It's been five years since the announcement of GT7, and while that game is successful there is still a lot of room for improvement with GT8...
Gran Turismo is, for better or for worse, possibly the most well-known sim-style racing game series in the world. This means that every new entry is a big moment for the franchise and the wider racing game community. Love it or loathe it, people will still pay great attention to any and every new GT game that is announced. The series has been around for 28 years, first debuting on the original PlayStation in 1997 and most recently gracing our screens with the somewhat-controversial Gran Turismo 7 in 2022. Three years into GT7's life and it definitely seems that developers Polyphony Digital are starting to wind back on the frequency and scope of updates for the game. Inevitably, this leads players and fans to speculate on the future of the series and what will almost certainly be Gran Turismo 8.
Speculating about a future game, especially when there is no confirmation of any specific cars, tracks, features or anything at all from the developers is always a bit of a slippery slope. Often this leads to unrealistic expectations from fans as the community engages in a giant game of Telephone, rumors snowballing out of control until they end in disappointment when any official news about the game breaks. People often have unrealistic expectations, not only with respect to video games but in life in general; it is easy for anyone to sit behind a screen and declare that a feature should be added or changed but it is a lot harder to actually implement these suggestions. So for the purposes of this article, we aren't going to demand the addition of bombastic new features to the game. Spoilers, but I'm not going to sit here and claim that GT8 has to have some kind of Forza Horizon-esque open world mode, because that would be such a massive undertaking that it would essentially consume all of the developers' time and money to make it happen. And I think Polyphony Digital would do well to allocate their resources elsewhere.
For this article/wishlist to be the most impactful, we have to take a quick look back at how previous GT games have gone about innovating and improving upon their predecessors. Now, if you look at the series as a whole you will see a pattern of development; all of the odd-numbered games are the first entry on a specific generation of hardware, and all of the even-numbered entries are generally evolutions or expansions of the preceding odd-numbered entry while being on the same hardware. Obviously the original game counts as an odd entry, while Gran Turismo 3: A-spec was the first entry on the PlayStation 2, and Gran Turismo 5 was the first one on the PlayStation 3. We can consider these odd-numbered entries the so-called "generational leap" titles of the series.
Meanwhile, Gran Turismo 2 is essentially an expanded version of the first Gran Turismo. Players will debate whether the even-numbered titles are actually an improvement in quality or if merely in quantity, but you get the point. The same even-odd comparisons could be made between GT3 and GT4, as well as between GT5 and GT6. Each even-numbered game more or less contains most of the cars and tracks from the previous game along with some new additions, while there are more substantive changes to things like the career mode or missions. We can consider these even-numbered titles the so-called "iterative evolutions" of the series.
The fly in the proverbial ointment here is Gran Turismo Sport. At first, GT Sport operated as its own spin-off from the "mainline" series, with a larger focus on online multiplayer and esports competitions. If you wanted to play by yourself, there was not much for you to do. But over time, GT Sport sort of morphed into a more balanced experience between single-player and multiplayer racing.
GT Sport is like an impressionist painting of a standard Gran Turismo game; it sort of looks like the real thing but closer inspection shows it is not quite the same.
Why is this important? Because by the end of its life it could be argued that GT Sport was the seventh "mainline" game, and thus qualifies as an odd-numbered entry in the series. This is backed up by the fact that GT Sport was the first game in the series to appear on the PlayStation 4 and was a complete re-imagining of the game from the basic physics all the way to the end user experience. This is further underscored by the fact that Gran Turismo 7 looks and plays a lot more like Gran Turismo Sport 2 and an "iterative evolution" than a "generational leap" like GT3 or GT5 did compared to their predecessors.
At this point you might be thinking "when are we going to talk about Gran Turismo 8?" and I hear you. Well, I don't because this is a written publication and also I am not in your walls reading your mind. But you get the point. The GT Sport dilemma matters because no matter which way you look at it, GT8 will break with tradition. Either it will be an unprecedented "third evolution" of GT Sport or it will be a "generational leap" despite the fact that GT7 already bridged the generational gap to the PlayStation 5. Personally, only one path makes sense for GT8, and that's... another iteration from GT7.
