Behold These Hilariously Off-The-Mark Car Models From Old Racing Games

From certain angles, this R34 GT-R looks relatively acceptable. But the front and back are so tragically, absurdly off the mark, you reckon this model was a deliberate joke.

The tiny circles for the tail lights present a hilariously reductive take on perhaps the R34’s most defining visual cue. But the front might actually be the best part; it’s so miserable, so unamused, it’s perfect reaction meme material. We’ve all seen faces in cars — ones that convey excitement, aggression, performance, elegance, intelligence. This face is the embodiment of waking up, groggily opening Twitter and reading something vapid. It’s so expressive, yet conveys the countenance of acute listlessness. It’s a work of art, and it deserves to be recognized.

Interestingly, not all iterations of Test Drive 6 employed the same car models, and the examples shown here actually hail from the Dreamcast release of the game. As YouTuber Kacey explains in her tremendously informative video on Test Drive’s malaise era, the PlayStation port of Test Drive 6 sports different assets, and its rendition of the R34 GT-R looks far better than the Dreamcast version’s, even though the PlayStation was a markedly less powerful console.

We’ve reached the end of this brief list of wildly inaccurate car models from retro racers, though there are certainly many more not mentioned here worth dredging up. Be sure to respond with your favorite examples in the comments!