How many installments does Gran Turismo currently have?

Gran Turismo 5 provides a total of 1,088 cars. Lamborghini and Bugatti make their first home-console appearance in the franchise, following their introduction in "Gran Turismo PSP", and it has been confirmed the new "gullwing" Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will appear, along with the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Lexus LFA supercar. McLaren will also make their first appearance as a native manufacturer with the inclusion of the McLaren F1 road car, the F1 GTR race edition, and the MP4-12C road car. (The F1 GTR was present in "Gran Turismo 4", but was included in BMW's dealership). Le Mans spec cars will make a return appearance. Hybrids were previously included in "Gran Turismo 4" with the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. At the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, Yamauchi mentioned that the latest hybrid and electric cars will be included, including the Tesla Roadster (2008) and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. At Gamescom 2010, it was also revealed that "GT5" will include the Jaguar XJ13 race car prototype, as well as the Ferrari 330 P4 and the Ford Mark IV race cars, and as the developers put it, "will allow players to create the race that never came to be", since the XJ13 program was canceled before the car was ready for competition. Additionally, in association with Red Bull Racing, the development team worked on a new prototype car called the "X2010 Prototype" which was designed with the idea of, "If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform, and how would it feel to drive?" This car was worked on by Polyphony Digital and Red Bull's aerodynamics expert, Adrian Newey, and is one of the cars in the game. Up to 16 cars or 32 karts will be able to race on track at once whereas previous installments allowed only six cars per race max. Polyphony Digital released the official vehicle list which also shows which vehicles will be standard or premium.

Gran Turismo 5

The game marks the first entry in the series with online races with support for up to 16 players. A damage model has been included with variations of damage depending on whether the vehicle falls into the "standard" or "premium" category. Over 1,000 cars, 26 different locations, and 71 different tracks are available in the game. Night racing also returns.

World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Super GT licenses are utilized for the first time in the "Gran Turismo" series.

Gran Turismo 5 is the first game in the franchise to provide a damage model, with variations of damage depending on whether a vehicle is a "Standard" or "Premium" car. The game also features weather effects, however they are only available on certain circuits. Optional Stereoscopic-3D resolution and Karting found a place in the game. Furthermore, new visual effects have been introduced, including dynamic skid marks, dust and the ability for drivers to flash their headlights. A course editor which allows the player to create new circuits by using tools that randomly generate track-parts according to certain player-selected specifications, including the number of corners, the time of day and the number of sectors. There are a variety of themes the player can choose from to act as a base for each circuit design. Themes also have an effect on track length and highest elevation.

The physics are significantly revised compared with GT4; cars no longer instantly turn-in but realistically must load up the outside wheel first, and destabilizing effects (such as under braking) have greater influence.

"Gran Turismo 5" is the first game in the franchise to include both mechanical and external damage modelling, including a real-time deformation engine that will process model deformation according to the speed and angle of impact. It is also possible to overturn cars for the first time in the series. The cars in "GT5" are separated into "standard"- and "premium"-vehicles. Standard vehicles have a less detailed damage model with dirt, scratches and dents appearing on the car in the event of an accident. In addition, standard cars initially could not receive aftermarket wheels - among other aesthetic upgrades, such as wheel paint. However, as of the version 2.02 update this is no longer the case. "Premium" vehicles feature a slightly more advanced damage model. "Gran Turismo 2" previously included damage, but was limited to mechanical failures only.

"Gran Turismo 5" allows players to drive 31 different locations or "scenery" and 81 different track layouts (the previous iteration in the main numbered series, Gran Turismo 4, included 51 tracks total). Dunsfold Aerodrome, located in the United Kingdom – the test track of the British automotive television show "Top Gear" – is included in the game. The playable demo of "Gran Turismo 5" at Gamescom 2009 featured the Tokyo Route 246 track, seen in previous incarnations of the game. Various real-life circuits return from previous games in the series. These include (among others) Nürburgring, Circuit de la Sarthe, Tsukuba Circuit, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Suzuka Circuit. New real-life circuits included in the game include (among others) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monza Circuit, Daytona International Speedway and two new Rome and Madrid city circuits. Many fictional circuits return from previous games in the series including 'Trial Mountain', 'Deep Forest Raceway' and 'Autumn Ring'. An official list of all tracks available in the game has been released by Polyphony Digital.

Unfortunately, a glitch was discovered on the Nurburgring track that allowed players to finish a lap or race faster than normal. By accelerating against any gap between walls, the player could take a'shortcut' through the track and since there was absolutely no collision detection beyond the walls, the player could race his way through the scenery and under the paved course and return to the finish line to complete the lap or the race by driving directly beneath the line in the direction of the intended racing path, as if he/she had driven across the entire track. Other tracks known for glitching are Special Stage Route 7, Daytona International Speedway, and Laguna Seca. All glitches were fixed within the first few weeks they were found. Also, the online server disallows glitching by reseting the car that has tried to glitch back on the track.

The "Track Pack" downloadable content, includes Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (with weather change) and Kart Space I/II. On January 17, 2012, Polyphony Digital released the "Speed Test Pack" that includes "Special Stage Route X". In June 2012, Twin Ring Motegi returned to the series as DLC after the 2012 GT Academy.

The cars in GT5 are separated into two categories, "standard" and "premium". Standard cars are imported models from GT4 and GT PSP, they have lower polygon counts and texture resolution, standard headlights and basic damage modelling. In addition, after the Spec 2.0 update they feature simplified interior camera views. For open-topped cars, they have a functioning steering wheel and working gauges. Premium cars are cars modeled for GT5 and thus have higher polygon counts, high texture resolution, feature headlights capable of high and low beams, detailed interior camera views, and detailed damage models. Premium cars also have working windshield wipers which are operated on tracks with rain or snow. Around 20% of all cars in the game fall into the "premium" category. "Premium" cars also allow for vast customization, including (but not limited to): aerodynamic kits, engine tune-ups, weight reduction, etc. "Standard" cars are also able to have modifications such as weight reductions and tuneups. Since update 2.02, appropriate standard cars are also able to change their rims, a feature only previously seen on premium cars.

Classic sports cars are also a distinctive feature in GT5. Classics such as the Triumph Spitfire, Mini Marcos and Alfa Romeo Spider have also been added. However, some of the interiors of these cars have not been able for Sony to fully replicate for license reasons and other matters. Alongside this, some commercial vehicles have unusually been added to the game. Vehicles such as the Volkswagen Type 2 and the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen have been added to the game.

In the Spec 2.0 update, there is the #71 Schulze Motorsport Nissan GT-R which Kazunori Yamauchi drove in the 2011 24 Hours of Nürburgring and the new stock car designs of the 2011 NASCAR Season. In the new "Racing Car Pack" DLC, there are 14 new touring cars that are based on cars in the game like the Honda CR-Z and the Toyota Prius. Also, there is a newer version of the Red Bull X2010 called the X2011. On December 20, 2011, Polyphony Digital released "Car Pack 2" which features 2 new Volkswagen vehicles, the Golf R and Scirocco R, the new 2012 Nissan GT-R Black Edition and the 2011 Mini Cooper S. On January 9, 2012, PD has released a concept video for the upcoming Acura NSX for the North American International Auto Show. However, Kazunori did not state any information about the NSX's DLC release. The week after, Polyphony released "Car Pack 3" together with the "Speed Test Pack" which includes the Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Nissan Leaf, Mini Countryman, Volkswagen Beetle and a Premium Jaguar XJR-9. In June 2012, a free DLC release added a new car: the Scion FR-S, a variant model of the Toyota 86 and Scion's first vehicle to appear as a premium model. On September 25, 2012, update 2.08 brought 3 new cars: the Honda Weider HSV-010 '11 Super GT car, the Subaru BRZ (another variant of the Toyota 86), and the Nissan GT-R N24 GT Academy '12 car, which participated in the 2012 24 Hours Nürburgring., On 28 November, the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Prototype was released as a free DLC. On January 15, 2013, the Chevrolet Corvette C7 Final Prototype was released as another free DLC.

The game was first revealed at E3 2005 under the name "Vision Gran Turismo". This was not "GT5" as we know it today but simply "Gran Turismo 4" (for the PlayStation 2) with more cars on track and PC-rendered footage. The PlayStation 3 would not be released until November 11, 2006 and with no Gran Turismo game in the console's launch line-up. Various bits of information and news was revealed about the game from then on but it was not for another three years that the public got a chance to have a proper look at "GT5".

At Sony's E3 2009 Press Conference, a trailer for "Gran Turismo 5" was shown, revealing the inclusion of Super GT, NASCAR and WRC but no release date was revealed. In an interview with Eurogamer, Yamauchi said that "We've actually reached a point where we can probably release ["GT5"] anytime, except that you can also keep working as long as you want to as well, it's just a matter of timing." However, in an interview with Auto Express in April 2010, Yamauchi explained that, "Deciding a release date for a game is always difficult, as it’s not something I can decide on my own. The agreement on a date comes between various parties at Sony, and it’s not necessarily a date I would be hoping for. March would've been too early. We could have produced the game in time to make that deadline, but the finished product wouldn't have had everything that I wanted to include." Sony Computer Entertainment has certain control over the release dates of their games, this could be one of the contributing factors delaying "Gran Turismo 5". It has been announced that users will be able to output HD replays onto YouTube. "Gran Turismo 5" was shown off extensively at E3 2010 including a new trailer, a North and Latin American release date, playable demos on the show floor and various private press conferences revealing new information about the game. Alongside the original release, two collector's editions will be released. One featuring some extra bonus content and the other, more expensive option containing extra paraphernalia such as further reading on car racing.

