Even the simplest thing can be rethought.
It would seem that what could be simpler than a banal steering wheel? The steering wheel, he is the steering wheel in Africa. First, round … But stop–stop! It is not that simple. To begin with, let’s remember that the very first car in the world, which is officially considered a Benz Motorwagen, did not have any steering wheel at all. The wheels, or rather, one wheel was turned by a simple handle. And you say round …
And what is this device at the bottom of the steering wheel? Any ideas? In fact, this is the great–grandfather of the knobs that the drivers of minibuses fasten to the steering wheels of their gazelles. Yes, an additional handle, or spinner, helps to jerk the steering wheel on machines without a servo assist. For the first time, such spinners appeared on American cars in the late 30s.
And here’s another American invention. Edsel models in the late 50s had automatic control buttons. True, the Teletouch system turned out to be both effective and buggy. It was abandoned just a year later.
The French from Citroen remained faithful to exotic steering wheels for many years. The DS model’s thin rim and single spoke was a cultural design shock for the 50s.
The British from Austin went even further. Why should the steering wheel be round at all? What’s wrong with a square or, say, a rectangle? This is how the squared steering wheel appeared on the Allegro.
Inside the Renault 5 Turbo sports hatchback, a lot was surprising. For example, an unusual location of the radio or plastic, the low quality of which can be seen even in the photo. But the coolest thing is the steering wheel spokes in the form of … a pistol ?!
The theme of firearms in interior design was brought to new heights by the now–forgotten Subaru XT. At least, thanks to the pistol steering wheel, at least someone remembers this generally unremarkable car to this day.
A novel can be written about the madness in the design and construction of a 70s Aston Martin Lagonda. There would also be a chapter on a minimalist steering wheel, through which an excellent view of the most information–rich dashboard opened up.
Again “Citroen“, again single–spoke steering wheel. However, in the GSA model, it is not the steering wheel itself that is more surprising, but the reel–shaped paddle shifters. Monsieur knows a lot about perversions …
We promise, this is the last Citroen in the collection. But he deserved it! It is difficult to understand the whole joke from the photo. The fact is that on the C4 model (as well as on some other models of the “double chevron” of the 2000s), only the steering wheel rim turned, and the central hub remained motionless. It is not clear why, but very original, yes!
Why can’t the rudder resemble the steering wheel of a ship? This question was once asked by the designers of the Dutch company Spyker and supplied the C8 supercar with such beauty. Bravissimo!
The steering wheel of the Italian hypercar Pagani Zonda looks even more brutal and even cooler. Yes, such an incredible design with carbon fiber, buttons, a tachometer built into the central hub, it’s even a shame to call a steering wheel.
The incredible Mercedes–AMG One is a production car, in terms of design and technology, as close as possible to a real Formula 1. And the steering wheel, which will take more than one hour to master, is a clear confirmation of this.