It might seem counterintuitive to hope for an iteration versus a generational leap, but hear me out. The main purpose of a "generational leap" title is to take advantage of new hardware and general technological advancements. This improves things like graphics, the quality of car models, the detail of track scans, etc. that can all directly benefit from increased computing power and refinement in technology.
Obviously I don't speak for everyone but of all the places that GT7 is lacking, I don't think many people would argue that it's the graphics, handling, or general fidelity of the car and track models. I would argue that despite the game being heavily based on a game from 2017, GT7 is still class-leading in most of these departments. Handling tweaks and optimizations are inevitable between games, but while short of true simulators like iRacing or Assetto Corsa Competitzione and the like, GT7 is a perfectly serviceable console racing game experience when it comes to handling and physics.
Where GT7 is sorely lacking, both with respect to its own predecessors and as a video game in general, is in its structure and general user experience. By that I mean things like the single-player career, the way car buying and selling works, the way online multiplayer is structured, and the like. Really, I don't think that Polyphony Digital have to devise some radical new game mode or feature in order for the game to be successful. Most of the ingredients for a significantly-improved experience already exist in the game, but they just need to be put together differently.
What Remains From GT7
As I said, I think the next game in the series should be an evolution from the current one. Whether that's because GT7 has some incredible strengths, more glaring problems than these, or because I want the game to come out this decade is up to your interpretation. But here's what does not need to be changed or scrapped from the current game, in no particular order of importance:
Physics and Graphics
As I mentioned earlier, GT7 already looks and plays well. Are there still some quirks to the handling? For sure; anyone who has driven a kart in GT7 and also in real life will tell you that. But I think that most people would agree that the actual car models in this game are some of the best in any game ever made; they are extremely detailed and accurate. Same for the tracks, which are all modeled very well and look great. Some real-world tracks, such as Spa, Monza, and Barcelona are in need of some updates to their layouts to keep up with changes made at the actual circuits, but what is there now at least looks good even if it is technically outdated.
I think there will be some natural improvements in the physics and overall graphical presentation because almost certainly Gran Turismo 8 will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and not be "compromised" by being required to release on PlayStation 4 hardware from 2013 like GT7 was. So for that I would expect some bumps in the detail of things like tire models or general physics enhancement due to there being more computing power to play with. But let's be real. Do we really care if the game has ray-tracing outside of photo mode? I mean, if you're looking at reflections rather than at the road I don't think you're going to win many races.
Hub World Layout
This is a small thing, but actually I would not mind it if the isometric diorama-style hub world became the benchmark for future game sin the series. It looks great, has that touch of Japanese charm and obsession to detail one would expect from GT, and it is pretty easy to navigate. Having grown up with the awkward grid-based menus of the PS3-era games, I welcome it.
If I were to make any changes to the hub world, I think it would be cool for there to be a little more life to it or personalization; like letting the player customize the color of a few things, or displaying some of the player's cars outside of the their garage. But honestly that's a drop in the ocean when it comes to changes that need to be made between games.
Track Selection
If you ask most people what they want out a new racing game, the answer is almost guaranteed to be some combination of "more cars, more tracks, and better graphics." I am not most people, then. Perhaps controversially, I don't think that Gran Turismo 8 needs to make any significant tweaks to the existing track roster. As I mentioned before, there are a few real-world tracks that need to be updated due to some renovations, but overall I think the mix of tracks that GT7 offers is pretty good.
Of course, that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement on the track front. There are plenty of classic tracks that are not present in the current game that could be brought back, as well as a slew of real-world tracks that could be brought back or added for the first time. But with well over 30 locations, and most locations having multiple track layouts, I don't think there is a desperate need for more places to race.
