Gran Turismo 2: Beige Edition and the Rise of Ordinary Cars

Why ordinary cars are gaining fans

The principal appeal of Top Gear is, understandably, its coverage of exotic, covetable performance cars. Naturally, we are happy to report whether the latest Skoda Enyaq is marginally improved over the previous Skoda Enyaq (it is), but honestly, that is not why you are here. You want to admire some absurd, tyre-destroying machine that you would sell a kidney on the black market to possess - even knowing the second kidney might have to go simply to pay its insurance.

Yet you may have spotted a growing strand of car culture that prizes the mundane rather than the exceptional. Shows such as Festival of the Unexceptional and Mismatch at the Hatch exist to celebrate some of the most tedious cars imaginable from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Only at gatherings like these will you encounter a concours-specification, completely rust-free 1988 Austin Montego that is, somehow, the cherished possession of its owner. Montego is supposedly a Spanish-derived name meaning ‘mountainous’, although it would be a small miracle if that car managed to climb even a modest incline.

Gran Turismo 2: Beige Edition celebrates bland metal

Usually, racing games fulfil much the same role as Top Gear: they bring you nearer to the experience of driving Ferrari's newest assortment of letters and numbers. However, this enthusiasm for the unexciting has also made its way into the digital world, if by a somewhat unusual route. The Gran Turismo series has always aimed to represent the full spectrum of automotive transport, but evidently that still did not satisfy certain resourceful fans.

That brings us to the wonderfully named Gran Turismo 2: Beige Edition, a fan-created modification for the 1999 PlayStation title Gran Turismo 2. It introduces more than 330 cars from upwards of 50 manufacturers. And yes, its poster car really is a Chrysler PT Cruiser.

For bland metal, the mod's designer - a man known as HWTsuchiyaNathan - has impeccably specific taste, assuming that is not a blatant abuse of the word ‘exquisite’. Where else in a racing game could you fling a Vauxhall Sintra past a Fiat Marea Weekend on the way to victory? Its dedication to the forgettable is anything but forgettable.

Are older ordinary cars more engaging?

I am weary of hearing complaints about EVs, and I believe they have a valid role as everyday commuter cars. Still, I cannot avoid wondering whether this revived affection for standard-issue boxes comes not only from nostalgia, but also from the fact that most modern electric cars are profoundly short of character. The thrill of pinning passengers' heads to their headrests with warp-speed acceleration soon fades, and what generally remains is a weighty, detached driving experience.

Older cars are lighter, commonly possess amusing and unusual foibles, and come with one of many distinct combustion engines. Is it possible that a dull old car is naturally more enjoyable to drive than an ‘interesting’ new car that is, in reality, dull? I promise that sounded more coherent in my head...