Nov. 6, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) hosted its seventh annual Gran Turismo® Awards at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas Wednesday to embrace the passion of customizing cars and showcase the efforts in the Gran Turismo® franchise, one of the top-selling video game franchises of all time with more than 53 million units shipped worldwide. Once a year, the Gran Turismo Awards offer SEMA show exhibitors the opportunity to be included among the ranks of the famed Gran Turismo racing franchise, as one car is chosen to be added to a future Gran Turismo title and driven virtually by millions across the globe. Many entries were received for this year's Gran Turismo Awards, but only one vehicle will be immortalized in Gran Turismo. After deliberation from the judges panel and Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi himself, the 2009 prestigious "Best of Show" was awarded to "Best Hot Rod" winner, Philip Koenen for his 1970 Ford Mustang "Trans-Cammer."

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"The Gran Turismo Awards continue to seek out and reward automotive enthusiasts who demonstrate passion for outstanding design and performance, while also celebrating a strong collaboration with the gaming industry," said Kazunori Yamauchi, famed creator of the Gran Turismo franchise and President of Polyphony Digital. "We have been very pleased with the high quality of vehicles vying for the award the past seven years, and look forward to having this 1970 Ford Mustang 'Trans-Cammer' join our list of distinguished past winners as part of the Gran Turismo franchise."

The GT Award winning vehicles from the past two years, Brian Filoteo's high- performance Infinity G37 from 2008 and Marcel Horn's HPA Audi TT from 2007, were both available for guests to test drive in the latest version of Gran Turismo 5® shown at the event.