Automakers use racing simulators in three main ways: to let fans "drive" the brand, to run official esports competitions that keep enthusiasts engaged, and to scout and train real drivers. Ferrari, Porsche, BMW and Nissan all have public programs. For dealerships and automotive brands, the same idea scales down to a showroom night or a trade-show booth.
Ferrari: putting visitors in the cockpit
At its museums in Maranello and Modena, Ferrari offers semi-professional simulators: an F1 single-seater in Maranello and a GT car inspired by the SF90 Stradale in Modena. A 7-minute race costs €30 for the F1 simulator and €25 for the GT simulator, and staff brief each driver on the paddle shifters first. Ferrari also opened its former team simulator to customers: according to Ferrari Magazine, the simulator the F1 drivers used until 2022 now serves customer racing teams, and Corse Clienti customers can book it with a coach and engineers.
The lesson for any car brand: a short, coached drive in a simulator gives people a story about your brand they will tell later.
Porsche: an official global esports cup
The Porsche Esports Supercup is Porsche's official global sim racing series, run on iRacing. The 2026 season has regional championships, a world championship with a $30,000 prize pool, live broadcasts on Porsche's Twitch channel, and a talent shoot-out in Cologne. Porsche Motorsport says it will support one selected driver in entering a real Porsche one-make cup.
BMW: simulators in driver development
Since 2025, the BMW M Racing Academy has mentored young customer-racing drivers with BMW M works drivers. The program includes training sessions in the BMW M Motorsport simulator and coaching on the simulator from members of the BMW M works teams.
Nissan: the original gamer-to-racer story
Nissan's GT Academy turned sim racers into professional drivers. Jann Mardenborough won it in 2011 and finished third in the LMP2 class at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, as Motorsport.com reported. For Nissan, every story like that was also marketing.
How dealerships and automotive brands can use simulators
- Model launches and owner events: a simulator gives guests something to do between the reveal and the reception.
- Trade shows: a running rig draws people to a booth and gives staff a reason to start a conversation. See our trade show page.
- Branded rigs: wraps and screens in your colors make photos and video read as your brand.
- Lead capture: if guests sign up to post a time, you leave with contacts. Decide up front what you will measure; we do not quote ROI figures we cannot back up.
Our automotive work
SimsForHire's automotive work includes Vossen at the DRT Show, Art Basel 2025 with Vossen × OFFSPEC and private dealership events; we have also run Red Bull × OffSpec Miami. For Hard Rock Miami at Miami International Autodrome, we ran 8 rigs (6 full-motion and 2 non-motion) for one day, for more than 1,000 guests.
Bring simulators to your dealership or activation
See our dealership and brand activation pages. Our fleet is 10 full-motion rigs built on SIGMA Integrale 2DOF/3DOF motion platforms, which use electric actuators. Full-motion rigs are $2,750 per rig per day, with a $2,000 event minimum — all plus tax and insurance. Custom branding starts from $500, plus tax and insurance. Delivery is free within 50 miles of Miami; farther out, we quote the delivery fee on request. Call (754) 228-5654, email hello@simsforhire.com, or start a booking. We reply within 24 hours.