The project began with Yamauchi posing the foundational question to Newey, who had spent his career designing championship-winning Formula One cars within the tight constraints of the rulebook. The initial concept centered on a single-seat, covered-wheel prototype with a forced-induction engine producing 1,483 horsepower, targeting a top speed of over 470 km/h and maximum lateral cornering forces of 6g.
Upon seeing the concept model, Newey proposed the addition of fan car technology, describing it as a long-held dream for a racing designer unconstrained by regulations. The principle, previously seen in the Chaparral 2J and the Brabham BT46B, involves a powered fan continuously extracting air from beneath the car to create a low-pressure zone. This forces the car toward the ground at all speeds, including the low and medium velocities where traditional aerodynamic wings are less effective.
The final design combined multiple downforce sources: the underbody fan at lower speeds, with front and rear wings and a large rear diffuser providing aerodynamic load at higher speeds. A smooth glass canopy enclosed the cockpit and full cowlings covered the wheels, minimizing aerodynamic drag. The result was a theoretical weight of 545 kg, a maximum speed of 500 km/h, and lateral G-forces exceeding 8G in cornering.
Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel performed the virtual shakedown of the X2010 within the Gran Turismo 5 simulation. On his first simulated run at the game's reconstruction of Suzuka Circuit, Vettel's lap time was more than 20 seconds faster than the Formula One benchmark within the same simulation, demonstrating the theoretical performance gap between a regulation-free prototype and a contemporary Grand Prix car.
Because of the car's extreme capability, owning a virtual copy of the X2010 in Gran Turismo 5 provided a significant competitive advantage in the game. Shortly after the game's release, virtual examples appeared on the American auction site eBay for prices reaching $250.
Gran Turismo 5 Version 2.0 introduced the X2011, featuring a larger rear wing, a more powerful engine, and reduced aerodynamic drag. A detuned variant called the X2010 5G, omitting the fan and fitted with a larger wing, was offered exclusively in Japan as part of the Red Bull 5G competition series.
Gran Turismo 6 introduced the X2014, available in both fan-equipped and non-fan configurations, alongside an entry-level Junior variant. A scale model of the X2014 was displayed at Autosport International 2014. Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7 continued the lineage with the X2019 Competition, developed from the X2014 Standard but powered by a 3-liter naturally aspirated V12 instead of the turbocharged V6 of earlier iterations. The X2019 was designed to be more approachable for use in the FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships, as earlier X-series cars were considered too fast for most competitors to use effectively.
A full-size, non-functioning model of the Red Bull X2010 was displayed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England, giving motorsport fans a tangible reference for Newey's theoretical design. The car also attracted commercial interest: in September 2012, AUTOart announced a 1:18 scale diecast model of the X2010, released in multiple colors in 2013. The X2014 received the same treatment in 2016 in three color variants.
The X2010 represents one of the most ambitious thought experiments in motorsport simulation: a purpose-built collaboration between a world-class F1 designer and the creator of the most technically detailed racing game series in history. Newey's willingness to engage with the project unrestricted by real-world regulations produced a machine that illuminates just how much of a Formula One car's performance is shaped by the rulebook rather than by engineering limits alone.