Overall, "Gran Turismo 5" took more than five years to complete, with a total cost estimated at approximately $60 million. The first game in the series had also taken five years. Kazunori Yamauchi has referred to the development of the game for the Playstation 3 a "nightmare", specifically mentioning how the extensively different (at the time) architecture of the Cell processor had made programming extremely challenging and time consuming This greater than expected difficulty to program for the Cell processor is speculated by some people to also be part of the reasons why Gran Turismo 5 was delayed a number of times.

All downloadable contents were removed from sale on April 30, 2014. However, as of September 2014, they're become available again, at least in Europe. The Paint Pack and Racing Gear Pack wouldn't be re-downloadable if the savegame is deleted after the date, however a patch was eventually released to address that issue. The online servers were shut down on May 30, 2014. On April 29, 2014 Sony announced the final online event for "Gran Turismo 5", which started on April 30, 2014 and ended with the shutdown of the online servers. Players were awarded with five cars in "Gran Turismo 6" for participating in the event.

The "GT5" Time Trial Demo was released on December 17, 2009 on the PlayStation Network; it was only playable while the user was signed into the PlayStation Network. It was not so much a demo of "GT5" itself, but actually the first part of the 2010 GT Academy, with the fastest drivers from the time trial eventually getting the chance to drive a real racing car in a real racing series. Nevertheless, it showed what progress had been made since Polyphony Digital's latest game, "Gran Turismo 5" Prologue in terms of graphics, physics and other aspects of gameplay and design. It featured stock and tuned versions of the Nissan 370Z. The track featured in the demo was the Indianapolis GP circuit, which is new to the "Gran Turismo" series. This demo was praised for its graphics and updated physics, however it has been criticised for its stiff camera, and confusion over what aspects of the final game the demo represents. The Time Trial demo is no longer playable now that the 2010 GT Academy is complete.

On November 16, 2010, it was revealed that the GT Academy would return for a third year, this time for drivers in the USA. GT Academy is a three-phase competition with the winner being trained and enrolled as a professional racing driver in preparation for a major race event next year. A reality TV show on sports channel SPEED will chronicle the competition. The preliminary virtual rounds will be a test of driver skill in Gran Turismo 5 using pre-selected Nissan vehicles and all entrants will receive free digital content for playing. The top 32 drivers will then be invited to a live GT5 National Finals, with the 16 leading players taken to the GT Academy Boot Camp. The second round of the competition was scrapped due to the widespread use of cheating.

Sony and Polyphony Digital have confirmed that the "Gran Turismo "5 Academy events will be available for European players to participate in from March 4, 2011.

At E3 2010, a new trailer was shown revealing various aspects about "GT5" including a release date. The song used for the trailer was by Japanese composer Daiki Kasho; many fans wanted to know the name of the song, but it was untitled. Polyphony Digital recognised this and started a competition open to all fans around the world, to submit a name for the song. The winner would have their name immortalised in "Gran Turismo 5"s credits and their title become the official name of the music track. The winner was chosen by series creator Kazunori Yamauchi out of 5,444 entries: it was "50UL 0N D!SPLAY" (a stylised form of "Soul On Display") submitted by a fan from Argentina.

Yamauchi said in an interview with "Edge" that "Gran Turismo 5" could have some compatibility with the PlayStation Portable version. He said, in an interview with G4, that "we’re going to make it so that you can actually export the cars for the PSP version into "Gran Turismo 5", so you can export your garage."

The game was reported by media in September 2009 to allow head tracking using the PlayStation Eye, though no official confirmation came in the following months. This feature would allow the player to move their head naturally while sitting down, upright, and have the view around the 3D cockpit change accordingly.
Officially announced in conjunction with Toyota in January 2010 is a GPS-based device which, when loaded into the game, will create a 'ghost' lap of a run through a race circuit in real life if equipped for data recording, allowing someone to view or race against their real life driving. Naturally, this would only be available for tracks which exist in real life, there is no information on which or how many circuits in total will support the feature.

The game supports up to 6 different views that can be presented on 6 or more PS3 consoles. 2 left views, 2 right views, server view (front with dials,) and a front view without any dials all can be duplicated on an extra PS3 console if they are on the same LAN.

Despite series creator Kazunori Yamauchi expressing his distaste for further development on the game after release, the game has been updated and expanded several times in its lifespan. Many of the updates have improved the multiplayer racing, including weight and power restrictions on which cars can be driven in an online session, a car performance rating system, handicaps such as ballast and engine restriction, mechanical damage, and the ability to use the built-in course maker in online multiplayer races. Physics updates have not been documented in the update logs, however many users have noted changes to the physics once updates are installed. Other updates have included additional events, an online car dealership, removal of the copy protection for saved games, friend rankings, and various adjustments to the rewards and restrictions in the game.

The final update (v2.16) was released on May 31, 2014 which permanently disabled all online features such as online play and Seasonal events. On July 21, 2014 another patch (v2.17) was released, which removed the online requirement for installing the downloadable content after the servers went offline.

Through his Twitter account, Kazunori Yamauchi, head of Polyphony Digital, confirmed that during the third week of October a new update would be available for Gran Turismo 5, called Spec 2.0. Spec 2.0 was released on October 11, 2011, which featured 11 new NASCAR vehicles, a new downloadable opening movie (no longer available after the server shutdown in 2014), the ability to save during endurance races, weather intensity control and AI improvements. Along with the release of Spec 2.0, Kazunori Yamauchi also announced that 4 DLC packs would be available on October 18, 2011. These packs would feature 15 new vehicles, 2 new tracks, 20 new driver costumes and 100 new paint colors. The packs were released on October 18, the North American release was delayed until October 25.
PD stated that all following DLC packs would be released in a two-month time frame.

A second car pack was released on December 20, 2011, that features 4 new vehicles: the Mini Cooper S, Volkswagen Golf VI R, Volkswagen Scirocco R and the Nissan GT-R Black Edition.

A third downloadable-content pack with the track "Route X" and a third car pack including Nissan Leaf G 2011, Aston Martin V12 Vantage 2010, Volkswagen Beetle 1200 1966, Jaguar XJR-9 LM Racecar 1988, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 2011, and the Mini Cooper S Countryman (R60) 2011. All released on January 17, 2012.

GT Academy was released on 1 May 2012 as a free standalone title on the PlayStation Network as a collaboration between Nissan and Polyphony Digital. A key feature was the ability to unlock exclusive "academy cars" for use in Gran Turismo 5 as well as a special racing suit for anyone who completed all challenges. The rewards for the game were handed out on July 4.

A fourth downloadable-content pack featuring Twin Ring Motegi along with a free Scion FR-S was released on 26 June 2012.

A fifth pack added 3 individual cars: a Honda weider HSV-010 '11 Super GT car, the Subaru BRZ, and the Nissan GT-R N24 GT Academy '12 race car. It was released on September 25, 2012.

A free DLC with Corvette C7 Test Prototype was released on 28 November 2012.

A free DLC with the Corvette C7 Final Prototype was released on January 15, 2013, revealing the Corvette C7's body and interior.

A new cumulative package which contains all the aforementioned content was released sometime in Q2 2015.

As of today, all downloadable content has been permanently removed from PlayStation Store.

The game is capable of 7.1 channel surround sound in PCM (Dolby Digital and DTS are also available). As well as optionally using songs from the player's hard drive, several categories of licensed music are available for the game's racing, menu screens, and the photo mode. These include:

"Gran Turismo 5" also featured an online mode. Players would meet in 'lounges' or 'race rooms' and give away (and/or share) cars, car parts and trained AI drivers to friends. They could also share game pictures and designed tracks.

All online activity closed on May 20, 2014. However, a special event was held from April 30 to May 30 that allowed players to unlock five additional cars for "Gran Turismo 6".

"Gran Turismo 5's" marketing campaign started on November 18, 2010 with a TV commercial featuring the fictional marketing character Kevin Butler as part of Sony Computer Entertainment's "It Only Does Everything" advertising campaign for their video game products in North America. The commercial depicts Butler as the 'VP of Add More Awesome' explaining how he made Gran Turismo 5 "more awesome" by adding more features that were previously thought impossible.

At the October 2010 Australian International Motor Show, Toyota hosted a 24-hour PlayStation 3 GT5 endurance race, a recreation of the 24 Hours Nürburgring, with a total of 48 drivers split into two teams, racing virtual interpretations of the Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept for a full day and night.

On November 14, 2010 it was revealed that Sony had teamed with Swiss watchmaker Tissot to host the official countdown timer for the launch of "Gran Turismo 5". To promote the relationship, Tissot gave away one customized, "GT5" edition Tissot PRS 516, every day up until the release date.

In February 2011, a real version of the Polyphony Digital-designed Citroën GT was floated by the Rialto Bridge in Venice, recreating a location in "Gran Turismo 4".

Alongside the standard edition of the game, there are nine other versions of the game exclusive to certain countries and/or regions around the world. All of the special edition versions of the game are sold in limited quantities and include a copy of the game as standard.

