Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Professional mode:
Select arcade mode, then highlight the "Hard" selection on the difficulty selection screen. Hold L1 + R1 until it changes to "Professional".

Selecting series awards:
Series awards (i.e., cars) are not purely random. Press X when a silhouetted car has the large black circle flashing under it to cause that car to be selected as the award for winning the series. Timing is crucial, since the large black circle only appears under a car for less than half a second. If you are too slow, the next car to get the large black circle will be selected.

You can get unlimited F1 cars by playing endurance races, as you can win prize cars from those races unlimited times. To select a prize car, press X when the black circle is under the car of your choice.

Hint: Saving money:
Do not waste money on upgrading the first few cars you have in the game. Instead, practice being a better driver.
Wait until you win a car with some real potential until you upgrade.
For example, start out with a Mazda Miata, but do not upgrade.
Use it to win a Mazda RX-7 Effini 3, then upgrade.

Hint: Easy money:
Go to Super Speedway in the Beginner League and keep doing the same level for easy money.

Go to the Beginner League and race in NA to get 5,000 credits.

If you have a good car, go to the Amateur League and race in NA for 15,000 credits.

If you have a very good car, go to the Amateur League and race in GT All Stars in the test course to get 25,000 credits. Note: Buy the cheapest tires, as they last longer.

Get a fast car and race the Speedway in the Final Series Race in the Beginner League to win 10,000 credits.

In rally mode the first race award is 5000 credits. the second race earns 10,000 credits, and the third race results in 20,000 credits. You will also receive a rally car when you complete all three of the races, which you can sell for at least 75,000 credits.

Get a good enough car to race and get first place in the American championship. Start the series race and get first on each course while saving in between each race. When you get to Laguna Seca, start the race and then exit. You should have enough points that you will still win the championship. Keep repeating this until the race prize is the Camaro Race Car. Sell the Camaro as soon as possible to get 250,000 credits. In all you will get 30,000 in race prizes, 20,000 in series prizes, and 250,000 for the Camaro- -totaling 300,000 credits.

Win the 150 mile Endurance Race and sell the car you win to get 500,000 credits total. This will take about one hour.

Easy money with memory card:
Two memory cards are required for this trick. After you have earned about 200,000 credits, purchase a car, such as the Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Upgrade it up to the max. This will leave you almost broke. Go home and save this car memory slot two, then return to the title screen and load your last game from memory slot one. This will give you your money back, and you can now go home and trade from memory slot two. That car that you just spent all those credits on will only cost you retail price.

Hint: Acura Intregra Type R: Easy money:
Buy the Acura Intregra Type R. Upgrade it a bit so that you can compete with the cars in the Type R meeting. Win the series to get a lot of money. The car that you win (Acura RSX Type S) can be sold for 7,500 credits. Note: This car cannot be bought in the game so you may want to keep one.

Hint: Aston Martin Vanquish:
Win the British GT Car Cup in the Professional League.

Hint: Audi S4:
Win the Tourist Trophy in the Amateur League.

Hint: Audi TT 1.8T Quattro:
Win the Tourist Trophy Audi TT Race in the Beginner League.

Hint: Celica TRD Sports M:
Win the FF Challenge in the Amateur League.

Hint: Chevrolet Camaro SS:
Win the Stars and Stripes Grand Championship in the Beginner League.

Hint: Chrysler PT Cruiser:
Try starting with the Chrysler PT Cruiser. It has good handling and excellent acceleration and top-speed. The spec may not look that good, but it is great for the Beginner League.

Hint: Citroen Xsara Rally Car:
Win the Super Special Route 5 Wet in Rally.

Hint: Corvette C5R:
Complete 50% of the game.

Hint: Daihatsu Mira TR XX Avanzato R:
Win the Turbo Race of Turbo Sports in the Beginner League.

Hint: Escudo or GT40: Flying front end:
There is a way to make an Escudo or GT40 front end lift up. Use the following settings and race your car at the test track. At about 230 mph the front end should lift up.

