Latest news with #steeringWheel
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Classic F1 steering wheel stolen during spate of damage at British Grand Prix
A historic Formula One steering wheel worth more than £2,500 was stolen from a classic car on display at Silverstone amid a spate of vehicle damage reported during the British Grand Prix. The engineer running the car blamed poor security, and said the incident had a left a 'sour taste in the mouth' about the event. The wheel was stolen at about 2.30pm on Friday while team members were eating lunch. Another of the team's classic F1 racers on display was used 'like a climbing frame' by visitors, while a separate car sustained thousands of pounds worth of damage when someone tried to climb inside, police said. Race engineer Russell Sheppard said the 1990 Leyton House CG901 was due out on track after the theft, and was only able to make it when a replacement wheel was found at the last minute. Northamptonshire Police has released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to following the theft. Mr Sheppard, who works for Martin Stretton Racing, said the wheel was irreplaceable. He told the PA news agency: 'We'd just left the car for lunch, we came back and went to do some work on the car, and it's like, 'where's the steering wheel?' 'It's very sad, because it's an original piece of the car, original piece of history for it. 'It would be nice to reunite it all together.' The Leyton House was designed by F1 design guru Adrian Newey for the 1990 Formula One World Championship. It was due to be driven at Silverstone by Ivan Capelli, who used it during the 1990 World Championship. Speaking about the stolen wheel, Mr Sheppard said: 'It's bespoke to the car, because the 1990s cars, the cockpits are so small you have to have a small wheel with a very small grip on it. 'I've been speaking to the people who made it in Italy originally, and sadly, they don't produce them anymore. 'We've got to go down the road of getting one bespoke made. 'It's just the hassle, it's the cost, it's an unnecessary procedure you have to go through which we shouldn't have to be doing.' Mr Sheppard said visitors had also climbed over a second historic F1 car on display. 'We had a Forti, another 1996 Formula One car on one of the other stands, and people were just using it like a climbing frame,' he said. 'We haven't seen any damage on that yet. We're just about going through it today. 'We're here to show off history and keep things moving and alive. ' People doing things like this, sadly, it puts a sour taste in your mouth. 'Hopefully next time, security will be even more. 'Sadly, the security guards aren't security people. They're just people that stand there. 'They're not being informed of what to do and how to do it.' Around 500,000 people visited the circuit over the weekend which saw Lando Norris win the British Grand Prix for the first time in his career. A total of 34 crimes were reported during the event, including theft, criminal damage, assault and drugs possession, with 20 arrests made, police said. A separate classic Formula One car on display at Silverstone sustained 'several thousands of pounds worth of damage', police said. It was alleged to have been caused by someone 'accessing the display stand and climbing into the vehicle'. Three men, aged 23, 25 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage but were released with no further action. Despite his sadness at the loss of the wheel, the engineer said the social media response to the theft had been 'amazing'. 'I'm not into social media that much, but the power of social media has been fantastic for this, everybody is sharing it around,' he said. 'It's amazing how many people have contacted us.'
Top Gear
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Ferrari will retro-fit its spoiled supercars with new steering wheel buttons
Ferrari will retro-fit its spoiled supercars with new steering wheel buttons Best mod ever set to make 296 and 12Cilindri more excellent, and SF90 actually driveable Skip 17 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 17 The very best thing about the new Ferrari Amalfi is… its steering wheel. Gone are the touch-sensitive controls which were so annoying, Ferrari latterly switched them off if you didn't touch them for ten seconds, to stop drivers accidentally scrolling menus and activating cruise control while trying to enjoy a corner. That should've been a clue. But you don't have to buy an Amalfi to go back to buttons. The same common sense is now available to most recent Ferraris. As well as confirming the next batch of future Ferrari cars will also have the physical button wheel, product development boss Gianmaria Fulgenzi has told owners of existing cars can get the same clicky-button upgrade. Advertisement - Page continues below 'Yes, you can have it,' said Fulgenzi when we asked him if the new old-skool wheel was compatible with the likes of the 296 GTB, Purosangue, SF90 and 12Cilindri. 'We don't even have to replace the whole wheel. Just the centre [boss],' he added. Fulgenzi also said owners who want this upgrade (that'll be, um, everyone) won't have to ship their car all the way back to Italy. Any local Ferrari dealer will be able to carry out the operation. 'Then we just do a short test drive to confirm all calibration is okay.' Easy! Explaining the decision to go back to buttons, Ferrari's marketing boss Enrico Galliera told TG: 'Our philosophy is always 'hands on the wheel, eyes on the roads. But we were finding people were having too much time with their eyes also on the road. We listened to our customers.' Going further, he explained why Ferrari even bothered with the touch-sensitive nonsense in the first place. 'When we were designing the SF90, we set out to create the most high-performing Ferrari.' Galliera explained that meant everything – not just the 986bhp hybrid drivetrain – had to make things happen as fast as possible. Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni also commented that 'beauty is simplicity". He's a noted fan of minimalist controls. Advertisement - Page continues below But Galliera conceded: 'When you are using a touchscreen phone, you are much faster. But we recognise that when you are also driving, too often it was hands on the wheel, but also eyes on the wheel.' Galliera also said the interior HMI (human media interface) was 'probably too advanced and not 100 per cent perfect in use. We're re-balancing, not changing our strategy'. We could get all 'told you so' here. But… we won't. Because we're just relieved Ferrari has decided its brilliant supercars don't deserve to be spoiled with naff infotainment controls that turn every drive into an irritation. Grazie regazzi. What next? iDrive clickwheels remaining in BMWs? Knurled knobs returning to Audis? Teslas with gear selector stalks? We can dream – let's start a comments section wish-list. Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
Car and Driver
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Interior Photos of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Limited
There are many real-deal buttons scattered about, covering both the steering wheel and parts of the center stack.
