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Everyday Full Throttle

24 December 2020

The only difference between getting behind the wheel of a magnificent sports car from the 60s by Zagato or Pininfarina, and doing the same thing on a machine designed to be a faithful and exciting simulator, is in the minds of those privileged to drive it. The real one intimidates, for its performance out in the open but also out of respect for its value. If the steering wheel is attached to a simulator, however, your mind puts all fears aside and tells you that it’s safe to drive quickly albeit without experiencing that magical moment of understanding and confidence you get behind the wheel of a real car. The story presented by The Key on the two extraordinary simulators created by TCCT for the eClassic program, helps understand why even a simulator deserves to be brought into reality. Everything is authentic, from the figure-hugging seats of the past to the wooden steering wheel, and the gearchange that needs an expert hand to find that delicate equilibrium that keeps the driver safe from terrible accidents. Drivers from the past respected their cars and their opponents because they understood the risks they were taking. The eClassic program by TCCT offers that same level of respect and gentlemanly driving by making each driver the member of a Club. A sort of exclusive team, where the pleasure of driving and the pleasure of racing are combined magnificently. The Key presents the program in detail and Paolo Pininfarina and Andrea Zagato tell how these extraordinary “time machines” came into being. And why they love them.

In full action on the Brands Hatch racetrack, with the simulators made by the great Italian designers for the TCCT eClassic program
Paolo Pininfarina with the simulator created for TCCT eClassic. You can tell from his smile just how much fun getting behind the wheel is
The flowing shapes of the simulator created by Pininfarina for TCCT, recall those of the Cisitalia exhibited at the famous MoMA in New York as a symbol of Italian design
Andrea Zagato personally designed his romantic racing car which he wanted to dedicate to his father Elio, a famous driver from the 1960s
A real car, which behaves like an authentic racing car, tinged with hints of endurance races of the past that is experienced as if real even though they are virtual
Brake, accelerator and clutch, just like it used to be, combined with a manual gearbox and wooden steering wheel to reproduce the true sensations of sports cars from the past
When nothing was digital the stopwatch was one of the precious manual instruments to measure performance. Here is one on the dashboard of Pininfarina’s “Leggenda”
What better than a classic car simulator in the garage of your dreams? It’s not always easy or possible to go out with real cars. Instead, the model equipped with the latest technologies is always ready to race