Equip the highest NA or Turbo tune-up
Put spring rate to minimum for front and back
Put ride height to minimum for front and back
Put gear's auto setting to widest, and final to 3.000
Put front down force to minimum and back to maximum
Set ASM and TCS to level 0.

Hint: F090/S Indy car:
Upgrade a Lancer Evo to the max and complete the Super Speed Way Endurance (about one hour and five minutes). You will win the F090/S Indy car (great speed and handling ) in addition to 200,000 credits.

Hint: F094/S Indy car:
Complete 100% of the game.

Hint: F687/S Indy Car:
Win the Seattle Circuit 100 mile endurance race. If you use a Castrol Supra, you can win the race in about an hour.

Hint: Ford Escort Rally Car:
Win the Tahiti Maze in Rally.

Hint: Ford Focus Rally Car:
Win the Smokey Mountain Rally in Rally.

Hint: Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R:
If you change the oil in the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R, it reduces the horse power for some reason. Before you buy a car, save the game. Always check the HP of the car before and after the oil change and keep the version that increases the horse power.

Hint: HKS Skyline Drag car:
Enter and win the Tokyo Route 246 race with an American car. The trophy car ring at the end will be replaced with a single silhouette. The prize car is the Hks Skyline Dragger, which has 1702 hp. In addition, a new set of wheels will be added to the Enkei wheel group; chrome drag style wheels, similar to those of the Hks Dragger.

Hint: Honda Civic SiR-II:
Win the Type R Meeting in the Beginner League.

Hint: Honda CRX Del Sol SiR:
Win the NA Race of NA Sports in the Beginner League.

Hint: Honda NSX Type S Zero:
Win the MR Challenge in the Amateur League.

Hint: Honda NSX Type-R:
Win the Type R Meeting in the Amateur League.

Hint: Impreza Rally Car:
Win the Tahiti Maze II in Rally.

Hint: Mazda 787B:
Win the Like the Wind in the Professional League. Alternately, complete 75% of the game.

Hint: Mazda Eunos Roadster:
Win the Clubman Cup in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mazda Miata Roadster RS:
Win the Spider/Roadster Cup in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mazda MX-5 Miata (80's): Good start:
Buy the Mazda MX-5 Miata (80's) as your first car, or get all Golds in the B license to get the Mazda Roadster MX-5(Miata) as an award. Use this car to easily win the Sunday Cup. You will win the Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex. Sell it for extra money.
After the Sunday Cup you can try the Clubman Cup. If you have any troubles with the Clubman Cup go back to the Sunday Cup and race until you have enough money to buy yourself the second turbo kit. After the Clubman Cup you can sell the Mazda (MX-5) Eunos Roadster that was given as an award. After that you can use your Miata to win the 80's Race. Always keep upgrading your Miata along the way. If you keep going you should try to go or the races that can result in a lot of prize money, and buy a good enough car to win the big races.

Hint: Mazda RX8:
Win the NA Race of NA Sports in the Amateur League.

Hint: Mazda Savanna RX7 Infini III:
Win the 80's Sports Car Cup in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mercedes Benz CLK Touring Car (D2 AMG Mercedes):
Win the Legend of Silver Arrow in the Amateur League.

Hint: Mercedes SLK 230 Kompressor:
Win the Legend of Silver Arrow Mercedes Benz in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mines Lancer Evolution VI GSR:
Win the Turbo - Race of Turbo Sports in the Amateur League.

Hint: Mini Cooper 1.3i:
Win the Lightweight K Cup in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mitsubishi 3000 GT Twin Turbo: Easy money:
Two memory cards are required for this trick. After you have earned about 200,000 credits, purchase a Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Upgrade it up to the max. This will leave you almost broke.
Go home and save this car memory slot two, then return to the title screen and load your last game from memory slot one. This will give you your money back, and you can now go home and trade from memory slot two. That car that you just spent all those credits on will only cost you retail price. The Mitsubishi 3000 GT is one of the fastest cars in the game now that you have upgraded it to over 1000 hp.

