Earlier than expected and just a few hours before the release of a prominent competitor in the US, the Spec 2.0 patch for Gran Turismo 5 has gone live on the PlayStation Network and is available for download now.

The patch, as announced by Kazunori Yamauchi last week and as suggested by the number, includes a whole slew of game-changing improvements that were strongly desired by the community, like the ability to save during races, the addition of internal views to all cars, user-controlled weather and official support for the Logitech G25 and G27 steering wheels.

You can find the full list past the cut:

1. Simplified interior view added to all standard cars.
2. User control of the weather change feature.
3. Added a setting sheet feature allowing you to save multiple car settings.
4. Spec 2.0 opening movie.
5. Improved UI usability and response.
6. Replay rewind and fast forward.
7. Ability to save during a race
8. Online Lounge Expansion (Ability to narrow down car types via search, shuffle races).
9. Expansion of the B-Spec remote race you can play from GT.com (a graph display now shows changes in race rankings.).
10. Expanded Photo travel features. You can now take photo’s of cars together with your avatar.
11. Added a “NASCAR Pit Scene” stage to Photo Travel
12. Added eleven 2011 model NASCAR cars.
13. Added the Nissan GT-R N24 Schulze Motorsport.
14. Improved physics and AI.
15. Support for the Logitec G25/G27 Steering wheel.
16. Several minor fixes and adjustments.