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Let’s say you’ve always wanted a Ferrari 458 but you don’t happen to have an extra $250,000 to blow. Maybe the next best thing is a full-size Ferrari 458 simulator in your living room. There’s one for sale in the UK right now, ready for all-weather driving. No pricey tires to replace, and no fear of hydroplaning in the rain and wrecking your prancing horse.
The racing simulator was built by Chartwell, an official Ferrari-approved bodyshop. Its cabin was fitted with twin simulators to experience it as a right- or left-hand drive vehicle, or two people can race against each other. The car sits on a metal platform when static, and it can be raised and lowered on its caster wheels to be moved.
There are several features to amp up the driving fantasy, including premium Thrustmaster TS-PC Ferrari racing steering to boosts the feel of the system by producing feedback. Fanatec Clubsport three-pedal setup vibrate, Butt Kicker speakers push out engine noise and gear changes, and air movement inside the cabin suggests the sensation of speed. Reclining bucket seats are by Sparco, on Next Level Racing Motion Platform V3 bases and red harnesses hug the players while they drive.
Gamers, note that two Sporting MSI X470 Gaming Plus motherboards run the show, working together with two 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX memory GeForce RTX 2080 graphics cards and AMD 7 2700X processors. The simulator uses iRacing software, of course, which means that the Ferrari experience could be swapped out to try a different supercar.
The price is up to about $13,000 at this moment, including free delivery to any UK address, with three days to go. I have a feeling that’s about to start bumping up; if it’s the closest you can get to driving a real Ferrari 458, it’s not a bad deal.
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