After promising that "GT5" would be released in 2010 after missing its initial March 2010 Japanese release date, Sony announced at E3 2010 that "Gran Turismo 5" would be officially launched in North and Latin America on November 2, 2010, in Europe and Japan on November 3, 2010 and in Australia on November 4, 2010. However, it was later revealed that the game would not meet its November release date and would instead be released later in the "holiday season". Sony producer Taku Imasaki said that the reason for the delay was that series creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital want to "make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience." In addition, the Sony spokesman Makiko Noda said that the reason of the delay was due to production reasons. However Sony stated that the game would be released "before Christmas" [2010].

The actual reason for the delay turned out to be on the production side. "Gran Turismo 5" missed its production window by three days. Kazunori Yamauchi publicly apologized via his Twitter account and explained that with such a complex game, a lot has to be ironed out. He finished his Tweet with, "Wait a little longer". It was later claimed by a Blu-ray forum moderator that the delay was due to Sony's decision to release the game under the newer 3.50 SDK firmware standard (to combat piracy), rather than 3.41 as originally intended. While at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show on November 2, 2010, Yamauchi confirmed to automotive blog Jalopnik that "GT5" had entered final production for release.

After weeks of speculation, it was officially announced that "Gran Turismo 5" would be released on November 24 for Asia, North America and Europe and November 25 for Japan and Australia.
"Gran Turismo 5" was met with a generally positive reaction from game critics. It received an aggregated score of 84.33% on GameRankings and 84/100 on Metacritic. Reviewers praised the number of cars, car-specific information and commented positively on the driving physics which had been improved from "Gran Turismo 5 Prologue". The inclusion of karts as well as licensed World Rally Championship and NASCAR vehicles was also received positively.

The graphics received mixed reviews with reviewers praising the lighting effects as well as interior and exterior details of premium cars, stating that Photo Mode showed off their detailed graphical design very well, but commented negatively on the detail of standard cars which lacked cockpit views, looked like up-scaled versions taken from "Gran Turismo 4" and did not keep up to the level of detail found in the premium models. GT5 has been criticized for frame-rate drops and screen tearing. The problems are most noticeable when many cars are on screen with rain or smoke visible.

The newly included damage feature received criticism for having limited effect on car performance (however a later update added the ability to "turn on" full damage and tire/fuel depletion).

The AI was also criticized for still making CPU-drivers brake unexpectedly and not being aware of the player's car on the track, just as in previous games in the series. IGN called it "the series' now trademark zombie A.I.".

The game's sound was praised. Arnold Katayev, reviewer of PSX Extreme, stated that "Gran Turismo 5 actually sounds fantastic. Having sampled a number of cars in the game that I either own, drive frequently, or have driven numerous times before, I've verified how they all sound. My 350Z sounded pitch perfect as you start it up upon selecting it. Same goes for my 370Z, it sounds spot on. Even a bunch of the standard cars sounded good, and sound even better with a few exhaust mods", while TweakTown said that "some cars just sounding flat when you feel they shouldn’t, and others just sending a shiver up your spine as you hit redline". Gamingreality awarded the sound 9/10, stating that "The sounds are clear, crisp, and distinct. The engine sounds are great and make you feel like the car is actually near you. The engine sounds on premium cars change when you make adjustments to it just like in real life".

In the UK, the chains Gamestation and Game between them opened around 100 stores at midnight on the day of release, so that customers could buy the game ahead of their normal 9am. EB Games and JB Hi-Fi in Australia did the same thing. The game was the multi-format number one for the week, despite only having been on sale for 2 days.

In Japan, "Gran Turismo 5" debuted in the software chart at number one, and this helped PS3 console sales more than double for the week ending November 28, 2010.

As of March 2013, "Gran Turismo 5" sold over 10 million units. For 13 days, 423,000 copies of the game were sold per day. "Gran Turismo 5" was the best-selling video game for the PlayStation 3 until 2013 when it was beaten by Grand Theft Auto V. The Gran Turismo series as a whole has now totalled more than 65 million units sold so far worldwide and remains the highest-selling PlayStation-exclusive franchise of all time. According to Polyphony Digital, "Gran Turismo 5" shifted 6.37 million units between its launch in November and the end of 2010. As of September 2012,Sony Shipped 9.19 million units of Gran Turismo 5.
Despite a late release in 2010, "Gran Turismo 5" managed to become the 7th best selling PlayStation 3 title in the US, making the game the 2nd best selling exclusive of the year. "Gran Turismo 5" also became the best selling PlayStation 3 exclusive in Europe, including UK.

Sales have exceeded 10 million units (of which, almost half were in Europe), this was announced during the 15th anniversary event at Silverstone, held on May 15, 2013. The game holds the record for the longest chart run for a racing game.Four-time NASCAR Cup champion Jeff Gordon appears in the game as a mentor to the player, guiding them in the skills of slipstreaming specific to the sport. Nine-time rally world champion Sébastien Loeb and four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel appear in similar roles in their portions of the game, providing advice and encouragement in a series of challenges. Other cars in the game are named after rally driver Tommi Mäkinen, drivers Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, and personalities Shuichi Shigeno and Jay Leno. Voice overs were recorded by Justin Bell, Tony Jardine and Robert Reid. One of the game's testers, listed in the credits, was Tomei Sports/Porsche racing driver Takashi Ohi.

On September 5, 2011, Martin Brundle and Jonathan Legard commentated on a race between David Coulthard, driving a real Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG around the Top Gear test track, and 6 leading Gran Turismo players, racing on a console at Mercedes-Benz World. Coulthard won, with Jason Birt trailing by half a second. Reggie Yates, Pollyanna Woodward and Mike Bushell also took part in the race, but did not qualify for the leader board. Coulthard's lap was subsequently available to download for players to race against.

In partnership with Alpinestars, a downloadable pack released in October 2011 features replica helmets and overalls worn by drivers such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Petter Solberg, Mikko Hirvonen and The Stig.

In January 2013, Johnny Herbert mentored 6 players in a primetime ITV4 reality series, with the aim of taking them to the Dubai 24 Hour race as real drivers. Other countries in Europe had heats mentored by drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Sébastien Buemi.

Gran Turismo is a PlayStation Portable game developed by Polyphony Digital. The game was announced at the E3 Sony press conference on May 11, 2004, the same conference where Sony announced the PlayStation Portable. It has since been delayed repeatedly and its completion has been pushed back. At E3 2009, Gran Turismo PSP was finally confirmed for an October 1, 2009 date, and was launch title for the PSP Go. The game was intended to be an exact port of "Gran Turismo 4", although it could include cars from "Gran Turismo 5 Prologue" and cars to be featured in "Gran Turismo 5".

Gran Turismo 4

Originally slated for a 2003 release, "GT4" was delayed for over a year and a half by Polyphony Digital, and had its online mode removed (later added in "Gran Turismo" online test version).
"Gran Turismo" has held the title of being the number one seller and highest production Polyphony Digital has ever seen. The game features 708 cars from 80 manufacturers, from as early as the 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage, and as far into the future as concepts for 2022. The game also features 51 tracks, many of which are new or modified versions of old "Gran Turismo" favorites, with some notable real-world additions.

Upon its release, "GT4" was met with critical acclaim and was a commercial success, becoming one of the highest selling games of 2005. The Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean versions of the game were bundled with a 212-page driving guide and lessons on the physics of racing. A limited edition, "Gran Turismo 4 Online test version", was released in Japan in summer 2006. A PSP enhanced port entitled "Gran Turismo Mobile" was originally planned for development, but was later renamed to "Gran Turismo", which was released October 1, 2009. The follow-up game, "Gran Turismo 5", was released in 2010 exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Players now accumulate points by winning races in the normal first-person driving mode, called "A-Spec" mode. Each race event can yield up to a maximum of 200 A-Spec points. Generally, a win using a car with less of an advantage over the AI opponents is worth more points. Points can only be won once, so to win further points from a previously-won event, it must be re-won using a car with less of an advantage over the AI. There are also the 34 "Missions" which can yield 250 points each. Despite this, A-Spec points are experience points, not money.

The new "B-Spec" mode puts players in the place of a racing crew chief: telling the driver how aggressively to drive, when to pass, and mandating pit stops (by monitoring tire wear and fuel level). The speed of the time in the race can be increased up to 3x, allowing for Endurance races to be completed in less time than would take in A-Spec mode. The 3x feature, however, must be turned on after every pit stop because it resets to normal time. The game manual says that the player may speed up B-Spec mode by up to 5x, but this is believed to be a typo. B-Spec points are given out for each race completed in B-Spec mode. This increases the skill level of the AI driver in the categories of vehicle skill, course skill, and battle skill. Players can thereby use B-Spec mode in harder races as the game progresses, but this mode cannot be used on wet, dirt and snow courses.

Another new addition to the game is the "Driving Missions", which are similar in experience to the license tests, but award successful completion with 250 A-Spec points and 1000 or more credits. Each mission takes place with a given car on a given track or section of track, and a given set of opponents. There are 4 sets of missions: "The Pass", in which the driver must overtake an opponent within a certain distance; "3 Lap Battle", in which the driver must pass 5 opponents over the course of 3 laps; "Slipstream Battle", in which the driver must overtake identical opponents by way of drafting; and "1 Lap Magic", in which the driver starts with a significant time penalty against much slower opponents and must overtake them all in the space of a single lap. Completing each set of missions earns the player a prize car. There are a total of 5 prize cars available to be won, they are the DeLorean DMC-12, Jay Leno Tank Car, Pagani Zonda Race Car, Toyota 7, and the Nissan R89C.

