Centre offers five racing licenses (B, A, iB, iA and S) and one Rally (R) license. The five racing licenses must completed in ascending order and each subsequent license is increasingly difficult. The Rally license can be taken at any time. Most Beginner League events require either no license or a B License. The A License covers most Amateur events, and the iB and iA Licenses are required for most Professional League and Endurance League, with the last three Professional Events requiring the S License.
Go Race[]
This is the main racing area of Simulation Mode. It contains almost a hundred race series' split into five leagues:
Race Series' are either "Single Race" Events (where each race counts individually) or "Series Race" Events (where race results contribute towards a league system. Each Series awards a prize car for 1st place completion, and another is awarded for completing the whole League.
Beginner League[]
- Main article: Beginner League (GT3)
The Beginner League contains the most basic events, such as the Sunday Cup and Clubman Cup. It is an ideal starting point for beginners to the game. Entry to all Beginner League events requires no more than a B-License, with the exception of the A-License-level Gran Turismo World Championship.
Amateur League[]
- Main article: Amateur League (GT3)
The Amateur League contains the next level of events, such as the All Japan GT Championship and Dream Car Championship. Entry to most Amateur League events requires an A-License, with some requiring an iB or iA License.
Professional League[]
- Main article: Professional League (GT3)
The Professional League contains the most skilfully demanding events in the game, such as Formula GT and Like the Wind. Most events in this category require the iA License and some require the S License to enter.
Endurance League[]
- Main article: Endurance League (GT3)
The Endurance League features some of the most physically demanding events in the game, with events ranging in distance from the Seattle 100 Miles to the 318 mile Tokyo R246 Endurance. These events all require an iA License.
Rally Events[]
- Main article: Rally Events (GT3)
This category contains dirt racing events such as the Smokey Mountain Rally and wet weather events in the Special Stage Route 5 (Wet) and its reverse counterpart.
These events require a Rally License.
Car Dealer[]
The Car Dealer is where new cars are purchased. Each car is organized by manufacturer, which are then organized by country:
Most cars can be purchased directly from here, but some cannot. Polyphony has two cars in the game, neither of which can be purchased, so Polyphony does not appear in the Car Dealer.
GT Auto[]
GT Auto houses the Wheel Shop where the player can purchase a new set of alloy wheels for their current car. In GT Auto, the player can wash their car for 50Cr and change their oil for 250Cr.
Machine Test[]
In Machine Test, a player can test the acceleration and top speed of their car. These tests, consisting of 400m and 1000m drag runs and a full lap top speed trial, take place at the Test Course.