A 1974 Austin Mini stylized after a car from the 1969 movie ‘The Italian Job’ and converted into an immersive gaming machine has just found a new owner in the UK who paid £5,000 for it. While no longer drivable, it is still impressive even just as a racing sim rig.
The builder took care to restore the body, complete with its gorgeous blue paint and chrome accents, and put fake gold ingots into the trunk. Note also the number plate: it corresponds to the number of the flight the protagonists of The Italian Job were supposed to take at the end of the movie.
The payload comes in the form of a liquid-cooled Intel i7-12700 working in tandem with an RTX 3080ti graphics card. A 4K projector is used to cast an image on a display directly in front of the player, resulting in 180-degree visibility.
A number of sensors installed throughout translate the forces applied to the car’s own controls – the wheel and pedals – into game inputs. Players can even switch gears in the game using the Mini’s actual gearbox and receive sensory feedback from their actions. The driver’s seat is suspended on a special frame that accurately simulates the thrills of acceleration, braking and cornering.
Fans built into dashboard help with imitating the onrush of air, and an advanced audio system with a subwoofer provides a realistic soundtrack.