You know those posh gaming setups you can buy? The ones with a seat, pedal, and steering wheel so that you can get well and truly stuck into Gran Turismo or Forza Horizon or whatever your motoring game of choice is? Well, you know you can buy those as complete units, designed to look like a car chassis, complete with integrated screen?
The AMR-CO1 racing simulator
Right, well imagine all of that, but made for you by Aston Martin. Yup, if you're seriously well-heeled and want to while away the inevitable second lockdown by clipping every apex and cutting every chicane, in a digital sense, then you can buy the Aston Martin AMR-CO1 simulator.
It's actually built for Aston Martin by gaming and sim experts Curv Racing Simulators, but if that's a disappointment, then it shouldn't be - Curv is headed up by Aston Martin works racing driver, and multiple Le Mans winner, Darren Turner.
Made of carbon-fibre, of course
The set is made of carbon-fibre, natch, and Aston claims that the driving position inside is meant to mimic that of the upcoming Valkyrie hypercar. The sim itself uses the latest Assetto Corsa software, which is used by pros both for gaming and for actual set-up and track learning work.
On the outside of the sim, you get the traditional Aston Martin grille, and if you like the same acid green paint job as the Aston Vantage GTE racing cars, well you can have that too.
Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman said: "This was a challenge for the design team as, although the simulator isn't a car, it is inspired by our racing cars. It needed to exude the same elegance, boasting the same dynamic lines and balance of proportions as any Aston Martin with a racing lineage. I can picture the AMR-C01 in the most beautiful of residences as a sculptural work of art in its own right."
The growth in esports racing
Curv Racing Simulators is, as we said, led by Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner, who is a simulator specialist with over 20 years' experience in cutting edge Formula 1 simulation. Turner said: "The AMR-C01 is all about the love of racing. We've created a home simulator with incredible immersion that offers users the opportunity to have a great time racing in the virtual world, from the comfort of their own home. Our goal was to create a simulator that provided as much enjoyment in virtual reality as real racing does. Racing cars is a lot of fun and it is great to see that with the growth of Esports racing, more people are now getting involved. We modelled the driving position on the Aston Martin Valkyrie so users of AMR-C01 can get the full hypercar experience. I'm very proud of what we've been able to achieve, with design and engineering creating what I believe to be the most beautiful home simulator available."
How much? STG£57,500, before taxes to you, which equates to €63,000 or thereabouts plus VAT. Only 105 AMR-CO1s will be built, so get your virtual skates on if you want one.