Sport Mode Races
Whether they want it or not, I think most people would agree that the next installment in the Gran Turismo franchise will continue to utilize Sport Mode. I am by no means some top-class driver, but I have done my fair share of Daily Races, Manufacturers' Cup, and Nations Cup races and I am generally a fan. I like that there is actual qualifying (at least in the Manufacturers' and Nations Cup), and while sometimes there is a bit too much opera for my taste I generally like the races. Compared to standard multiplayer lobbies, the racing is generally cleaner and closer, which is more fun to me. But as we will see below, that doesn't mean that there shouldn't be any changes to this mode. More to follow.
Multiplayer Paddock Sessions
For a game that takes itself as seriously as Gran Turismo 7 does, it is nice to have what is basically a car meet where you can you and either meet people, show off cars, have impromptu races, or do whatever you want. You could argue that a Free Run multiplayer lobby achieves the same thing, and it might, but it's a nice low-stress environment for people who actually like cars as opposed to strictly racing.
Mission Mode
There have been plenty of missions in previous Gran Turismo games, and GT7 has some pretty good ones, ranging from extreme fuel economy runs in an F-150 Raptor (the first time the words fuel economy and F-150 Raptor have been put together without the word bad between them), overtake challenges, endurance races, drag races, and more.
I like the variety and I think that Mission Mode is a good way for Polyphony Digital to get experimental without implementing these "experiments" directly into the main career mode. I wish, if anything, they were willing to push the boat out even more than they currently are. At the very least, the missions in GT7 have some much more rewarding single-player experiences than most or all of the actual races from the "campaign" that is the Menu Books.
License Tests
It probably goes without saying that the next game should have and almost certainly will have license tests, but really what I am referring to is the Master License tests added in an update to GT7. I like that the tests are notably harder than the standard ones (for the most part, at least) and I like that there is a good variety of tests.
If I were to tweak anything, I think they could be made ever-so-slightly more difficult, but I understand that the game has to appeal to a wide audience. It would be nice if the License Tests were required to progress in... I don't know... some kind of career mode. What a concept.
What Must Improve From GT7
While there are things that GT7 definitely does well, there are also a few things that it definitely does not do well. Whether it be the appalling "career" structure of the infamous Menu Books, the ridiculous pricing of cars in the Used or Legends dealership, or some baffling limitations in Sport or Multiplayer mode, there is a lot of scope for improvement, and some of it I feel is fairly low-hanging fruit. To be fair, if I am going to request that Polyphony Digital make substantial changes, I'm at least going to try to give them suggestions and pointers on what I would like to see. Some of the biggest changes that I feel are really needed are given below, from most to least necessary in my opinion, along with some ideas for improvements.
Career/GT Mode
There are so many things that can go under here that I'm going to split it up into multiple categories; the structure of the career mode as a whole, the structure of individual race events, and the event diversity of the career mode. Also, to try to bring some dignity back to the single player experience, I declare that the Gran Turismo Café is closed until further notice. Sorry, Sarah. It's time to put down the espresso and go back to GT Mode; a proper single-player experience for a proper racing game.
Overall Career Structure
In Gran Turismo 8, I would like to see a greater focus on racing and a lesser focus on car collection. This would also give a purpose to many low- or medium-tier tuning parts in the shop by encouraging the player to incrementally upgrade their car across a bunch of events, rather than just whack on top-tier parts and add ballast or reduce engine power via the ECU. The purpose of buying cars in previous games was not only for the simple collection aspect, but also because specific cars served a purpose for many different races, especially considering the cars could be upgraded and tuned to meet the requirements of many different events. In Gran Turismo 7Â the car collections and race events are reduced to literal tasks on a checklist and nothing more, often with the only reward being a history lecture that most people aren't willing to sit through or a stupid roulette where you know you are likely getting the crappiest prize anyways.
