A DRIVING simulator themed on the iconic Mini as used in the classic film The Italian Job is being sold in an online auction by Car and Classic.

Built by SimbiotiX, the rig has been constructed using a real 1974 Austin Mini and is a visual recreation of the blue Mini Cooper seen in 1969 The Italian Job movie.

It is estimated to fetch between £25,000 and £30,000 in the online sale which runs until October 9.

The simulator retains the Mini's original pedals, steering and gears, complemented by functioning dials on the recreated dashboard, to create an immersive experience beyond the usual virtual driving rigs.

From the outside and inside, the authenticity has been enhanced by a number of details including fake gold bullion in the boot and the numberplate LGW 809G, a reference to the return flight the heist team intended to catch in the movie.

Having been built by specialists, the rig boasts technical details including a full surround-sound system with soundbar and subwoofer, WindSim fan kit and a two-degree motion seat which work together to make piloting the Mini an exhilarating experience.

Underneath the bonnet, the A-Series engine has been replaced by a powerful Windows gaming PC featuring an Nvidia RTX 3080ti GPU, water-cooled Intel i7 CPU and 32GB of RAM.

Power is handled by an 850w Gold PSU and the 1TB NVME storage provides ample space for a mix of simulation software.

Currently, the rig uses BeamNG.drive and Assetto Corsa as the basis for the driving experiences, but the simulator is designed to be ‘plug-and-play', with a range of other games and simulations and would be an ultimate setup for ‘Forza Motorsport' which is just being released.

"Whether you want to tear through the streets or Turin, or set the pace on track at Goodwood, this rig offers the chance to do it from the comfort of your own home", said Dale Vinten, Car and Classic head of editorial.