It must be nice to be a complete car nut. Provided you've got the bank, the knowhow and the imagination, it's actually possible to deck out a normal car to the point where it not only collects oohs and ahhs at the Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual auto show in Vegas, but if it's really well done, it can even catch the eye of one Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo series. Yamauchi strolled the floor of the car show and eventually picked a quintet of winners, and one overall winner who will have his custom ride appear in "a future Gran Turismo" (we're putting our money on the full-fledged GT5).

"The 2007 Gran Turismo Awards showcases the collaboration between the automotive culture and the gaming industry," Yamauchi explained. "We are proud to honor auto enthusiasts for their passion of cars, and to celebrate the automotive lifestyle that Gran Turismo embodies."

The winner, Marcel Horn, beat out the other winners in the "Best Domestic," "Best Japanese Import," "Best Hot Rod" and "Best Truck/SUV," clinching not only the "Best European Import" with his custom 2007 Audi TT, but the top honors of "Best in Show." In addition to having his car appear in the game, Horn won a custom painted PlayStation 3 with laser etching that serves as both a trophy and an object of lust for those of us geeky enough to want to custom paint/modify our PS3s.

Last year's winning car, a 1960 Corvette, will make an appearance in Prologue, and for those curious, here are the winners of each of the categories and their winning cars:

"Best European Import" - Marcel Horn; 2007 Audi TT
"Best Domestic Automobile" - Gary Cheney; 2007 Factory Five GTM
"Best Hot Rod" - Jim and Mike Ring; 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
"Best Japanese Import" - Michael Chung; 2007 Nissan 350Z
"Best Truck / SUV" - Mike DeFord; 2007 Dodge Ram

Congrats to Marcel Horn on the win; we can't wait to see how your car handles in the game!