Another, albeit smaller, gripe I have with GT7 is the fact that all of the single-player races are sorted by track rather than event type. For example, there are a handful of "World Touring Car 800" events, but completing them all doesn't get you any kind of reward, and they are just allotted to random tracks across the game. I know there is an option to group the races by race type, but surely that should be the default, rather than the scatterbrain map-based approach that GT7 has. There should also be a greater emphasis on championships or rewards for completing/winning ever race of a certain event type.
Many Gran Turismo games have used a "league" system for a career mode structure, and I feel like that would be a welcome return even if it wasn't perfect. With each league the races would generally get more difficult, longer, more specialized, or more unique. It was a clear way to show progression across the career as the player improved. To encourage and/or require this improvement, I also would like to see these leagues require certain license tests like previous games had. For the leagues, I imagine we would start at a very basic level and with each league, add some kind of new gameplay element such as tire wear, fuel consumption, time changes, dynamic or variable weather, etc. such that the top tier is essentially everything rolled into one. Here's what I propose for the different leagues:
This proposed setup provides a pretty even split between road cars and race cars, with the first half leaning towards road cars and then switching to race cars. When it comes to the "race car" section of the career mode, there are two distinct leagues: one about just flat out speed (the Sprint League) and one which also requires strategic prowess in the Endurance League.
Keen observers will note that there is a final "league" which I have dubbed the GT World Series. If the goal of a video game developer is to motivate the player to achieve something, then I feel that the GT World Series should serve in that role. I feel like the license requirement should be fairly strict, although I stopped short of requiring the Master Super License. I imagine that the GT World Series would serve a somewhat similar function to the Extreme and Endurance Series of Gran Turismo 5 and include a race of race cars from Gr. 4 up to and beyond Gr. 1, including open-wheel cars.
The World Series should have the most difficult, highest-paying races with the most lucrative completion rewards. While not every race in the GT World Series has to be a slog or a sweat-fest, it should be challenging. I would expect some events to be as difficult at the Human Comedy missions from GT7, which are easily some of the most difficult but rewarding experiences in my 15 years of playing GT.
Individual Event Structure
What good is changing the structure of the entire career when every race is the same processional last-to-first style overtaking challenge? Already an improvement would be to have tighter rolling starts or even a smattering of grid starts for certain championships (even put on the false-start penalty if you're feeling adventurous, devs). Low hanging fruit like this is why Gran Turismo 8 has to really overhaul the format of career races.
A simple addition to career races would be the option to practice. Yes, I know that a player can easily just go run a practice session (oh, sorry, Time Trial) at any given circuit with any car at any time. But the need to pointlessly swap between game modes and menus could be eradicated with a simple practice option before races. As a player, it would be nice to be able to turn some laps in representative conditions on a new track, or to be able to gauge tire wear from some practice laps so I don't have to play half of a race before discovering what the hell I'm supposed to do with my strategy, and then restarting.
Hey Polyphony Digital, if you want to make it more challenging then why not give a reward of +20% payout if the player elects to skip practice for races that they have not beaten already? I'm just spit-balling here.
A more important addition, I think, is qualifying. Now I'm not saying that every single race needs to have qualifying, but certainly in the higher-end events and championships it would be a nice bonus. Is it really fair that the player always has to start in last? Not really. Although that was probably done because the AI opponents are often so slow that starting the player in last is the only way to create any kind of challenge. But speaking of AI...
Improved AI Behavior
This is extremely critical, perhaps even the most critical, for any career mode to be engaging. For a long time the comparative lack of skill of the AI drivers in GT career modes has been laughable. But actually, GT7 provided some hope. Now, an obvious answer would be to implement GT Sophy into every race, but I'm not even referring to that.
There are a handful of non-Sophy races in GT7 which have significantly racier, quicker, and interesting AI than the base races.
If every career mode race had those AI instead of the standard clueless ones, then the career mode would be vastly improved even with its current structure. Clearly there is some work going into these AI drivers, and for the next game in the series to be worth buying I feel there needs to be a significant improvement.
