Someone finally answered the question nobody was asking: what if Gran Turismo 2 had more minivans and fewer Ferraris? Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition is an upcoming mod that strips away the glamorous supercars and replaces them with the automotive equivalent of plain oatmeal. We’re talking about Chrysler PT Cruisers, Pontiac Trans Sports, and Toyota Funcargos. The poster car isn’t a McLaren F1 or Nissan Skyline GT-R. It’s a PT Cruiser. That should tell you everything you need to know about this beautiful disaster of a project.
What Exactly Is Beige Edition
Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition is the brainchild of modder HWTsuchiyaNathan, who previously worked on the Project A-Spec mod that added period-appropriate cars to GT2. But where A-Spec aimed to enhance the game with cool stuff you might actually want to drive, Beige Edition takes the opposite approach. It celebrates automotive blandness with religious devotion. The goal is simple: add over 330 brand new cars from more than 50 manufacturers, all chosen specifically for their ability to make your eyes glaze over in a grocery store parking lot.
The mod doesn’t just add cars either. It includes over 150 trim and model edits to existing base game vehicles, a completely revamped career mode presumably built around racing sensible family transportation, redesigned menus and assets, universal used car dealerships, and even a new in-race soundtrack. There’s no release date yet, which means the team is taking their time to ensure maximum mediocrity. When mods take this long, they either never get finished or they emerge as something genuinely special. Let’s hope for the latter.
The Cars That Nobody Asked For
The teaser trailer is a masterclass in celebrating automotive anonymity. Among the confirmed additions are American classics like the Chevrolet Cavalier, Mercury Mountaineer, Pontiac Trans Sport minivan, and Buick Roadmaster station wagon. Japan contributes the Toyota Corolla Spacio, Honda S-MX, Toyota Funcargo (known as the Yaris Verso in Europe), and various other boxes on wheels that your parents probably drove.
European offerings might be even better. There’s a Citroen Xsara Picasso, which was famously beloved by angry men from Hull according to British internet lore. The Fiat Marea Weekend estate car makes an appearance, along with the Lancia Lybra, Vauxhall Sintra minivan, and the legendary Austin Ambassador. The mod even includes the Kia Pride, a car so unremarkable that most people forget it existed despite millions being sold. These are the automobiles that defined the late 1990s for regular people who needed to haul groceries and kids, not lap times and podium finishes.
Why This Actually Matters
Here’s the thing though – mundane cars were always part of Gran Turismo’s DNA. The first game let you drive a 1989 Mazda Miata with 115 horsepower. GT2 had Honda Civics, Mitsubishi Galants, and Toyota Corollas alongside the Vipers and Skylines. Part of what made early Gran Turismo special was that it respected ordinary cars and gave them the same attention to detail as exotic machinery. You could appreciate the engineering that went into a Honda Accord just as much as a Dodge Viper GTS.
More recently, Gran Turismo 7 has caught heat for adding crossovers like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Peugeot 2008 to its roster. Fans complained that these vehicles have no place in a racing simulator. But those critics miss the point. Gran Turismo has always been about celebrating car culture in all its forms, not just the expensive bits. Beige Edition takes that philosophy to its logical extreme by asking: what if we made a Gran Turismo game where the boring cars are the stars?
The Brilliant Trailer
The announcement trailer deserves special recognition for its comedic timing and attention to detail. It recreates the intro film from Gran Turismo PSP, which featured sleek shots of premium automobiles set to dramatic music. Beige Edition faithfully mimics that style, except instead of a Nissan GT-R getting a moody headlight close-up, we get a PT Cruiser. Where the PSP intro had a Mercedes SLR McLaren leading a convoy of performance cars, Beige Edition gives us a Vauxhall Cavalier.
The trailer perfectly captures that early Gran Turismo aesthetic of making every car look important and aspirational through careful cinematography and music choices. Watching a Pontiac Montana minivan get the hero car treatment is genuinely funny but also kind of touching. These vehicles served millions of families faithfully. They deserve their moment in the spotlight, even if that spotlight is powered by a PlayStation 1 and running at 480i resolution.
The Modding Community Behind It
Beige Edition represents years of work from a dedicated team. The project lead is The Real Emile, with HWTsuchiyaNathan serving as head of design and BoostandEthanol as chief technical officer. Car models and textures come from HWTsuchiyaNathan, The Real Emile, Titleguy, Indie101, NoisyDean, TTDriver, The N00Ster, and 7keyz. Menus, logos, and assets were created by HWTsuchiyaNathan, Paddy, lowercase, The N00Ster, The Real Emile, Indie101, and Taiyo. BoostandEthanol handled car statistics, while mod tools came from Pez2k, Submaniac, Adeyblue, and Leo2236.