A new "Photo Mode" is included in the game, which allows the player to control a virtual camera, taking pictures of their cars on the track or at specific locations, including the Grand Canyon. This game is able to produce a selection of screenshots with variable compression rate (Normal/Fine/SuperFine) and size (up to 1280x960 72dpi), and the user can choose to save or print to a supported USB device.

Compared with "", graphics are greatly improved with more detail on cars and tracks (despite running on the same PlayStation 2 hardware). The physics are also greatly improved, with the major upgrade that cars now experience body movement, such as pitching (forwards and backwards rolling) under braking. Barriers have considerably more friction to slow down the cars in GT4 (in an attempt to stop the use of "wall riding"), but there is minimal friction between cars, so the advantage obtained by running into the side of another car (instead of braking) is still present. Each of the Driving Missions and Special Conditions events give a 5-second penalty for hitting the walls or opponents' cars in this way, where the car's speed is restricted to 50 km/h (31 mph) until the timer disappears when it reaches zero.

"GT4" supports Dolby Digital surround, 480p/1080i (NTSC only) and widescreen modes, but 1080i is only supported in single player races. Despite the lack of online gameplay, "GT4" does support use of the PlayStation 2 Network Adapter, which can be used to communicate with additional PS2s to create a multi-screen setup. In addition, the Network Adapter can be used to play games on a local subnet for up to six players, though player customized cars cannot be used in a LAN game. Support for the Logitech Driving Force Pro and GT Force steering wheels is continued from "". Other "PC" steering wheels previously (and unofficially) supported in "GT3" were explicitly disabled for "GT4". New support is given for USB storage and print devices used in Photo Mode.

"GT4" continues in its predecessors' footsteps by offering an extremely large list of cars; the PAL version, for example, features 721 cars from 80 manufacturers. There are differences in the car lists between the different "GT4" regional versions, and some cars have different names, e.g. the JDM Toyota Vitz is known as the Toyota Yaris in places such as Europe and Puerto Rico and the second generation Mazda Demio is known as the Mazda 2 in the same places (PAL version only). A non-Japanese example is the Opel Speedster which was sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall VX220. The Nissan Z-car is known as the Nissan Fairlady Z in the NTSC-J version. As was the case with its predecessors, several well-known sports car manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini do not appear in the game. RUF, a company that produces cars based on Porsche chassis, but is classed as a manufacturer in its own right, reprised this role for "GT4".

Some of the cars in the game are multiple variations on a single base model; there are 20 different Subaru Imprezas and Legacies, 25 Mitsubishi Lancer/Lancer Evolutions, and 48 Nissan Skylines, including the Nissan GT-R Concept. One vehicle, another Skyline, is the pace car from the "Guide Lap" licence tests and is also a prize car. There is also the GT Edition, which was the pace car without the pace car lights, and even more power (541 horsepower, the standard version packs 276). Each vehicle model has over 5000 polygons.

Car prices range from about 2500 credits for basic 1980s Japanese used cars up to 4.5 million (450,000,000 in the Japanese version) credits for the top end (mostly Le Mans) race cars. Some special prize-only cars (such as the Pagani Zonda LM Race Car '01) are not visible in the vehicle showrooms, and a few do not have corresponding dealerships, and thus are unmodifiable, for example, the Formula Gran Turismo (Formula 1 car). Also, some concept cars featured in the game ended up becoming mass production cars, such as the Suzuki Swift.

"GT4" is responsible for a few vehicle firsts in the "Gran Turismo" series. It is the first to feature pickup trucks, such as the Toyota Tacoma and Dodge Ram. It is the first game in the series to feature the DeLorean, using the stage II spec engine (developed in 2004, hence the 2004 designation). It is also the first in the series to feature a diesel-powered car, the BMW 120d. A special edition of "GT4" featuring the 120d (and the rest of the 1 Series line), and three tracks were provided to BMW customers who purchased their 1 Series automobile before the release of "GT4". While "Gran Turismo 2" did have a one-off F1 engine version of the Renault Espace, "GT4" was the first of the series to feature a production minivan, the Honda Odyssey (JDM version). A first-generation Mitsubishi Pajero Paris-Dakar rally car, a winner of the 1985 rally, makes an appearance as the first SUV in racing trim. It was also the first in the series to feature D1 Grand Prix tuned cars such as Ken Nomura's Blitz ER34 D1GP.

The game includes some prize cars of historical interest, such as vehicles from as far back as 1886 at the dawn of the automobile. A special car called the Auto Union V16 Type C Streamline, built in 1937, can only be used in Power and Speed (which tests the performance of vehicles) or a test drive in Nürburgring, but has around 542 HP. Even some modern cars with complex body shapes cannot be raced against opponents, such as the Caterham Seven Fireblade. In Arcade Mode, these cars can be raced against a single opponent; this is the case for any convertible with the top down.

There is also a special car which is specially tuned and returns from the previous game, called the 'Shuichi Shigeno' version of Toyota AE86, which is taken from "Initial D", and is licensed by Toyota, although Toyota has never used the name of the author of "Initial D". Another "Initial D" car, the Sileighty, makes another returning appearance. Comedian Jay Leno, an avid car collector, is listed in the game as a manufacturer; one of his custom cars, the Blastolene Special or "Tank Car", is included in the game as a prize car, available after beating missions 11-20. The 2022 Nike ONE has Morse code on both sides of the car. They read "www.phil-frank.com", the website of the artist commissioned to design this car for "GT4", and "PFD", the initials of the artist's company. There is also Morse code visible on the inside of all four tires that read "PFD" when mirrored.

"GT4" retains all the familiar tuning parameters from the previous games in the series, but also allows weight to be added to the car. This can be positioned to affect handling or used as a form of handicapping. Another new vehicle tuning addition is nitrous oxide injection. Also, GT Auto can now install a rear wing on some cars, making it possible to adjust the car's rear downforce, which was previously only possible on racing cars or, on the first two games in the series, cars with the racing modification performed.

The game features 51 tracks, which are divided into 4 groups: World Circuits, Original Circuits, City Courses, and Dirt & Snow. Many of the tracks are new or modified versions of old Gran Turismo favorites. Notable real-world track inclusions are the longest circuit Nürburgring Nordschleife, Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi (with three Road Course configurations, as well as the Super Speedway) and Circuit de la Sarthe (Le Mans). There are also tracks modelled after world-famous attractions such as New York City's Times Square, Hong Kong, Hôtel George-V Paris, and the Las Vegas Strip. The Hong Kong course is located in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, which, in its clockwise configuration, starts at Salisbury Road, passes through the city's waterfront and then Nathan Road.

The Città d'Aria course follows actual roads in Assisi, Italy. The race starts/finishes in the piazza in front of the temple Minerva. Just before the start/finish line on this course, written on the tarmac is an inscription in broken Italian: "Dio lo benedice — fate il suo guidare il più sicuro e divertirsi", which, when translated, means "God blesses him; make his driving the most safely and to have fun." On the Seattle circuit, the Kingdome, the previous home of the Seattle Mariners, is visible next to their current stadium, Safeco Field. Kingdome was demolished in an implosion on March 26, 2000. Because the Seattle circuit was created for GT2 in 1999, before the Kingdome's demolition, it has been left unchanged and the Mariners' now completed home, Safeco Field, remains under construction, not to be completed until 2002. (GT4 reuses the Seattle map from GT3), A section of the Opera Paris course passing through Place de la Concorde was traversed by Claude Lelouch in the short film "C'etait un rendez-vous".

There are no changes in weather or time conditions during races. Even during the 24-hour endurance races, there is no transition from day to night or between different types of weather. All of the tracks are run in dry weather, with the exception of the Tsukuba Wet Race.

is a racing video game of the "Gran Turismo" series for Sony PlayStation 2 which is published by Polyphony Digital. It was released on December 4, 2003 in Japan and Southeast Asia and May 26, 2004 in Europe. For undisclosed reasons, the game was not released in the North American market. This short version title preceded the release of the full-length version "Gran Turismo 4" in 2004 and was followed by "Gran Turismo 5: Prologue" in 2007.

In Japan a limited "Signature Edition" featuring the signature of the series producer Kazunori Yamauchi on the front cover package preceded the release of the regular edition. The regular edition was also bundled with a white ceramic PlayStation 2 console in a Christmas limited SKU called "PlayStation Racing Pack" released in Japan on October 13, 2002.

In Europe, the game was bundled with a promotional "Making of DVD Video". While intended to be a limited content, the DVD-Video was also included in the Platinum re-release. The DVD was later included in the limited "Gran Turismo 4" "Special DVD Set" released in Japan on June 28, 2004. The regular edition was discontinued and the game was re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line in Japan ("PlayStation 2 the Best") on August 5, 2004 and Europe ("Platinum"). As "Gran Turismo 4" was intended to be released in time for the worldwide 2002/2003 Christmas release but was delayed, in consolation, Polyphony brought out "Gran Turismo 4: Prologue" as a sneak preview (including a documentary bonus disc in Europe) to the full experience of "Gran Turismo 4".

Though it was necessary to limit the number of cars and courses included, this product still included some of the main features of the "Gran Turismo" franchise such as races, time attack and license tests. The sneak preview also expressed the latest technology Polyphony Digital had accumulated over the past two years. Featuring 50 of "GT4"'s then planned 500 cars as well as five courses, this expanded demo was designed as a stop-gap until the complete version was released.

