Bentley's Pike's Peak steering wheel is a game controller

By topgear, 23 June 2021

Hands down the most opulent piece of simracing kit you're ever likely to lay your hands on, Fanatec's latest rim, the Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3, is designed specifically for the British marque's custom, heavily bewinged 750bhp Continental GT3 that will be contesting the Pike's Peak International Hillclimb this week. And like Fanatec's BMW M4 GT3 wheel, it does double duty as both a simracing rim and a motorsport grade component that can be plugged into the real racecar. Should you happen to have one lying around somewhere.

While the body of the wheel is constructed from rather fetching green carbon fibre weave and a magnesium alloy core, the device is dominated by the huge circular screen, surrounded by a forged carbon bezel. Said screen, which is the biggest Fanatec has ever offered on a gaming wheel, will offer telemetry and menu options in supported games via a slick, crisp custom interface.

In signature Bentley fashion, the four rotary switches surrounding the screen are knurled, which in addition to being a word that's extremely satisfying to say, will offer better purchase when you're in the real car and wearing racing gloves. Or, if you're like us, in your sim rig and still wearing racing gloves because you take all this stuff a touch too seriously.

This might be motorsport-grade kit, but it wouldn't be a Bentley product without a few luxurious flourishes, so the wheel comes with its own bespoke carrying case and a USB powered decorative stand that turns that large central display into a clock, similar to the timepiece in the dashboard of a road-going Conti, or replays telemetry from your fastest laps.

The price for the Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 is yet to be announced, but given that the only thing missing from this lavish rim is a built in caviar dispenser, it might be worth starting the remortgaging process now.