One of the first cars to arrive at the party venue, the TVR found itself in fabulous company despite the un-godly hour, with an oil-streaked Audi R8 untouched since its Le Mans victory in 2000, iconic Le Mans-winning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9, weapon-like Bentley EXP Speed Eight and mouth-watering Alitalia-liveried Lancia Stratos rally car already unloaded and in position.

As more and more cars arrived, watching the unprepossessing NCP multi-storey make the transformation from dingy concrete-and-steel box to the kind of dream garage any ardent Gran Turismo gamer would be proud of was a fascinating, not to say surreal, process.

Precarious at times too, as gangs of riggers, perched on ladders and scaffolding, installed lighting and sound systems while just a few feet beneath them sat a legendary 'Yellowbird' Ruf CTR, Ford GT or priceless one-off Audi Le Mans concept car.

By the time the party starts, numerous other cars have been edged into position: Pagani Zonda rubbing tyre shoulders with the first V10-engined M5 in the UK, Mercedes McLaren SLR sharing floorspace with the ex-evo Caterham Fireblade. As a taster for what the game holds in store it couldn't be any better.

It's well after the party's finished that we get the best insight into what makes Gran Turismo so special. It's the early hours of the morning when, embroiled in shooting this month's cover, evo art director Chee-Chiu Lee notices someone vaguely familiar wander through into the parking area and start poring over the Bentley Le Mans racer. It's Kazunori Yamouchi, GT's creator, still hungry for detail, still enthralled and fascinated by the complexity and beauty of a modern racing car.

It's that kind of passion that makes GT4 so good. And you can bet your lfie Yamouchi is already thinking of how to make GT5 even better.