Simulator

Simulators are becoming more an more prevalent in the automotive industry. They're not the arcade games you used to sit in when you were a kid and begged mommy to give you a quarter for. Now big budget race teams are buying their own 6 degree of freedom simulators to develop their cars and drivers. On top of that, they looking freakin' awesome. One company that offers a system is Moog. Most F1 teams are using this technology including Ferrari, Red Bull, and the Nick Wirth's Virgin Racing Team. I wouldn't mind a few laps in one of these bad boys if nothing else than to see how realistic it really is. With tensioning seat belts to simulate massive brake loads and realistic view of what the road looks like from inside the cockpit, it would be a great ride.

On the other hand, a simulator you may be able to afford is the new Toyota Driving Simulator. Although I feel bad for Toyota as mistakes certainly do happen to all the OEMs and not just Toyota, it doesn't hurt to poke a little fun at the situation.