Career Composition/Event Diversity
It might seem hypocritical to say I want more diversity in the events when just before I laid out a much more rigid and linear career progression, but actually that goes hand in hand. In GT7 everything just seems so arbitrary when it comes to the event types. For example, there are a bunch of races labelled as "World Touring Car" races, and yet none of them even use actual touring cars. And there are a bunch of races labelled as some combination of "Region + Drivetrain" races, like the "Japanese FF Challenge" and the like. It's like a robot went through the car list and just plucked random categories out to create events.
In future career modes, I would like the races to have a much greater variety both in terms of format and in terms of theme. When it comes to format, why not use some creative things like reverse grid orders based on championship position (don't get excited, FIA, it's just a game)? Or why not utilize different points formats for different championships, so that they feel... well... different? I would like to see more one-make races or races akin to the Special Events that appear in the Weekly Challenges in GT7. Clearly someone at Polyphony likes to be creative, like in Group C races where cars have different "tribute" liveries akin to real cars of the era, or a classic sports car race where cars are very clearly liveried like old DTM car. Let that person do more, please.
More Race Cars
This is exactly what it sounds like. I want Gran Turismo 8 to focus more on racing than car collection, and so it only makes sense that there should be some new race cars. While Gran Turismo 7 has had many content updates with free cars, there have been almost zero contemporary race cars added. You will struggle to find any race cars newer than 2021 in the game, and most are in fact from the mid-to-late 2010s. Because, you know, that's when GT Sport came out, and most of the race cars in GT7 came directly from that game. I don't need Assetto Corsa Competizione-style season updates with new race cars for every year. But things like modern Super GT cars, current-generation GT3s, and even some LMH or LMDh cars would be a welcome addition.
Sport Mode Variety
"Wait, now you want to change Sport Mode? I thought you liked it?" Ah yes, dear reader, that is true but just because something is good doesn't mean it can't be better. It's worth noting that Sport Mode has more or less stayed the same since its inception in GT Sport in 2017. After eight years (and certainly more once the next game comes out) I think it's safe to say it needs a bit of a refresh. There's only so many Gr. 3 races at Interlagos or Deep Forest a man can do before he loses it.
For a start, I would like to see the Daily Races be... I don't know... uh... daily? Currently they are updated every week rather than every day, so how we have gone eight years and nobody has levied allegations of false advertising against Polyphony Digital is beyond me. With these Daily Races, I would also like to see some more variety. Almost every week it feels like it's a Gr. 4 race, a Gr. 3, race, and some wildcard. Gr. 1 races and Gr. 2 races are very uncommon, and unique road car races are almost nonexistent save for the "meme race" at Route X that pops up every now and then. Get the guy who does the Special Events on this, for example.
Multiplayer Lobby Format
We have officially entered nitpick territory here, but hear me out. Why are multiplayer lobbies tied to a single host? When that host leaves the lobby, either because they are done or maybe they just have to back out to the menu for a moment, the entire lobby is shut down. At the very least, there needs to be an option to transfer hosting duties to another player.
I cannot even begin to describe how many times I have joined a lobby with 12–15 people in it only for the host to leave and the lobby be shut down. It makes the online experience pointlessly tedious because then players have to find another lobby that fits what they want and then hope that a) that lobby is not full and b) that lobby is not in the middle of a 20 minute race that will cause the player to wait for a long time before doing anything. Come on, we can do better than this.
Other nitpicks I have is that there should be an option to set the grid order to "random" so that players with alphabetically-advantageous names aren't always at the front. Or let us set the grid based on the preceding race result, either matching the previous result or inverted. Simple things like that can't be too much to ask for, right?
Used Car/Legend Car Buying
It might be a shock to think that we have gotten all the way to this point in the article and haven't brought up everyone's favorite topic: the economy. Now I think it would be a pretty popular sentiment to suggest that there needs to be a serious examination of the Used or Legends car dealerships. It would seem that there is a pretty fundamental disconnect between what the developers, and especially series director Kazunori Yamauchi, want compared to what people who actually play the game want. The developers and Kaz really want something that is realistic as an experience. What consumers want—and brace yourselves for this riveting discovery—is for the game to be fun.
