Italian sim racing peripheral manufacturer Cube Controls attended the ADAC SimRacing Expo in Nuremberg, Germany recently and we at Traxion.GG were lucky enough to be granted a hands-on experience with two of its most interesting steering wheels.
And here’s the kicker – both wheels featured Mercedes-Benz branding.
Although details are thin on the ground, one bears a striking resemblance to the wheel used in the limited-edition Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series car. Cube Controls announced back in March this year that it was supplying the steering wheel for Mercedes-AMG’s latest machine but offered no further word on its sim racing prospects.
Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series steering wheel
The Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series is a hardcore racing machine designed for the track. Producing 734bhp from its 4.0l bi-turbo V8, every Track Series purchase comes with a Mercedes service and support package designed to help customers make the most of their car on circuit.
And there won’t be many customers, as the car is limited to 55 units in celebration of AMG’s (Mercedes’ tuning division) 55th anniversary. Surprisingly, however, it only costs a smidgen over £300,000, making it cheaper than the road-going Black Series edition.
Although similar in shape and layout, the sim wheel features two additional rotary switches and two joysticks in place of the Track Edition’s four buttons. This means the sim steering wheel has at least 10 face buttons with RGB backlights, two rotary encoders, two analogue joysticks and a set of paddle shifters.
It must be stated that today’s (8th December 2022) announcement of the Mercedes-AMG GT2 car revealed its steering wheel to be an almost exact match for the one found in the Track Edition, albeit without a Cube Controls logo.
Wheelie good
As well as the Track Edition-inspired wheel, we also had a first look at a second Mercedes-branded wheel. This one appears to be a lot more complicated thanks to eight (!) rotary encoders, two joysticks, double analogue clutch and gearshift paddles, two switches and 14 LED-lit face buttons.
With all these buttons, encoders and switches the formula-style rim seems well-suited for open wheel or GT3 racing, but the design does not currently match any wheels from Mercedes-AMG’s motorsport roster.
Car manufacturers have taken to sim racing in a big way in recent years, with BMW, McLaren, Bentley and M-Sport Ford all dipping their toes into the market. And in the case of Fanatec’s Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3 and Ascher Racing’s McLaren Artura GT4 WHEEL, their wheels are interchangeable between racing car and sim rig.
With the public appearance of Cube Controls’ Mercedes wheel at SimRacing Expo, does this mean a formal release announcement is imminent? We certainly hope so. Regardless, we will be keeping an eye out for any updates from Cube Controls in future.
Does the prospect of a commercially available Cube Controls Mercedes-AMG steering wheel excite you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
