Sim racing is filled with replicas or brand tie-ins with real-world car manufacturers. This isn’t one of them.
VPG, in collaboration with bf1systems, has taken the latest Ford Mustang GT3 steering wheel and lightly adapted it for virtual racing.
That’s the same unit, exact in design, from the same production line, but then tweaked to fit your rig at home.
That means it can turn you into the next Harry Tincknell.
Well, not really, but this is likely as close as you or I can get.
Much like the device currently racing in IMSA, SRO and FIA WEC events across the world, the sim version is made from carbon fibre. And this is not a carbon faceplate, for instance, but a completely carbon chassis.
As a result, the entire unit weighs a paltry 1.150 kg. It is this featherweight that is most striking when testing the device at the ADAC SimRacing Expo.
But even when placed upon a high-torque Simucube wheel base and a spleen-shaking Novus motion simulator, it feels stronger than Dortmund’s Schwieringhaus Bridge.
You can spot the sim version from the race track edition with a subtle tweak to the carbon finish – glossy in the race car, matt for simulation, each taking more than six hours to be laid down. As there isn’t much demand for outdoor sim racing, the buttons are made from a non-waterproof material, too.
Much like its sibling, there are no horse or blue oval logos on the front, just a subtle ‘GT3’ badge. Ford aficionados will enjoy the performance branding of the packaging, however, aping the factory race team colours.
The rubberised grips are also made from the same space-age material, with double clutches around the rear plus two magnetic shifters. They sit next to a couple of rear-mounted buttons.
More buttons, 10, adorn the front alongside four ‘funky-style’ switches and three rotary encoders. It’s rounded out by RGB lighting and SimHub software compatibility.
“This wheel is a clear statement of intent, a day after launching our new partnership with bf1systems and we believe sets a new standard in sim racing,” said Director of VPG Sim, Manny.
“It offers an authentic experience that mirrors the real car, whilst at the same time providing the specific functions needed by sim racers. We can’t wait for the community to get their hands on it.”
The boutique manufacturer of high-end steering wheels has the Ford Mustang GT3 device available for pre-order presently, with a formal release expected later this year for around £1599 ex-VAT.
VGP Ford Mustang GT3 Sim Wheel at a glance
- Same production line and design as the wheel used in real-world Mustang GT3
- 10 front buttons, two rear buttons, two magnetic shifters and two clutches
- Three 12 positions multi switch rotaries
- Two funky-style switches + push + rotaries (four when you change the multi-switch position)
- Simhub compatible
- RGB lights
- Just 1.150kg
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