The problem with this is that due to the unique way the automotive world has evolved over the past 20 or so years, it is not feasible for most people to have cars that are special or fun. If you're skeptical about that claim, look at the sales of midsize crossovers over the past decade compared with sedans and performance cars. Or don't if you don't want to be sad, it's up to you. Nobody, other than a car dealer, takes a look at a used car that is just as expensive as it was new and thinks "this is great, what a bargain; I am so happy to pay this price!" Highly-specialized cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO or the McLaren F1 are uber-expensive in the real world. But that's because there are only a handful that even exist.
In the virtual world, there is no such thing as scarcity; a McLaren F1 in GT7 is literally just a 3D model and a bunch of code that can be duplicated infinitely. Unless you create artificial scarcity by listing cars as "sold out" when it is a virtual car dealership. Think about how asinine that sounds. Picture above unrelated.
Despite this, Polyphony Digital feel the need to price cars as if they are actually scarce, even adjusting and inflating the value of cars to "reflect the real-world prices" of certain cars. What the hell is the point of that? So that someone can spend hundreds of hours of gameplay to earn enough virtual money to afford a McLaren F1 and then say "wow, it's a 3D model of the McLaren F1?"
People don't play games to replicate the real-world car-buying experience. In fact, they play games to escape from it.
Until Kaz, Polyphony, and everyone else making these games figures that out, the problem will only get worse because the real cars will in fact just get more expensive. While I don't expect any future Gran Turismo games to walk this feature back completely, I think there is somewhat of a compromise to be found.
And while we are on the subject of questionable pricing, let's apply the same approach to the Used Cars dealership. Why, for example, is a 2010 Scirocco the equivalent of $37,500? or a Sierra RS500 Cosworth nearly 200 grand? What is this? Grand Theft Auto V? I jest, of course, because at least these cars are under a million dollars in price. At best, these prices represent absolutely pristine versions of these cars, but again, this is not the real world. It doesn't matter if the paint is chipped, because I can just repaint it in one second in my virtual auto shop.
Really I'm asking for there to be some compromise between the real world and the mad world that the developers want to virtually create for players. But sadly if I had to guess that anything in my "must improve" list gets omitted, it's this. And that's a shame, because changing a few prices is a hell of a lot simpler than changing the entire structure of your primary career mode.
What's New or Returning From Previous Games
If Polyphony Digital implemented everything described above, I would be more than satisfied. At this point I would include everything listed above in the "this is what Gran Turismo 8 needs to be worth it" category. Really, if anything from after this point is included that would be an exceptional bonus. But just that. A bonus. I don't in any way expect these features to return or appear in the next game, regardless of how easy or difficult they would be to implement.
Drag Racing
The concept of drag racing is not new. Nor is it new to racing games. Forza has had it before. Even GTA has it in an official capacity. But it wasn't until a few missions in GT7 that Gran Turismo fans got their chance. And you know what? The execution wasn't even that bad. OK, racing against a few random AI isn't the most riveting but the potential is there. Imagine an online lobby full of people having drag races with a similar format (no Traction Control, manual gears required). It would be great if there was a breakdown after the race of say, reaction time, 0-60mph, 0-100mph, standing quarter-mile, etc. that you could measure up against others.
I even imagine a king-of-the-hill-style scenario where everyone takes their turn trying to beat the best person in the lobby, and each win earns a small amount of money that could multiply each time. Or if there was a tournament-style bracket. The possibilities are endless, and the mechanic is already partially implemented.
Course Maker
Whether it be in the auto-generated form of GT5's Course Maker or the overly-complicated but more customizable Track Path Editor of GT6, this is probably the feature I would want to return the most from previous games. I spent hundreds of hours designing, racing, tweaking, recreating, and generally enjoying creating original race tracks in the PS3 era. With the power of newer hardware, I think there could be a wider scope for more interesting designs nowadays. Plus, some simple customization on things like colors would go a long way into making the track unique. Who knows? Maybe some tracks could even get verified or "upgraded" by the developers themselves if Polyphony were willing to put in the effort.