The game includes a Driving School (License Tests) as well as early version of some circuits, like the New York track which was modified in the full version. A new "Gran Turismo" official steering wheel, the Driving Force Pro known as GT Force Pro in Japan and supporting force feedback, was released by Logitech (Logicool in Japan) to coincide with the "Gran Turismo 4 Prologue" launch date. The European version came with an extra car not included in the Japanese version; the BMW Concept M5.

"Gran Turismo 4 Prologue" has sold 1.4 million copies since its release.

is a free 2006 PlayStation 2 game by Polyphony Digital. This is a limited edition of the 2004/2005 racing game "Gran Turismo 4" featuring extra online services that were removed from the standard game due to some issues and a lack of time as the game had been delayed several times. Selecting the extra "Online" mode leads to the "Online Home" that features additional game modes, "Quick Race", "Tuned Car Race", "Private Race" (that requires a password) and "Time Attack". "News" inform about the availability for the online courses or special events, with limited date and time. Public online services ended on September 1, 2006.

This public beta for "Gran Turismo 4 Online" ("GT4OL") was freely shipped to 4,700 selected "GranTurismo.com" members from Japan and 300 from South Korea to collaborate as "test players". Online services lasted three months from June 1 to September 1, 2006 and included 6-player "Competition" (対戦, "taisen"), Time Trial, chat (mail message and microphone communication), and an Internet ranking chart was available in the game's website. (A version of the game intended for the United States market has since been discovered)

This test was not intended to precede a "Gran Turismo 4 Online" full scale release but instead to be used as a way to develop and test online features and structures for the upcoming "Gran Turismo 5" on the PlayStation 3 system. Besides the 5,000 test players, seven special guests were invited to test "Gran Turismo 4 Online". First, a special event named "Top Racer Battle" (トップレーサーBATTLE) was staged in the Polyphony Digital headquarters on August 17. Six drivers from the JGTC Japanese championship entered the game's online multiplayer "Competition" mode.

Motoyama won the test round, a 5-lap Fuji Speedway 2005 race with the drivers' respective JGTC GT500 cars. The actual Top Racer Battle though, a 10-lap Tsukuba Circuit one make race on board a Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A '04, was won by Ryo Michigami. Later from August 25 to September 5, 2006, Kazunori Yamauchi the "Gran Turismo" series producer (re)invited two Japanese and two European professional racing drivers sponsored by PlayStation to enter GT4OL's Time Attack mode Internet ranking chart and, either to challenge him or another guest in a versus race, either to compete with five test drivers in an 8~10 rounds multiplayer online competition called "trophy".

The first guest was Super GT GT500 Nissan Motul Pitwork Z driver Satoshi Motoyama (Top Racer Battle challenger), he entered the dedicated "Motoyama Trophy", a 2-lap 10 races online multiplayer competition, and won three rounds. Second guest specially came from France, Sébastien Loeb, LeMans 2005 PlayStation Pescarolo C60 Judd LMP Race Car '04 driver and WRC champion, he set a new Time Attack Internet record on the 24 Hours of Le Mans' Circuit de la Sarthe I ("Loeb Special Attack") and defeated Kazunori Yamauchi in their Pescarolo Online Time Attack duel on the same circuit (Internet rank 10th vs 11th). The last guests were both Top Racer Battle challengers, one is Ryo Michigami, Super GT GT500 Honda Takata Dome NSX driver, the other is Michael Krumm, GT500 Nissan Motul Pitwork Z driver. They competed with each other in a versus battle then entered a special trophy similar to Motoyama's.

"Gran Turismo 4" was generally praised by game critics. It received an aggregated score of 89.53% on GameRankings and 89/100 on Metacritic.

Jeremy Clarkson, host of the "Top Gear" television program, performed a head-to-head test of real life versus "GT4" on an episode of the program. He ran Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in real life and used an Acura NSX for a lap time of 1:57. But in the game he used a Honda NSX-R (which is lighter) with a lap time of 1:41:148. Clarkson also had to be shown by a race driving instructor where the line was between the game and reality. He pointed out that adjusting one's braking mid-turn in a real car could cause loss of control, and also mentioned that in the game, he is compelled to take bigger risks than he would in real life, and that in the game, the car did not suffer from brake fade. Despite the apparent discrepancies, in a column for "The Sunday Times", Clarkson gave the game a score of three stars out of five and had this to say about it:

Karl Brauer of edmunds.com performed a similar test, also at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in which he and two others — professional race driver A. J. Allmendinger, and IGN gaming editor Justin Kaehler — set times in "GT4" and real life in a variety of cars. Brauer's best time in a Ford GT in the game was 1:38, and his best time on the real track was 1:52. In the four vehicles the trio tested, none was able to duplicate his game times on the real track. Brauer suggested the main differences between the game and reality:

Many reviewers criticized the game for its continued lack of rendered damage. Instead of actual damage, the cars (depending on the speed and angle in which the collision occurred) simply bounce or spin off of the car, wall, or obstacle. Reviewers complained of the continued ability to take unrealistic short cuts, such as the ones on Fuji Speedway 90's, Driving Park Beginner Course and Circuit de la Sarthe I, where the driver can cut right across the chicane, allowing a player to win by cheating. One reviewer also complained that the game's vehicles do not have enough grip. The game has also been criticized for lack of online play which had been promised during early development, but was announced as being removed at the time of release. Many reviewers expressed disappointment in the game's AI system, noting that "virtual racers will follow their (driving) line with little concern for where the human driver is at any one time." This is more evident during rally races and missions in which a 5-second speed penalty is given for hitting the other cars or the barriers, regardless of who initiated the contact. Some critics found B-Spec mode to offer little to the overall experience.

Non video-game publications made some positive reception too. Sean Cunningham of "Maxim" gave the game a perfect ten and asked, "Is "GT4" more fetish than game? Probably. But if this is a fetish, then put a leather hood on us and whip us till we bleed!" Jason Hill of "The Sydney Morning Herald" gave it all five stars and stated that the game's biggest strength "is the realistic handling. You feel every nuance of the car's movements, weight shifts and suspension, particularly with a Driving Force Pro steering wheel. This is a peerless driving simulation that will test even professional drivers." Charles Herold of "The New York Times" gave it a positive review and stated that while the game "aims for realism, it occasionally falls short. Competitors drive like mindless automatons, seemingly unaware of your existence. Cars can take endless amounts of damage, allowing you to control your turns by bouncing off other cars like a pinball. If a track doesn't have walls, like one set in the Grand Canyon, then an invisible barrier prevents you from going off track." However, Jim Schaefer of "Detroit Free Press" gave it three stars out of four and stated that "GT Mode does a great job of organizing your choices on a large home map. You can leave your garage to race, or jump over to ogle new and used rides at domestic and foreign dealerships, take on special challenges and buy parts upgrades.""Gran Turismo 4" received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

By March 2016, "Gran Turismo 4" had shipped 1.27 million copies in Japan, 3.47 million in North America, 6.83 million in Europe, and 180,000 in Asia for a total of 11.76 million copies. It is the second highest-selling game in the "Gran Turismo" franchise ahead of "Gran Turismo" but behind "" respectively.


How many people watched Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome?

Wrestle Kingdom 9 drew 36,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome, reportedly (accordingly to "Wrestleview.com" and the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter") the best attendance for a NJPW January 4 Tokyo Dome Show in 13 years. The event reportedly had 12,000 to 15,000 purchases in North America.

Wrestle Kingdom 9

Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2015. It was the 24th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the first event on the 2015 NJPW schedule. The event featured ten professional wrestling matches and one pre-show match, six of which were for championships.

In the double main event, Shinsuke Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Kota Ibushi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada. A Tanahashi–Okada heavyweight title match had headlined Wrestle Kingdom 7 two years earlier and was also the main event the following year at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Although the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship was successfully defended, the IWGP Tag Team Championship, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and NEVER Openweight Championship changed hands. The appearance of Pro Wrestling Noah wrestlers led to a storyline in which NJPW's Suzuki-gun group began wrestling at Noah events starting the week after Wrestle Kingdom 9.

The event was attended by 36,000 people. Through NJPW's partnership with Global Force Wrestling (GFW), the event was broadcast with English commentary as a GFW event. It was available on PPV television in the United States and Canada, and broadcast worldwide on the Internet via Flipps and New Japan Pro Wrestling World. Critics issued positive reviews; "Philly.com" said it featured "good, quality wrestling", while "Paste" magazine said it presented "some of the most passionate and poignant performance art today". Readers of the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" voted Wrestle Kingdom 9 the Best Major Wrestling Show of 2015; they also named the Ibushi–Nakamura match as the 2015 Pro Wrestling Match of the Year.

Wrestle Kingdom has been described as "New Japan's major annual show" and the "equivalent" of WWE's WrestleMania pay-per-view (PPV) event. Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome was promoted as the "largest wrestling show in the world outside of the United States" and was the 24th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, although previous events were held under different names.

On August 10, 2014, NJPW made two announcements. Firstly, Wrestle Kingdom 9 would be held at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2015. Secondly, NJPW revealed a partnership with Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling, which it approached about bringing the event to a new market. On November 4, GFW announced that it would present the event live on American pay-per-view television and that it had a PPV market of 125 million homes.