Get a Mitsubishi 3000 GT Twin Turbo and upgrade it as much as possible. This will give you about 1085 hp. Go to the Endurance race and select the Super Speedway. Set you transmission up for maximum speed, and lower your final gear to 2.84. While in the race, ride the outside of the track and never use the brake. This means you will be using the wall through both of the turns. Do this through the entire race and you will never have to pit. You will also be able to get the race finished in less than 40 minutes. You can repeat this to continually get the prize car and money.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR:
Win the Evolution Meeting in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR:
Win all Golds in the Beginner League.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Rally Car:
Win the Evolution Meeting in the Amateur League.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Rally Car:
Win the Smokey Mountain II in Rally.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR:
Win the 4WD Challenge in the Amateur League.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Rally Car Prototype:
Win the 4WD Challenge in the Professional League.

Hint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Rally
Car Prototype: Win the Swiss Alps II in Rally.

Hint: Nismo 400R:
Win the Race of Red Emblem in the Amateur League.

Hint: Nismo Skyline GT-R S-tune:
Win the 80s Sports Car Cup in the Amateur League.

Hint: Nissan Skyline GT-R V:
Buy the Nissan skyline GT-R V and get it up to 1000 plus horse power using the two card memory trick and race the GT: Race Of The Red Emblem in amateur mode to receive an easy 30,000 credits every time.

Hint: Nissan Silvia K's 1800cc:
Win the FR Challenge in the Beginner League.

Hint: Peugeot 206 Rally Car:
Win the Swiss Alps in Rally.

Hint: Polophony Racing Car:
Finish an endurance race, a Professional League race (one of the races is called the Dream Car Championship), or get 100% of the game completed A good car to use is the Nissan R390 GT1 LM Edition. You can put a turbo stage 3 on it to boost the car to 1180HP.

Hint: Shelby Cobra:
Win the Spider & Roadster Championship in the Professional League.

Hint: Skyline GT-r V-Spec II: Easy money:
Upgrade the car up to the maximum and go to the Race of the Red Emblem race, for Skylines only. Finish in first to win 30,000 credits.

Hint: Spoon Sports Civic Type-R:
Win FF in the Professional league.

Hint: Spoon Sports S2000 Race Car:
Win the Stars & Stripes Grand Championship in the Amateur League.

Hint: Subaru Impreza Rally Car Prototype:
Win the Super Special Route 5 Wet II in Rally.

Hint: Subaru Legacy Blitzer B4:
Win the Boxer Spirit in the Amateur League.

Hint: Suzuki Alto Works Suzuki Sports Limited:
Win the 4WD Challenge in the Beginner League.

Hint: Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version:
Win all Golds in Rally.

Hint: Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version:
Customizing: When you first buy and test out the car on the test course, you will realize that its top speeds are around 210 mph, even when completely suped up. Go to the settings. This can be found at the beginning of any race. Select "Setting", then select on the "Next setting" button (under the "Change parts" button). Find the limited slip changer. Select it, and there should be about seven bars where you can tweak it up. Go all the way to the last bar and it will say on one end, sport, and on the other end, wide. Test it out and you will find that it easily gets up to 280 mph.

Go to tune-up and put in the highest turbo and change the oil.
You should have about 1881 hp.

Hint: Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version:
Easy wins: Win rally mode and get the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version. Upgrade it as much as possible, then go to the Professional league. Select the Gran Turismo All Stars, and the Test Course. Set your downforce as low as possible front and back. Set your auto final to widest, and your final to 2.260. Keep the gas button held and you are free to do whatever while you earn 50,000 credits for each race.

Hint: Team ORECA Dodge Viper GTSR:
Win all Golds in the Amateur League.

Hint: Tommy Kaira ZZII:
Win the MR Challenge in the Professional League.

Hint: Toyota Celica Rally Car:
Win the Tahiti Challenge of Rally in Rally.

Hint: Toyota Celica SS-II:
Win the Altezza Race in the Beginner League.

