This is an original Sega Ferrari F355 Challenge DX racing simulator from 1999, it was developed by renowned automotive game designer Yu Suzuki, who is perhaps best remembered for creating earlier racing games Outrun and Hang On.
The F355 Challenge DX racing simulator was co-developed with a team of Ferrari engineers and drivers from the time to ensure it was as close to reality as possible, and at the time of its release it was heralded for its impressive levels of realism.
This is the car that players race in the game, the race-ready F355 Challenge Ferrari tat6 was developed for use specifically in the Ferrari Challenge race series. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
The game allows you to drive the high-performance Ferrari F355 Challenge model on six of the world’s best-known racing circuits, including Long Beach, Suzuka, and Monza. There are training, driving, and race modes, class-leading graphics for the period, and a 170-degree field of vision thanks to three Nanano 29-inch monitors.
The game also includes a soundtrack and V8 sound effects that were taken directly from a real F355 Challenge V8. Racing simulators were still very much in their infancy in the late 1990s, and the Sega Ferrari F355 Challenge DX was among the best in the world at the time, if not the best outright.
It was certainly a sign of things to come as all major Formula 1 and racing teams now have exceptionally accurate simulators to train drivers, fine tune cars and suspension set ups for different tracks, and to train drivers.
“With the assistance of Ferrari and many pro drivers, I have created a machine that is more like an actual racing simulator than a game, and I hope that this game will evoke the same level of feeling and passion as that of an actual Ferrari.” – Yu Suzuki
When the Sega Ferrari F355 Challenge DX racing simulator was released in 1999 it caused a sensation, and Ferrari was so proud of it they bought a number of them and prominently displayed them at their official Fiorano test track.
The game started out as an arcade console but it was later ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 home video game consoles, with the titles F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa and Ferrari F355 Challenge respectively.
The unit you see here is the highly sought-after Deluxe (DX) model with three-monitor theatre cabinet providing surround-vision for immersive driving. The more common arcade model had just a single screen in front, though this was standard for the time.
The game has a steering wheel, three pedals, and a gated shifter – players can choose between automatic and manual transmission modes.
This Sega Ferrari F355 Challenge DX racing simulator is now being offered for sale out of Vigo, Spain. It measures in at 79 inches high, 82 inches wide, and 73 inches deep. It weighs in at 1,200+ lbs (approximately 544 kgs). It has been with the seller from new and appears to be in good used condition throughout.
If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here on Collecting Cars, at the time of writing there are still a few days left to bid.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