The event was broadcast on American PPV as the first GFW event. The four-hour "GFW Presents New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 9" telecast was available from pay-per-view providers in the United States, including DirecTV, Dish Network, AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Verizon FiOS and all cable systems, and in Canada from Bell ExpressVu, Rogers, Shaw, Sasktel and Telus. The event also aired live on New Japan Pro Wrestling World, an Internet streaming site introduced by NJPW in early December 2014 which reportedly had 20,000 subscribers worldwide in late January 2015. In Japan, the event also aired on PPV in SKY PerfecTV!'s Sukachan service. In January 2016, Dave Meltzer of the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" stated that Wrestle Kingdom 9 "was the only live pro wrestling PPV event ever broadcast [internationally] from Japan".

The GFW version of the event was streamed worldwide (except in North America and Japan) on the Flipps application for Internet-connected smartphones, tablet computers and smart TVs. On Flipps, the show was available live and on-demand for 30 days after its initial airing.

On November 11, 2014, GFW announced that Jim Ross would be the lead announcer for its version of the event. It was Ross's first professional-wrestling broadcast since his 2013 departure from WWE. Ross attempted to obtain Mike Tenay of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) for color commentary, but TNA refused. Others considered for the job were John Pollock, Mauro Ranallo and Kevin Nash, before GFW settled on Matt Striker.

Before the event, the GFW broadcasts experienced setbacks. Many cable companies decided not to air the event live, opting instead for a replay of UFC 182, and the stream would not run on three of the four most used devices compatible with Flipps: Chromecast, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. According to Dave Meltzer, NJPW undercut GFW by including the event in the $8.42 monthly price for New Japan Pro Wrestling World; the GFW broadcast of Wrestle Kingdom 9 alone was $34.95. The New Japan Pro Wrestling World stream had Japanese commentary only.

AXS TV, which acquired the rights to broadcast Wrestle Kingdom 9 from the TV Asahi Corporation, aired the event in five parts from October 9 to November 6, 2015, to viewers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Commentary was provided by Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett.

Wrestle Kingdom 9 featured ten professional wrestling matches and one pre-show match. It saw professional wrestlers performing as characters in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The event was headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada. Tanahashi won the title by defeating A.J. Styles on October 13, 2014, at the NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling event. Okada became the number one contender at Wrestle Kingdom 9 by winning the G1 Climax on August 10, 2014. Over the following months, he defended his position against Karl Anderson and Tetsuya Naito. The Wrestle Kingdom 9 main event was the seventh match between Okada and Tanahashi since February 2012 and their second January 4 Tokyo Dome Show main event after Wrestle Kingdom 7 on January 4, 2013.

Wrestle Kingdom 9's other main event was determined at the November 8, 2014, NJPW Power Struggle show. After Shinsuke Nakamura defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Katsuyori Shibata, Kota Ibushi entered the ring, assaulted Nakamura, and issued a title challenge; Nakamura accepted. This was a turning point in Ibushi's career, since he had recently joined the heavyweight division after gaining weight. A previous singles match between Nakamura and Ibushi during the 2013 G1 Climax was ranked "Best Bout of the Year" by the "Tokyo Sports" newspaper.

Previous IWGP Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles (of the Bullet Club group) and fellow top contender Tetsuya Naito were slated to wrestle each other at Wrestle Kingdom 9. During the 2014 G1 Climax (when Styles was IWGP Heavyweight Champion), Naito pinned him in a non-title tournament match but did not have a title shot before Styles lost to Tanahashi. Since Styles did not receive a rematch with Tanahashi, it was theorized by the American media that the Wrestle Kingdom 9 winner would be the top contender.

Another title that was contested at Wrestle Kingdom 9 was the IWGP Tag Team Championship, with Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson defending against Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata. Goto and Shibata teamed up after a match against each other at the January 4, 2014, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8, and the two former high-school classmates named their team "Meiyu Tag" ("meiyu" means "sworn brothers" in Japanese). In March 2014, they entered the IWGP Tag Team Championship picture by defeating the Bullet Club's IWGP Tag Team Champions Anderson and Gallows in a non-title match at NJPW's 42nd-anniversary event. This led to a title match at the April 6 NJPW Invasion Attack 2014, where Anderson and Gallows retained the title. In December, Goto and Shibata won the 2014 World Tag League tournament, defeating Anderson and Gallows in the final to earn another chance at the title.

Wrestle Kingdom 9 also showcased a rivalry between Toru Yano and the Suzuki-gun group, which had been going on since 2013. In May 2014, Yano's tag team partner Takashi Iizuka joined Suzuki-gun, which led to Yano recruiting Kazushi Sakuraba as his new tag team partner to continue the feud. The rivalry lasted for the rest of the year, resulting in two Wrestle Kingdom 9 matches: one between former mixed martial artists Sakuraba and Suzuki-gun leader Minoru Suzuki, and a tag team match pitting Yano and a "mystery partner" against a Suzuki-gun team. The latter became an eight-man tag team match, with Suzuki-gun represented by Iizuka, Shelton X Benjamin, and the Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer). Yano recruited three partners from the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion: Naomichi Marufuji and TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste).

The Wrestle Kingdom 9 undercard featured several matches involving the Bullet Club, which was led by A.J. Styles. The group dominated NJPW for most of 2014, holding all four of its heavyweight championships during the summer. After the NJPW–GFW partnership was forged, GFW head Jeff Jarrett joined the Bullet Club on August 10. On December 7, during a Bullet Club post-match assault on Tomoaki Honma, NJPW veteran tag team Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) stormed into the ring to the aid of Honma, driving the Bullet Club away. They then joined Honma to challenge the stable to a six-man tag team match at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Jeff Jarrett—making his NJPW ring debut—were scheduled to represent the Bullet Club at the event.

The pre-show featured one match, the New Japan Rumble. Tiger Mask and Yuji Nagata began the match, with new wrestlers entering each minute. Wrestlers worked to eliminate each other, and the last remaining wrestler won. In this match, eliminations could occur via pinfall, submission, disqualification, or being thrown out of the ring over the top rope. The Great Kabuki, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Hiro Saito were surprise entrants. Captain New Japan was the first eliminated when Tama Tonga threw him over the top rope. Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu worked together to eliminate Taichi and Tiger Mask. After Tanaka was eliminated by submitting to Manabu Nakanishi's torture rack, Tonga eliminated Nakanishi and Komatsu via pinfall, the latter after a jumping DDT. Yoshi-Hashi threw Tonga over the top rope for the elimination, leaving himself and Nagata in the match. Nagata won the match by slamming Hashi against the mat with a belly-to-back suplex, bridging into a pinfall elimination at 26 minutes and 9 seconds.

The first match of the PPV show saw reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish) defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero), Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida), and the Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson). Romero performed the "Forever Clothesline" (multiple corner clotheslines) and double clotheslines on his opponents. A series of dives out of the ring culminated in Kushida diving from the turnbuckles onto his opponents on the floor. Although Time Splitters followed with a neckbreaker-moonsault combination on Nick, the three-count for a pinfall was stopped at two. The Young Bucks started a "Superkick Party" (multiple superkicks) and continued with a "Meltzer Driver" (assisted Tombstone piledriver) on Koslov, but the pin was again broken up. ReDRagon took over with a backbreaker and diving knee drop on Shelley, a double arm DDT and wheelbarrow suplex on Matt, and a super falcon arrow by Fish on Nick. The first "Chasing the Dragon" kick/brainbuster combination attempt was countered by an inside cradle by Koslov for a two count, but the second "Chasing the Dragon" attempt succeeded; O'Reilly pinned Koslov to retain the title at 13 minutes and 1 second.

In the second match, the Bullet Club's Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett, and Yujiro Takahashi faced New Japan's Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, and Tomoaki Honma. Takahashi received a Jarrett guitar shot meant for Honma, a 3D from Tencozy, and a "Kokeshi" diving headbutt from Honma before Honma pinned him for the victory at 5 minutes and 35 seconds.

The third match saw Suzuki-gun's Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, Shelton Benjamin, and Takashi Iizuka opposing Toru Yano and Pro Wrestling Noah representatives Naomichi Marufuji, Mikey Nicholls, and Shane Haste. Smith's powerbomb of Nicholls, Archer's chokeslam of Haste, and Benjamin's super overhead belly-to-belly throw of Marufuji were not enough for the victory; the opposing team overwhelmed Iizuka with a low blow by Yano, a double-team gorilla press slam by TMDK, and a "Tiger Uppercut" knee lift by Marufuji. This led to Marufuji scoring a pinfall on Iizuka at 5 minutes and 5 seconds.

The fourth match, between Minoru Suzuki and Kazushi Sakuraba, was conducted under UWFi rules; it would end with a knockout, submission, or referee stoppage. During the match, Sakuraba and Suzuki battled onto the entrance ramp, where Sakuraba used a kimura lock to injure Suzuki's arm. When they returned to the ring, Sakuraba targeted Suzuki's injured arm with kicks, stomps, and a cross armbreaker hold. Suzuki withstood the assault, responding with slaps with his good arm and a running kick to Sakuraba's face. Suzuki applied a rear naked choke, making a judo throw while maintaining the choke ("Saka Otoshi"). Sakuraba fought the hold until he lost consciousness, at which point the referee stopped the match in favour of Suzuki at 9 minutes and 21 seconds. After the match, the wrestlers shook hands and embraced.

