For many, a passion for sim racing comes with a love of real cars. If you enjoy real world driving thrills, do you drive your real car in sim racing games?
Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
Sim racing. To many, this hobby is all about the competition of going wheel to wheel in a virtual world. To others, it is a way of living out one’s wildest dreams following years of motorsport fandom.
A third group also exists however. Passionate about anything with wheels and an engine, sim racing is an extension of their love for the motoring world. Whilst racing adds to the fun, the true appeal is the cars on offer, from legendary race cars to road-going models one can aspire to owning.
Regardless of one’s approach to the hobby, there is no doubt that the passion spills into discovering new aspects to the motoring world. Therefore, many a racer enjoys getting behind the wheel of real life cars. But turning the relation on its head, one could also enjoy driving one’s own real car in sim racing games.
So the question we are asking today is, do you look for sim racing representations of your real world car? If so, what do you drive, and how does the sim version compare to the real model?
My first car, a 2001 Renault Twingo, saw me spending many an hour online searching for third party creations, titles featuring the car in an official capacity and even trying to learn modding techniques myself. A few Assetto Corsa creations are available out there on the world wide web. But for the most part, it was an unfortunate case of poor representation.
In recent months however, a new purchase has seen me patrolling my local streets at the wheel of a 1997 Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo. A car I had dreamt about for years, is finally sleeping in my garage. But what to do when it’s wet outside or when dreaming of taking on infamous courses from around the world at its wheel?
Well, thankfully, there are several versions of this Italian sports coupe throughout sim racing. Plenty of third party creations for Assetto Corsa and both rFactor games are around online. Elsewhere, it featured in a first party version in Gran Turismo 2. Whilst not the exact model as the one I drive today, the 20V Turbo Plus with its aggressive body kit appeared in Gran Turismo 3 – 6.
Driving the car and hearing the rumble of its five-cylinder turbocharged engine, all whilst immersing myself in the Pininfarina-designed cabin pushed me to instant admiration. From the first few races with this C-Class Fiat, I knew that one day I would own one. Today, I do. However, my car currently sits, lowered, on non-standard wheels, a specification impossible to accurately replicate in the game. One day maybe.
So it seems that, sure, sim racing can be a way to experience one’s own car in atypical settings. However, the hobby of racing virtually can also make one want to drive their sim racing car in real life.
Do you drive your real car in sim racing games? Tell us on X (Twitter) at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
Sim racing. To many, this hobby is all about the competition of going wheel to wheel in a virtual world. To others, it is a way of living out one’s wildest dreams following years of motorsport fandom.
A third group also exists however. Passionate about anything with wheels and an engine, sim racing is an extension of their love for the motoring world. Whilst racing adds to the fun, the true appeal is the cars on offer, from legendary race cars to road-going models one can aspire to owning.
Regardless of one’s approach to the hobby, there is no doubt that the passion spills into discovering new aspects to the motoring world. Therefore, many a racer enjoys getting behind the wheel of real life cars. But turning the relation on its head, one could also enjoy driving one’s own real car in sim racing games.
So the question we are asking today is, do you look for sim racing representations of your real world car? If so, what do you drive, and how does the sim version compare to the real model?
Editor’s Take – Story Time
As an out-and-out petrol head, sim racing is the perfect way for me to experience the automotive world and its wonderful diversity without having to win the lottery. As such, driving my own cars in racing games is something I have always looked to do.My first car, a 2001 Renault Twingo, saw me spending many an hour online searching for third party creations, titles featuring the car in an official capacity and even trying to learn modding techniques myself. A few Assetto Corsa creations are available out there on the world wide web. But for the most part, it was an unfortunate case of poor representation.
In recent months however, a new purchase has seen me patrolling my local streets at the wheel of a 1997 Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo. A car I had dreamt about for years, is finally sleeping in my garage. But what to do when it’s wet outside or when dreaming of taking on infamous courses from around the world at its wheel?
Well, thankfully, there are several versions of this Italian sports coupe throughout sim racing. Plenty of third party creations for Assetto Corsa and both rFactor games are around online. Elsewhere, it featured in a first party version in Gran Turismo 2. Whilst not the exact model as the one I drive today, the 20V Turbo Plus with its aggressive body kit appeared in Gran Turismo 3 – 6.
My Real Life Car in Sim Racing
However, the special recreation of the car for me was in Forza Motorsport 4. One of the first games I bought myself as a teenager, I remember seeing the Coupe as part of a DLC Car Pack soon after.Driving the car and hearing the rumble of its five-cylinder turbocharged engine, all whilst immersing myself in the Pininfarina-designed cabin pushed me to instant admiration. From the first few races with this C-Class Fiat, I knew that one day I would own one. Today, I do. However, my car currently sits, lowered, on non-standard wheels, a specification impossible to accurately replicate in the game. One day maybe.
So it seems that, sure, sim racing can be a way to experience one’s own car in atypical settings. However, the hobby of racing virtually can also make one want to drive their sim racing car in real life.
Do you drive your real car in sim racing games? Tell us on X (Twitter) at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
