Bsimracing Sim Racing Resources and News for the racing enthousiast.
Back in April, I reported that the British Prodrive and CALLUM design companies partnered up to design, what they called “The World’s Most Beautiful Simulator”
Real-world motorsport fans will undoubtedly be familiar with the Prodrive name. This British motorsport and advanced engineering group is based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and is owned by its founder and chairman, David Richards.
Prodrive first became well known for its involvement in the BAR Formula 1 team, and the World Rally Championship with the Subaru World Rally Team, developing championship-winning cars for Colin McRae, Richard Burns, and Petter Solberg, Today the company’s motorsport manufacturer programs include Aston Martin Racing, Bahrain Raid Xtreme ( Dakar) and the FIA World Rally-Raid Extreme E championship.
David Richards approached the British CALLUM design and engineering business headed by the renowned automotive designer, Ian Callum. The company was previously closely involved in the Prodrive Dakar project and is now asked to create some concepts of a designer sim racing cockpit that will set new standards in design and which is as much a piece of art as it is technically advanced.
They communicated that the design of the racing simulator would use a mixture of natural materials and carbon composites to create a piece of designer furniture that would take pride of place in any home or venue. The simulator will be manufactured at the Prodrive headquarters in Banbury, UK.
David Richards said:
“The last few years have seen an explosion in people taking up gaming and e-sports. But I wanted something that married technology with contemporary furniture, something you would be proud to have on display in your home like a grand piano, rather than tucked out of the way. I’m proud of the result, it’s something that would not look out of place in a gallery of contemporary art.”
Ian Callum said:
“There was a very clear vision for this project – to create something technically stimulating and visually striking. Rather than taking the functional and well-trodden route of a car-like structure, we opted for something more abstract, contemporary and elegant. This design intrigues. You know it’s a simulator, but then you have to look again. The sweeping form and ‘piano black’ gloss finish take the Racing Simulator to a whole new place – it’s a piece of furniture that can elegantly sit in a living space.
The sculpted carbon monocoque housing the driver’s seat, the screen, steering wheel, and pedal box appear to float beneath a striking canopy of 16 layers of birch, encased in an elegant, lacquered gloss black finish. Not only is this beautiful to look at from the outside but wraps around the driver to give such an immersive experience that it feels like being in the cockpit of a race car.
As well as a beautiful form, the Prodrive Racing Simulator has the performance to match offering the driver a first-class simulator experience. Featuring a purpose-built system with a 12GB GeForce RTX graphics card and 16GB of memory at its heart, smooth graphics are rendered across the sweeping curved 49” high refresh rate display. The Precision SIM steering wheel coupled with a Simcube steering motor allows for precise driving inputs, and the mechanical pedal box has been purposely selected to complete the realistic experience.
Specifications:
| Computer | Bespoke simulator computer with a 12GB GeForce RTX graphics card & 16GB memory |
| Pre-Installed Software | Assetto Corsa |
| Screen | AOC 49” Dual-QHD 5k resolution curved monitor with 165Hz refresh rate |
| Steering Wheel | Precision SIM LM Pro with 5 rotary dials, 12 push buttons & carbon fiber paddles |
| Steering Motor | Simucube 2 PRO steering motor |
| Pedal box | Mechanical pedal box, electrically adjustable |
| Seat | Cobra Nogaro Street |
| Accessories | Bowers & Wilkins PX7 headphones |
| Price | £39,000 excluding VAT, duties, and shipping |
The Prodrive Racing Simulator is now available direct from Prodrive, priced at £39,000 ex VAT, duties, and shipping.
To register interest potential purchasers should visit prodrive.com/simulator. Once potential customers have registered their interest, customers will be invited to Prodrive’s Banbury headquarters, where alongside touring the company’s world-class motorsport and technology operations they will get to try the simulator firsthand in its own showroom. Then, as part of the purchase, Prodrive will deliver and install the simulator with customers in their own homes.
Official Webpage – www.prodrive.com
