2022 Aston Martin AMR-C01 - Simulator

Simulator rig is the next best thing to actually racing

There have been a Plethora of New Aston Martins in recent years, and there have also been some products that stretch the brand into entirely new areas – the speed boat, the motorcycle – but here’s one that doesn’t feature an engine or even move under its own power. It’s a simrig, or a gaming rig, or however you want to describe the apparatus of virtual driving, a hobby/sport/ training tool that understandably has grown massively in popularity over the past 18months. If you can’t drive or race for real, then this is probably the next best thing.

The C01 is a genuine carbonfibre monocoque that’s the work of Curv Racing Simulators, a business run by Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner, which keeps the link to the brand strong. That’s further bolstered by the fact that the C01 was styled by the Aston Martin design team, the firm’s creative chief Marek Reichman saying: ‘I can picture the AMR-C01 in the most beautiful of residences as a sculptural work of art in its own right.’

It’s certainly a lovingly crafted object, and being carbon, it’s fairly easy to move around compared to the traditional metal alternative. The driving position has been moulded on that of the Valkyrie hypercar, and having tried it out (that’s the C01, not the Valkyrie, as of yet sadly) it does make you feel securely in the zone for a bit of Assetto Corsa (the software of choice for Curv, although the company can and does work with others).

There’s only one screen (as opposed to multiple screens arranged in a row to give you the semblance of a panoramic view out of the cockpit), no virtual reality set-up and no platform movement, which may lead you to feel that the price, akin to a brand new BMW M3 at £57,500 plus VAT, is a little steep. But in that case the AMR-C01 is almost definitely not for you. This is a plaything for those that already have multiple examples of real Aston Martins in the garage, and want their ‘luxury games rooms’ to stay on brand. You can have the C01 trimmed and painted how you wish – to match your favourite Aston Martin, possibly. For the rest of us, the dining table will probably have to suffice for now.