Ian Callum Designed A Racing Sim That Costs As Much As A Honda Civic Type R

Jul. 22, 2022 4:27 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Motorsport / 5 Comments

Ian Callum knows how to make something look good.

Prodrive, it seems, does it all. Just a little while ago, Prodrive showed off its wild new Subaru WRX. The 400-hp restomod will cost you loads of money, but it'll also be one hell of a rally car. The company knows a thing or two about racing and has now teamed up with famed designer Ian Callum (of Aston Martin DB7 and Ford Escort RS200 fame) to take on a new racing project for a strikingly beautiful racing sim rig.

What does one do if they are a grown adult looking to show those visiting their home that the racing sim in the corner isn't "just a video game?" They buy one of these stylishly-designed racing sims for a whopping $40,000.

"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," said David Richards, Prodrive's chairman. We suppose that title can now be taken quite literally.

The project started last year and is built around a seriously impressive gaming PC to run all your favorite sims. It has a 12 GB VRAM Nvidia GeForce graphics card, 16 GB of RAM, and a 49-inch OLED screen. The wheel is a Simcube unit, with a mechanical pedal box.

Should you fork over the cash for this thing, you'll be sitting in a carbon monocoque "suspended" around 16 layers of birch wood, all built around a very snug leather racing seat.

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 racing 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," said Callum.

Given the price, Prodrive will go the extra mile for buyers, allowing them to visit its Banbury, UK headquarters, where buyers can try the simulator. Then, you'll be able to kick back while Prodrive installs the sim in your own home. Just know it won't improve your iRacing lap times any. You've got to get fast hands for that.