Until we have simulators that can mimic the smell of gasoline, the grimace-inducing crunch of sheet metal, and the G-forces of 875 horsepower crushing you into the back of a seat, there will be no substitute for real, on-track racing. But for now, there’s Fanatec’s RennSport Cockpit.
Constructed in the same roll-cage style as actual racecar cockpits, the RennSport recreates the race experience as closely as possible with a fiberglass bucket seat, pedals, mounting points for a wheel, and (perhaps less realistically) a keyboard rack. Hook up your favorite PC or console racing game and you’re no longer in the living room, you’re on the track. There’s also room for a 5.1-channel surround system, and buyers can choose between outfitting the stand with triple 24-inch monitors, or a single 37-inch model, to round out the audio/visual experience.
Images Courtesy of Fanatec
Each point in cockpit adjusts individually to situate the driver in the ideal seating position. The seat moves up, down and tilts, the pedals slide forward and back, and the wheel raises, lowers, and tilts. Although the cockpit doesn’t actually include a wheel, it’s been designed to work with Fanatec’s own Porsche 911 leather steering wheel for PC and PlayStation 3, which retails separately for $350.
The cockpit alone runs for $995, but since Fanatec hasn’t yet added the cockpit to its international distribution network, buyers will foot the bill for sending the massive unit from its German factories to wherever in the world they happen to be. More information can be found at Fanatec’s Web site.