The fact that so many people are contributing time and expertise to a joke mod about boring cars speaks to the passion of the Gran Turismo community. Modding tools for PS1 games aren’t exactly user-friendly. Creating new car models, texturing them to match GT2’s aesthetic, balancing performance statistics, and integrating everything into the game requires serious technical knowledge. These folks aren’t doing it for money or fame. They’re doing it because they genuinely love Gran Turismo 2 and want to see what weird directions they can push it.
When Can You Play It
There’s no release date for Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition yet. The team is working on it at their own pace without external pressure or deadlines. Ambitious mod projects like this can take years to complete, and plenty never make it to full release. However, the fact that they’ve published a trailer and are showing off specific car models suggests they’re making real progress rather than just throwing around ideas.
When it does eventually release, you’ll need a copy of Gran Turismo 2 and the ability to run it through emulation or on modified hardware. The mod scene for PS1 games has matured significantly in recent years, making it easier than ever to patch ISOs and play modified versions of classic titles. If you’ve got a decent PC, Steam Deck, or even something like an Asus ROG Ally, running modified GT2 shouldn’t be a problem.
Similar Mods Worth Checking Out
If the idea of modded Gran Turismo games appeals to you, there’s a whole scene worth exploring. Project A-Spec, created by some of the same team behind Beige Edition, is a more traditional enhancement mod that adds dozens of period-appropriate cars that could have been in the original game. It includes everything from additional trim levels of existing vehicles to completely new models that fit GT2’s late 90s timeframe.
Other modders have created texture packs to improve the game’s visuals when played through emulators at higher resolutions. There are difficulty adjustments, physics tweaks, and even fully custom championship series with unique events and prize cars. The Gran Turismo 2 modding community has been quietly building an impressive library of modifications over the past few years, and it’s only getting more sophisticated as tools improve and knowledge spreads.
FAQs
What is Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition?
It’s a mod for Gran Turismo 2 that adds over 330 mundane cars like minivans, station wagons, and economy sedans from the late 1990s, along with a revamped career mode and new features.
When does Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition release?
There is no official release date yet. The development team is working on it at their own pace with no fixed timeline.
Who is making the Beige Edition mod?
The project is led by The Real Emile with HWTsuchiyaNathan as head of design and BoostandEthanol as chief technical officer, along with contributions from many other talented modders.
Why is it called Beige Edition?
The name refers to the boring, beige-colored mundane cars that defined the 1990s automotive landscape. These are vehicles most people owned but nobody considered exciting.
What cars are included in Beige Edition?
Confirmed additions include the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Pontiac Trans Sport, Toyota Funcargo, Citroen Xsara Picasso, Kia Pride, Austin Ambassador, Buick Roadmaster, and many other gloriously unremarkable vehicles.
Can I play Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition on original PlayStation hardware?
Potentially, but you would need modified hardware or methods to run custom ISOs. Most people will play it through emulation on PC or handheld devices.
Is this mod serious or a joke?
It’s both. The concept is humorous, but the execution is serious. The team is putting real effort into creating a quality mod that celebrates overlooked vehicles.
What other features does Beige Edition add?
Besides 330 new cars and 150 trim edits, it includes a revamped career mode, redesigned menus, universal used car dealerships, and a new in-race soundtrack.
What is Project A-Spec?
Project A-Spec is another Gran Turismo 2 mod created by some of the same team members. It adds period-appropriate cars in a more traditional enhancement approach rather than focusing on mundane vehicles.
Conclusion
Gran Turismo 2 Beige Edition is the mod we didn’t know we needed until someone had the courage to make it. In an era where racing games increasingly focus on exotic supercars and cutting-edge hypercars, there’s something refreshing about a project that celebrates the Honda Odysseys and Ford Windstars of the world. These were the vehicles that actually populated roads in the late 1990s, and they deserve recognition even if they couldn’t break the speed limit without wheezing. Whether this mod ever reaches full release remains to be seen, but the journey is already entertaining. Sometimes the most interesting gaming experiences come from people who look at established formulas and ask “what if we did the exact opposite?” In this case, that means replacing Italian exotics with Italian people carriers, and honestly, that sounds like a pretty good time.