Next, Tomohiro Ishii defended the NEVER Openweight Championship against Togi Makabe. Clotheslines, forearms, shoulder blocks, slaps, headbutts, sledgehammers, powerslams, powerbombs, and German suplexes were exchanged. Makabe won the match (and the title) with a running lariat and the "King Kong Knee Drop" from the top rope, followed by a pinfall at 12 minutes and 23 seconds.

In the sixth match, Ryusuke Taguchi defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega of the Bullet Club. Distractions by the Bullet Club's Young Bucks allowed Omega to spray Taguchi in the eyes with an aerosol can and broke Taguchi's ankle lock on Omega later in the match. Omega captured the championship after a snap dragon suplex, a bicycle knee strike, and the "One Winged Angel" (electric chair dropped into a one-handed driver), pinning the champion at 13 minutes and 20 seconds.

The final tag team match of the event, the IWGP Tag Team Championship, pitted the Bullet Club's Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows against challengers Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata). The champions controlled Goto early in the match, but after Goto tagged in Shibata, all four men battled in the ring. At the end of the match, Anderson was kicked off the ring apron by Shibata; this led to a pinfall on Gallows after a double-team GTS and Shibata's "Penalty Kick", giving Meiyu Tag the title after 9 minutes.

The eighth match was between A.J. Styles and Tetsuya Naito. Although Styles twice attempted his signature "Styles Clash", Naito countered and Styles then focused on attacking Naito's left leg. Styles later applied the "Calf Killer", forcing Naito to grab the rope to break the hold. After another "Styles Clash" attempt, Naito countered by throwing Styles over the top rope to the floor. When Styles returned to the ring after a 19 count (NJPW employs a 20 count in their matches), Naito attempted a top-rope huracanrana. Styles blocked it, converting it to a "Styles Clash" from the second rope before pinning Naito for another Bullet Club victory at 14 minutes and 25 seconds.

Wrestle Kingdom 9 featured two main event matches. In the first, Shinsuke Nakamura defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Kota Ibushi. Ibushi ridiculed Nakamura and used several of the champion's moves, including the corner vibration boot, the reverse powerslam, and the "Boma Ye" knee strike. Nakamura, responding aggressively, kicked out of the latter at one. Nakamura used a variety of knee-based strikes, and Ibushi's attacks included a standing corkscrew moonsault, a roundhouse kick, an elevated sit-out powerbomb, and a double stomp to the chest. Ibushi also jumped on the top rope, grabbing Nakamura on the apron, and German-suplexed him back into the ring for a two count. In the finishing sequence, Ibushi got up immediately after receiving a knee from the second rope to the back of his head; both attempted the "Boma Ye", but Nakamura recovered first with the "Landslide" and then the "Boma Ye" knee to retain the title at 20 minutes and 12 seconds. After the match, the wrestlers bumped fists.

In the second main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada. The challenger controlled the early match with a hanging DDT onto the floor, a "Heavy Rain" (Death Valley driver) on the entrance ramp, and the "D.I.D." submission. After they battled on the top rope, Tanahashi missed a "High Fly Flow" but countered Okada's "Rainmaker". The momentum shifted to Tanahashi as he performed a dragon screw legwhip and continued attacking Okada's leg. Tanahashi later dove off the top rope and over the guard rail with a "High Fly Flow" crossbody to Okada on the floor outside of the ring. After Tanahashi tried another "High Fly Flow" crossbody back in the ring, Okada rolled through for a Tombstone piledriver, which Tanahashi countered with his own Tombstone. Although Tanahashi landed a "High Fly Flow" to Okada's back and a traditional "High Fly Flow" frog splash, Okada kicked out at two for a nearfall.

Tanahashi next tried a "Rainmaker", which Okada countered with one of his own and scored a nearfall. Although Okada attempted the "Rainmaker" three more times, Tanahashi countered with a bridging straitjacket German suplex, a bridging dragon suplex, a series of dragon-screw legwhips, and three "High Fly Flows". The first was a crossbody while Okada was on the ropes; the second a frog splash to a seated Okada, and the third another frog splash, after which Tanahashi scored a pinfall on Okada to retain the title at 30 minutes and 57 seconds. Okada wept as he left the ring, and Tanahashi shouted that his opponent had a long way to go before becoming the New Japan ace. Tanahashi closed the show, thanking the fans and performing his air guitar routine.

"Kobe Shimbun" "Daily Sports Online" called Tanahashi "Mr. Tokyo Dome" for winning his fifth consecutive Wrestle Kingdom main event in the arena. Jason Namako of "Wrestleview.com", who watched the Japanese version of the show via New Japan World, said that the event "proved one thing, "puroresu" is, beyond a shadow of doubt, indeed "ichiban"!!" Meanwhile, Aaron Oster of "The Baltimore Sun" wrote that "Wrestle Kingdom 9 has to be considered a success".

Bob Kapur of "Slam! Wrestling" wrote that the show was "too good to miss", "even if you're not a Japanese wrestling fan", with the positives being in-ring action, commentary and production levels, and "perhaps the only negative comment were some technical issues" with his Rogers' HD PPV feed failing. James Caldwell of the "Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter" also concurred that the show was a "must-see". As well as a "fantastic opening video package running down the card", the NEVER Openweight Championship match received four out of five stars as a "fantastic match taking the Tokyo Dome to the next level." The IWGP Intercontinental Championship match received four-and-a-half stars: "... a big-time match on a big-time stage, and Ibushi looked the part of a big-time player". The IWGP Heavyweight Championship match received five stars, with Caldwell stating, "There's nothing better in the industry than these two on a big stage in a big-time main event. Just the world's best."

According to Garrett Martin of the magazine "Paste", Wrestle Kingdom 9 "easily could wind up being the best [wrestling show of the year] when the year is done". He praised Jim Ross, whose "timeless voice cut through the language barrier" for American wrestling fans, and likened his commentary to "reading the first English translation of Homer." Martin commented on the ending of the show, stating that a "broken Kazuchika Okada shambling tearfully back towards the locker room ... made the moment feel real" which displayed that "Okada isn't just a great athlete but a better actor than most who step into the ring, and elevating the entire scripted, choreographed display into something beyond a sport." Martin wrote that New Japan had transcended puroresu and has produced "some of the most passionate and poignant performance art today."

Jason Powell of "Pro Wrestling Dot Net" predicted that even first-time viewers of New Japan would be "thrilled" watching this event. Although the "first half of the night felt rushed and had too many tag matches", the show still held his "interest from start to finish" and its final three matches were "amazing". Powell described several matches as overtaking each other as the night's best as the event progressed: the "very physical" Ishii–Makabe, then Naito–Styles, then Ibushi–Nakamura. English-language commentators Ross and Striker were endorsed as an overall positive. Lastly, Powell thought the "pay-per-view broadcast is fantastic", but he also said some "Pro Wrestling Dot Net" readers "reported issues with the Flipps app [broadcast] feed for the show.

In his review, Vaughn Johnson of the Philadelphia Media Network through "Philly.com" wrote: "Everything that was presented to the worldwide audience was simple and didn't require anyone to know the Japanese language. Good, quality wrestling is a universal language, and I got the message New Japan sent Sunday loud and clear." According to Johnson, some viewers were "exposed to a product for the first time where the outcomes of the matches are still important, as Okada showed by openly crying after his loss to Tanahashi" in a main event, which was "just as much a spectacle as it was a fantastic match athletic exhibition." He wrote that to call the Nakamura–Ibushi match "physical would be a gross understatement ... It was brutal to watch at times" but "one of the best" he had ever seen. Johnson praised the event as "devoid of popcorn matches and silly gimmicks that insult your intelligence", and commentators Ross and Striker for focusing "on the action in the ring and the significance of it instead of cracking jokes and making a million plugs."

According to the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter", although several early matches were "rushed", the final two were candidates for "match of the year". Readers of the publication voted Wrestle Kingdom 9 the Best Major Wrestling Show of 2015; they also named the match between Ibushi and Nakamura the 2015 Pro Wrestling Match of the Year, and the match between Okada and Tanahashi was voted the fourth best of 2015. Dave Meltzer gave commentary for the result in January 2016, describing Wrestle Kingdom 9 as "the blow away show of" 2015 and "the peak show of the rise of New Japan Pro Wrestling from very low levels for much of the late 00s".

According to commentator Jim Ross, Japanese television producer TV Asahi did not contact the English-language team during the event; he and Striker announced "by our instincts and it seemed to work out pretty well". Ross also said, "Time will tell but if this was my last pro wrestling event, I picked a damn good one on which to go out on."

In the wake of his loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event, Kazuchika Okada entered a "downward spiral" storyline with three quick losses to Bad Luck Fale. The day after his win over Tetsuya Naito, A.J. Styles emerged as the next challenger for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship by pinning Tanahashi in an eight-man tag team match. Styles then defeated Tanahashi for the championship on February 11 at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka. Bullet Club captured two more titles in that event, with the Young Bucks winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, and Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson defeating Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata in a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 9 to regain the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Okada's slump ended on April 5 at NJPW Invasion Attack 2015, where he defeated Fale, which he followed with a victory over Styles on July 5 at NJPW Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Another rematch from Wrestle Kingdom 9 was scheduled for February 14 at NJPW The New Beginning in Sendai between Togi Makabe and Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Championship. When Makabe was sidelined with influenza, NJPW stripped him of the title and scheduled another match, in which Ishii defeated Tomoaki Honma for the now-vacant title. Ishii and Makabe had their title rematch on April 29, when Makabe regained the NEVER Openweight Championship.