Hint: Toyota Corolla Rally Car:
Win the Tahiti Challenge of Rally II in Rally.

Hint: Toyota Celica GT-Four: Easy money:
Win at the Super Speedway for 1,000 credits (or go to the Test Course race under the Turbo Series if you can get your car fast enough) until you can but a Toyota Celica GT-Four for about 29,000 creduts. Upgrade it to The second turbo package, racing muffler and air cleaner, and racing chip. Race at the Super Speedway in the last series of the Beginners League. Note: You need an A license to do this.

Hint: Toyota MR-S S Edition:
Win the MR Challenge in the Beginner League.

Hint: Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT: Easy money:
Do the "Easy money with memory card" trick with the Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT. Put as much money into the car and race the Sunday Cup. Put all of your earnings into it and repeat this process the car is maxed out. Trade the car once more and play from the beginning with it, saving all of your money for the car of your dreams.

Hint: Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex (AE-86 Type I) :
Win the Sunday Cup in the Beginner League.

Hint: Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex Shigeno
Version:
Win the FR Challenge in the Amateur League.

Hint: Toyota Vitz RS 1.5:
Win the FF Challenge in the Beginner League.

Hint: Toyota Vitz RS 1.5:
Win the Vitz Race in the Beginner League.

Hint: Volkswagen New Beetle RSi:
Win the Beetle Cup in the Beginner League.

Hint: Tuscan Speed 12:
Complete the Tuscan race in the Professional League.
It is the bottom car -- the rest are Griffith 500s.

Hint: Grand Turismo World Championship
(Beginner League): Prizes: Win the Grand Turismo World Championship in the Beginner League to unlock the Toyota Celica GT-Four, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR, Mazda Miata, and Nissan Skyline GTR V-spec II.

Hint: Japanese Championship (Amateur League):
Prizes: Win the Japanese Championship prize in the Amateur League to unlock the Mazda RX-7 Type RZ, Mitsubishi Evolution IV GSR, FTO GP Version R, and Subaru Impreza WRX Sti Version VI Wagon.

Hint: American Championship (Amateur League):
Prizes: Win the Japanese Championship prize in the Amateur League to unlock the Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi Version VI, Chevy Camaro Race Car, Audi TT 1.8T Quattro, and Mazda RX7 Type RS.

Hint: European Championship (Amateur League):
Prizes: Win the European Championship in the Amateur League to unlock the Lotus Elise 190, Nissan GTR V-Spec, Gillet Vertigo Race Car, and Mini Cooper 1.3I.

Hint: Gran Turismo World Championship (Amateur
League): Prizes: Win the Gran Turismo World Championship in the Amateur League to unlock the Nissan C-West Razo Silvia, Nissan Z Concept car, Toyota GT1 Road Car, and Mazda RX8.

Hint: Deutsche Tourenwagen Challenge (Amateur
League): Prizes: Win the Deutsche Tourenwagen Challenge in the Amateur League to unlock the Volkswagen Lupo Cup Car, Volkswagen Beetle Cup Racer, Astra Touring Car, and RUF 3400S.

Hint: Gran Turismo All-Stars (Amateur League):
Prizes: Win the Gran Turismo All-Stars in the Amateur League to unlock the Mine's GT-R-N1 V-spec and Raybrig NSX

Hint: All Japanese GT Championship (Amateur
League): Prizes: Win the All Japanese GT Championship in the Amateur League to unlock the Honda Arta NSX JGTC and Denso Supra Race Car.

Hint: Altezza Championship Race (Amateur League): Prizes:
Win the Altezza Championship Race in the Amateur League to unlock Tom's X540 Chaser and Toyota Vitz RS 1.5.

Hint: Dream Car Championship (Amateur League):
Prizes: Win the Dream Car Championship in the Amateur League to unlock the Mitsubishi FTO LM Race Car and Mazda RX7 LM Race Car.

Hint: Dream Car Championship (Professional League):
Prizes: Win Dream Car Championship in the Professional League to unlock the Toyota GT1, Panoz Esperante GTR, FTO LM Race Car, and F090/s.

