This is a one-off Formula 1 simulator that consists of a replica 1:1 scale front end of a 1967 Lotus 49 F1 car, as well as the screen, controls, and computer to run it all.
This simulator has been displayed (and used) at prestigious motor racing events held in locations like Silverstone and Salon Prive. It was built in 2018 and it has a simple plug and play set up, all ready for its new owner.
Here we see racing driver Jim Clark in the cockpit of a Lotus 49 enjoying a drink after winning the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. That’s Colin Chapman to his right helping to push the car along. Image courtesy of the Dutch National Archives.
The Incredible Lotus 49
The Lotus 49 is inarguably one of the most important Formula 1 cars in history. It was one of the first F1 cars to use the engine as a stressed chassis member, and to combine this with a monocoque chassis. This arrangement was soon copied by every other team on the grid, and it remains the standard architecture for F1 cars right the way through to the modern day.
As if all that wasn’t enough, the Lotus 49B would be the first car to race with wings in F1, debuting with both front and rear wings at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix where it proceeded to take pole position and win the race in no uncertain terms. The other teams sat up and took notice, and before long all F1 cars were sporting front and rear wings.
The Lotus 49 would be built in a number of variants and raced from 1967 until 1970. The car would be driven to a total of 12 wins, 23 podium places, 19 pole positions, 13 fastest laps, and it would win two Constructors’ Championships and two Drivers’ Championships (both in 1968 and 1970).
The 1967 Lotus 49 Formula 1 Simulator Shown Here
This Lotus 49 F1 simulator was handbuilt as a one-off replica by Classic Race Simulators of Farnborough, England. The front 3/4 of the body is a 1:1 scale model of the original car, and the fine details are correct right down to the livery, steering wheel, mirrors, and even the wheels.
The simulator has a Philips 50 inch flat-screen mounted fore of the windscreen, offering an immersive race experience, and it’s powered by a Scan PC 3X3 computer with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 graphics card. The red leather trimmed steering wheel has a “Go Race” quick-release system to make getting in and out of the cockpit nice and easy, and the steering wheel has a 20Nm direct drive motor to provide feedback while racing.
A lot of care has been taken to get the fine details right, like the red leather trimmed styling wheel, the bullet wing mirrors, and the classic Lotus livery.
Inside in the left side you’ll find a bespoke gear shifter, and down on the floor there is a Heusinkveld Pro triple pedal box mounted on an electrically adjustable base plate. It’s all been recently overhauled and configured by Simbiotix Ltd, and it’s now being offered for sale.
The simulator is now listed on Collecting Cars out of Chichester in the United Kingdom. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
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