Photo: Car and Classic
Christmas is not far away, and that means almost all of us are drafting up our wish lists. For many those lists probably still include the PlayStation 5, which is pretty difficult to come by even today and, when available, often sells for much higher prices than what Sony recommends.
But there might be something out there that’s a hell of a lot better than a PlayStation, or any other gaming console ever made, for that matter. It’s a Supermarine Spitfire simulator someone built from scratch.
The thing is listed for sale on Car and Classic (weird, we know), and the bidding process opens today, October 31. It’s unclear how much the seller wants for it, but read on to see what the thing has to offer.
Allegedly completed in 2022, the simulator comes as a metal Spitfire cockpit complete with acrylic windows. That’s the view from the outside, at least, one that doesn’t really concern anybody, as the real magic happens inside.
The first thing that hits you is how period-correct the thing seems. Aside for the body that surrounds one once inside, we also get tactile analog controls, a reactive seat that mimics the vibrations of the non-existent engine, and speakers to render the sound of machine guns firing. Why, we even get a soundboard that can play back air raid sirens, Winston Churchill speeches, and even whistling air.
The cockpit would not have been a true simulator without the screens that could render full HD maps of the most important places of the era, like the English Channel and Dover. In this case, we’re talking about three 65-inch screens placed in front of the cockpit, and equipped with "integrated pod ceiling board to maintain viewing angle."
The screens play back images sent to them by a computer running Intel’s i7-12700K CPU and GeForce RTX 3080 graphics. You do need a keyboard and mouse to control the computer, but once the game is loaded (we're not told what games can be run in the simulator), you can rely on the controls inside the cockpit.
The contraption can be disassembled into three modules for easy transport, and each of them, we’re told, can fit through “the average domestic door frame,” meaning one should have no trouble getting it inside the home, just in time for Christmas.
The thing is listed for sale on Car and Classic (weird, we know), and the bidding process opens today, October 31. It’s unclear how much the seller wants for it, but read on to see what the thing has to offer.
Allegedly completed in 2022, the simulator comes as a metal Spitfire cockpit complete with acrylic windows. That’s the view from the outside, at least, one that doesn’t really concern anybody, as the real magic happens inside.
The first thing that hits you is how period-correct the thing seems. Aside for the body that surrounds one once inside, we also get tactile analog controls, a reactive seat that mimics the vibrations of the non-existent engine, and speakers to render the sound of machine guns firing. Why, we even get a soundboard that can play back air raid sirens, Winston Churchill speeches, and even whistling air.
The cockpit would not have been a true simulator without the screens that could render full HD maps of the most important places of the era, like the English Channel and Dover. In this case, we’re talking about three 65-inch screens placed in front of the cockpit, and equipped with "integrated pod ceiling board to maintain viewing angle."
The screens play back images sent to them by a computer running Intel’s i7-12700K CPU and GeForce RTX 3080 graphics. You do need a keyboard and mouse to control the computer, but once the game is loaded (we're not told what games can be run in the simulator), you can rely on the controls inside the cockpit.
The contraption can be disassembled into three modules for easy transport, and each of them, we’re told, can fit through “the average domestic door frame,” meaning one should have no trouble getting it inside the home, just in time for Christmas.
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