Legally Criminal

If you have the spare cash, and importantly, the spare space in your house, you could pick up a unique ‘The Italian Job’ themed driving simulator. Under the hammer by online marketplace Car & Classic, the rig was by a simulator design company by the name of SimbiotiX, and uses a real 1974 Austin Mini to recreate the blue Mini Cooper seen in the 1969 movie.

“Whether you want to tear through the streets or Turin, or set the pace on track at Goodwood, this rig offers the chance to do it from the comfort of your own home”

 The simulator retains the vehicles original pedals, steering and gears, and has functioning dials on the dashboard. Even the small details haven’t been overlooked, such as fake gold bullion in the boot, and the numberplate ‘LGW 809G’, which is a reference to the number of the return flight the heist team intended to catch in the movie.

 

On top of all of this is a full surround-sound system with soundbar and subwoofer, WindSim fan kit and two-degree motion seat work to make piloting the Mini “exhilarating”, says Car & Classic.

 

The engine is gone, replaced by a Windows gaming PC that as a standard runs BeamNG.drive and Assetto Corsa for driving experiences, but the designers say the simulator is ‘plug-and-play’ and would easily suit something like Forza Motorsport.

 

“Whether you want to tear through the streets or Turin, or set the pace on track at Goodwood, this rig offers the chance to do it from the comfort of your own home”, says Car & Classic head of editorial Dale Vinten.

 

The Italian Job Mini Cooper S driving simulator auction is live now, and runs until 9 October. The unit is expected to fetch somewhere between £25,000 and £30,000

(Words: Newspress and Philip Devine | Pic: Newspress)