Classic '74 Bullnose Mini Transformed Into Italian Job Driving Simulator

Oct. 07, 2023 6:39 PM ET byRex Sanchez Movies & TV /1 Comment

The car even has fake gold bullion in the cargo area.

TheItalian Jobis responsible for creating an entire generation ofMini Cooperenthusiasts, and thanks to innovative technologies, they can now virtually relive the heist scenes in the 21st century through an Italian Job-themed driving simulator built by Simbiotix.

The simulator is built around a real 1974 British Leyland Mini MKIII modeled after the blue Mini Cooper seen in the original movie and not the first-generation BMW Mini used in the2003 remake starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, and Jason Statham. The remake was very close to ending up on our list of theworst modern car movies.

Apart from the recognizable blue paint, Simbiotix has installed the original Mini pedals, steering wheel, and gears, along with functional dials on the reworked dashboard. There's even fake gold bullion in the trunk, while the "LGW 809G" number plate serves as another homage to the movie.

Specs-wise, the simulator has an Nvidia RTX 3080ti GPU, water-cooled Intel i7 CPU, 32GB of RAM, 850w Gold PSU, and 1TB NVME storage. It also uses BeamNG.drive and Assetto Corsa as the basis for the driving experiences. But the rig can accommodate a range of other games and simulations, including the Forza Motorsports.

Car and Classicis auctioning the one-of-a-kindItalian JobMini Cooper driving simulator until October 9. The expected selling price is between £25,000 and £30,000 ($30,168 and $36,201 at current exchange rates).

For the price, you can buy a modern-day Mini Cooper you can take out on the road, with the outgoing electric derivative starting at $30,900. Still, the classic Cooper sim is a bargain compared to the ridiculously expensive $120,000Red Bull RB18 driving simulatormade from an actual RB18 show car.

"Whether you want to tear through the streets or Turin or set the pace on track atGoodwood, this rig offers the chance to do it from the comfort of your own home", says Car & Classic head of editorial Dale Vinten. "Not your usual type of powerful, modified Mini, this simulator demonstrates the variety Car & Classic have on offer."