Wrestle Kingdom 9 broke Yuji Nagata's streak of consecutive January 4 Tokyo Dome Show appearances at 21 by being featured on the pre-show instead of the main card. In an interview, Nagata said that he felt slighted and thought about quitting when he was relegated to the pre-show. The day after the event, he was scheduled to challenge Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, returning to the IWGP main-event picture for the first time in years. Although Nagata received his title shot at NJPW The New Beginning in Sendai, he was defeated by Nakamura. Nakamura's Wrestle Kingdom 9 opponent, Kota Ibushi, won the 2015 New Japan Cup tournament on March 15 by defeating Hirooki Goto in the finals, thus earning the right to choose a championship to challenge. Ibushi picked a match with A.J. Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (leaving Goto to challenge Nakamura). Ibushi failed in his title challenge on April 5 at NJPW Invasion Attack 2015, and Goto defeated Nakamura on May 3 at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2015 to become IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

After Wrestle Kingdom 9, Suzuki-gun declared war on Pro Wrestling Noah because Naomichi Marufuji and TMDK helped Toru Yano. This storyline angle appeared at the January 10 Noah event, when Suzuki-gun attacked Marufuji and TMDK at the end of the show. After the event, the eight Suzuki-gun members began working for Noah, and by March 15, the group established its dominance by winning all four of Noah's championships: Suzuki became the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Killer Elite Squad the GHC Tag Team Champions, Taichi the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, and El Desperado and Taka Michinoku the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

A year later, at Wrestle Kingdom 10, Okada defeated Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight title; Nakamura beat Styles to retain the IWGP Intercontinental title; Honma and Makabe defeated Anderson and Gallows to capture the IWGP Tag Team title; Kushida beat Kenny Omega to capture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title; the Young Bucks won a four-way match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title; Goto defeated Naito in a non-title match; Shibata defeated Ishii to capture the NEVER Openweight title; while Toru Yano and the Briscoes triumphed over Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Yujiro Takahashi to become the inaugural NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.


Where did Eli Heckscher go to school?

Heckscher was born in Stockholm, son of the Jewish Danish-born businessman Isidor Heckscher and his spouse Rosa Meyer, and completed his secondary education there in 1897. He studied at Uppsala University and Gothenburg University, completing his PhD in Uppsala in 1907. He was professor of Political economy and Statistics at the Stockholm School of Economics from 1909 until 1919, when he exchanged that chair for a research professorship in economic history, finally retiring as emeritus professor in 1945. In 1929 Heckscher founded the Institute for Economic History Research.

Eli Heckscher

Eli Filip Heckscher (24 November 1879 – 23 December 1952) was a Swedish political economist and economic historian.

According to a bibliography published in 1950, Heckscher had, as of the previous year, published 1148 books and articles, among which may be mentioned his study of Mercantilism, which had been translated into several languages, and a monumental Economic history of Sweden in several volumes. Heckscher is best known for a model explaining patterns in international trade (Heckscher-Ohlin model) that he developed with Bertil Ohlin at the Stockholm School of Economics.

Eli Heckscher's son was Gunnar Heckscher (1909-1987), a political scientist and the leader of what would later become the Swedish Moderate Party 1961–1965. His grandson is the Social Democratic politician Sten Heckscher.

Heckscher was born in Djursholm, son of economist Eli Heckscher. He graduated from Uppsala University in 1927 and obtained a PhD 1934. He lectured in political science at Uppsala between 1933 and 1941 and at what later became Stockholm University between 1941 and 1948. He was Dean of the Social Institute of Stockholm 1945-1954. He became a professor in 1948 and worked at both the Social Institute and at Stockholm University.

Gunnar Heckscher

Gunnar Edvard Heckscher (8 July 190924 November 1987) was a Swedish political scientist and leader of the Rightist Party ("Högerpartiet"), which later became the Moderate Party.

Heckscher was a member of the Riksdag for Stockholm between 1957 and 1965.

After having been deputy chairman, Heckscher was elected leader of the party in 1961 and served until 1965. He was an early supporter of Swedish membership of the European Community.
He was later the Swedish ambassador to India 1965-1970 and Japan 1970-1975.

Heckscher died in Uppsala on 24 November 1987. One of his sons is Sten Heckscher, Social Democratic politician and later national chief of the Swedish police ("Rikspolischef").

From 1918 to 1921, the family lived in the Netherlands while Heckscher's father served as the Weimar Republic's ambassador to The Hague; there, Heckscher enrolled at the Nederlandsch Lyceum. Heckscher pursued his interests in history and Flemish art by spending his off hours studying at the Dutch Royal Library, the Mauritshuis and the Kröller-Müller Museum, but was dismissed from the Lyceum in 1920 for "lack of scholarly potential". After the family returned to Hamburg, Heckscher attended the city's Kunstgewerbeschule, now the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, but failed a class in ceramics.

William S. Heckscher

William S. Heckscher (1904–1999) was a German art historian and professor of fine art and art history at universities in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands.

Wilhelm Sebastian Martin Hugo Heckscher was born in Hamburg, Germany on December 14, 1904. He was the son of Hulda Foerster and Siegfried Heckscher, a lawyer and director of the Hamburg America Line. His maternal grandfather was the astronomer and mathematician Wilhelm Foerster.

Having been stymied at furthering his formal art education, at the age of 19 Heckscher returned to The Hague and worked as a portrait painter. He spent months copying panels by Jan van Eyck and Konrad Witz, took informal painting lessons with Ludwig Bartning of the Berlin Academy, and was contracted to work on an anatomical atlas. His portraiture was in demand among Dutch, German, and Belgian patrons; this was his means of support from 1924 to 1930.

Heckscher was commissioned in 1931 to paint a portrait of Gustav Pauli, the director of Kunsthalle Hamburg. While at work in Pauli's office, they were interrupted by a strange little man unknown to Heckscher. The man, apparently a colleague of Pauli, immediately launched into some Dürer problem that was troubling him. The stranger's animated discussion with Pauli left Heckscher astounded at the depth of the man's insight. Intrigued, Heckscher followed Panofsky to his office and all but begged to study under him. Panofsky was thoroughly unimpressed by Heckscher's education—he had never finished high school—but Heckscher persisted, and Panofsky eventually relented, telling him of a program to support gifted students who had not completed high school. Heckscher passed the rigorous examination and was accepted into the University of Hamburg, but was only grudgingly given a seat in the back of Panofsky's seminar.

In 1932–1933, Heckscher lived in New York where he worked as Panofsky's assistant. During this time, he enrolled in the Graduate Department of Art History at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University to study American art history. Heckscher returned to Germany to continue his studies in 1934. He and his mother were detained by the Gestapo and interrogated for ten days after being accused of having pacifist connections.

He received his PhD from the University of Hamburg in 1936. Panofsky had moved to the Institute for Advanced Study, and Heckscher followed him to Princeton as a visiting art historian. Heckscher also studied English there, and took up a study of linguistics the following year after moving to London.

In 1940, Heckscher was detained in London as an enemy alien. He was sent to an internment camp in Farnham, Quebec, where he was held for eighteen months. During this time, he organized an informal prison school to help foreign internees prepare for university entrance examinations. Heckscher was released from internment early, on Christmas Day 1941, after the intervention of Canadian senator Cairine Wilson and John Lovejoy Elliott.

Heckscher briefly taught art at the University of Toronto, then from 1942–1946 taught the German language and phonetics at Carleton College, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Manitoba. He moved to the United States in 1947 to teach art history at the University of Iowa. In 1955 he was named Professor of Medieval Art and Iconology for the Institute of Art History at the University of Utrecht, a position he would hold for the following ten years.

In 1966 he was appointed chair of the art history department at Duke University, where he was the Benjamin N. Duke Professor. As director of the Duke University Museum of Art from 1970 to 1974, Heckscher coordinated the acquisition of the Brummer collection of medieval and Renaissance sculpture. Heckscher retired from Duke in 1974, and moved with his family to Princeton, where he continued his scholarly research and served as an advisor to the Princeton University Library's Department of Rare Books. He died on November 27, 1999, at his home in Princeton.Heckscher was one of nine prominent art historians, most of them refugees from the Nazi regime, who—in the words of "Art Journal"—"made 'art history' and 'Germanic' interchangeable terms in universities throughout the United States and struggled to reconcile the new culture with the old."

Three "festschrifts" were given to Heckscher by his colleagues to celebrate his life's work. The first was given in 1941 by members of his prison school at the internment camp in Quebec. The second was presented in 1964 for his sixtieth birthday, when colleagues and students at the University of Utrecht dedicated a volume of the "Nederlands Kuntshistorisch Jaarboek" to him. He received a third "festschrift" in 1990 for his eighty-fifth birthday, in the form of a volume titled "The Verbal & the Visual: Essays in Honor of William Sebastian Heckscher".

Heckscher held fellowships from the Institute for Advanced Study (1936–1937, 1946–1947, 1951–1953, 1960–1961), the Folger Shakespeare Library (1961, 1963), the University of Pittsburgh (Mellon Professorship, 1963–1964), the National Gallery of Art (Kress Professorship, 1979–1980), the Collège de France (1981), and the Herzog August Library (1981). Heckscher was a Benjamin Franklin Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London.

In 2001, the archive of Heckscher was shipped from Princeton to the Warburg Haus, Hamburg.

William S. Heckscher