Hint: Super Speedway 150 Miles (Endurance):
Prizes: Win the Super Speedway 150 Miles prize in Endurance to unlock the Chevrolet Corvette C5R, Tickford Falcon XR8 Race Car, and F090/S.

Hint: Super Speedway 150 Miles (Endurance):
Easy win: The Super Speedway 150 Miles endurance race can be won without being in control or the car. Use a rubber band to hold X (accelerate) and Analog-stick to the Right (slightly). You should use a semi-fast car, but the other drivers will be going into the pit while you will not -- time will be made up in this way. Having the Analog-stick in that direction prevents you from going into the pit and never exiting. This is an easy way to make 200,000 credits. You will win a very expensive car, one of which is the F090, which is one of the best cars in the game.

Hint: Easy race prizes:
For example, the Tuscan Speed 6 series has 5 races in it. Make sure you have enough of points in the lead so you can quit the last race and still defeat the CPU on points. Race the first four races, then save before going into the fifth race.
Enter the fifth (last race), then immediately quit. You can claim your prize. In that series the two prizes are the Griffith 500, or Cerbera Speed 12. If you do not get the desired car, just go to main menu, reload and repeat the previous steps Since the reload will take you back to the beginning of the fifth race, you can keep trying until you get the car you want.

Hint: Recommended tires:
For any normal non-endurance race, select super soft race tires. They do not wear out on the track unless you see a tire meter on your screen. For endurance races, use the cheapest race tires. Though the screen says they have the least traction they will have enough after about two laps to keep you going quickly.
Despite being the cheapest, they are in fact race tires and work much better than any street tire. You will benefit more by getting extra laps on a set of cheap tires then getting a few faster laps on the expensive tires, which will need more frequent changes.
This will also save money.

Hint: Tuning race cars:
The race cars you win can be tuned to go faster. Always save the game before tuning or buying a car. If you do not like what you get, just reload.

Hint: Tuning drive trains:
When tuning your drive train, make sure that you do not get full customization on your gears. Doing so you lower your ability of maxing out your speed. For example, if you buy a Nissan Skyline V-spec II '99 and tune it up to the maximum with full gear customization, and you race it the top speed all you can get is 160 mph. If you race without full gear customization, the top speed you can get is 231 mph.

Hint: Avoid going airborne:
If you buy the Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline, or any other car that has the capability of having around 1000 hp, do not remove any weight besides stage one. If you decide to remove weight, do not race the rally races with them, since they tend to get airborne.

Hint: Better cornering control:
Tap the emergency brake (default is Circle )
just before a sharp turn and let the car go into a sort of neutral gear state. This will keep the tires from spinning due to downshifting.
Using the momentum of the car and a little braking, you should make it through a tight turn without getting turned around or fishtailing most of the time. This is especially helpful on the Laguna Seca Track in the "corkscrew" turns. This turning technique is also helpful sometimes in a rally race. It can usually induce a slide for tight cornering.

Hint: Easy horse power boost:
When you get a car, change the oil. It will boost the horse power by at least 10 and only costs 250 credits.

Hint: Gears and turns:
Next to the current gear the car is in on the HUD, you will occasionally see a red and sometimes flashing number.
This number is indicating what gear you should be in when you make the next turn. Sometimes this is overcompensated by how you have set the gear ratios or the condition of the tires at the time, but for the most part, it is a pretty good indication of the speed you need to be at in order to make the next turn without hitting a wall.

Hint: License test lines:
On the license tests, the dotted line indicates coasting, the blue line indicates acceleration, while the red line indicates that you should brake.

Hint: Arcade mode tracks:
To unlock the arcade mode tracks, simply complete each area (A, B, C, D, and E).

Hint: Complex String track:
In arcade mode, in one player mode, complete area D of the tracks to unlock Area E tracks. Then, go into two player mode. You will find the Complex String track all the way at the end. It is the track that you race when you get your license.