Build a Race Car
Let me explain. You buy a standard Ford Mustang GT from the dealership for 50,000Cr. You enter it in the lower-level championships in the career mode. You add some tuning parts to make it able to compete in the higher-tiers of road car races in the career. After a while, your career has progressed to the point where you are racing Gr. 4 cars. A new Gr. 4 Mustang is 250,000Cr. from the dealership, or you can upgrade your existing Mustang to Gr. 4 specifications for 150,000Cr.
You race with that car for a bit and after some success you need to get behind the wheel of a Gr. 3 car and take your career to the next level. You can buy a new Gr. 3 Mustang for 400,000Cr. at the dealership, or you can sped 100,000 to modify your Gr. 4 Mustang to a Gr. 3 car. You do this, and go on to compete in and win many races in the Sprint League, Endurance League, and the GT World Series. And it's the same car you had at the very start. That is what we call a narrative arc, in the car world at least.
Basically, I would like to see some (not necessarily every car, but many) road cars be able to be upgraded to race cars of a specific variety. Maybe not every road car needs to have two or three variants, but you could probably make a case for at least one of GT7's "groups" that would be a suitable modification for almost any car. For example, it would be interesting to take an Aston Martin Valkyrie and turn it into a Gr. 1 car or the Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion and turn that into a Gr. 2 car reminiscent of the 911 GT1 of the 1990s. The possibilities are not endless, but they are many.
More Classifications of Cars
This is again in nitpick territory, but I would like to see more ways of classifying cars in Gran Turismo 8, especially race cars. Like create a dedicated subcategory of cars within the primary Group system. For example, LMP1 cars could be in an "LMP1" sub-class of Gr. 1. Or Group B rally cars could be a subgroup of, well, Gr. B. OK, perhaps not the best example. But you get what I mean.
We could have a "JGTC" class just for the classic Super GT cars like the Castrol Supra or Pennzoil GTR. Or a "GT300" class of Gr. 3 if Polyphony ever decided to add more than just the BRZ GT300 to the Gr. 3 class. I am not a game developer, but this doesn't seem like it would be an impossible request to one. It would provide an easy way to make more themed events either in the career mode or in missions. These kinds of classes more or less already exist, underscored by things like the Special Events, but it doesn't hurt to add more options.
Friend/Rival Challenge
Currently, Sport Mode includes a weekly time trial whereby players set a time and then are paid at the end of the week based on how close their time is to the best times in the world. That's great, but what if we were able to send direct challenges to our friends and rivals for a little friendly wager? Obviously to stop exploits players would have to be severely limited with respect to how many of these so-called challenges they could accept in a given time.
But imagine, you want to challenge your friend around, say, Suzuka. You could set a lap time in a specified car (which the friend would either also have or be somehow given) and then send them a challenge request to beat that lap time in five days or less. Your friend could then accept the challenge, where the loser pays the winner an agreed sum, or they can simply decline without penalty. This would be a simple way to add a little bit of community engagement and also would be a perfect use of the casual setup of the multiplayer paddocks. If such a system already exists in other games or series, I haven't played that series, but regardless I think it would be a neat little addition.
In Conclusion
Congrats; you've made it to the bottom of the novel. If it wasn't already clear, what the next game in the Gran Turismo series needs more than anything else is to have an improved single-player experience. While the voices that shout the loudest in racing game communities usually clamor for more cars, or more tracks, or more rays to be traced and reconstructed, I think that's missing the point. GT7 already drives well and looks good while giving the player a lot of options when it comes to cars and tracks. What it's lacking the most is not pixel count or new models; it's soul. It's fun. It's the feeling of having done something difficult and interesting because you wanted to do it, not because it was the next bullet point on a checklist.