Steering In Style
If eyes are the windows to the soul, then the steering wheel is the soul of the car. It’s the one part of a vehicle you’re guaranteed to touch every time you drive—and the best ones are unforgettable.
Here are 20 of the coolest, most iconic, and delightfully bizarre steering wheels ever to grace the automotive world.
Pagani Huayra
No one does excess quite like Horacio Pagani. The Huayra’s steering wheel isn’t just a wheel—it’s a sculpture. Crafted from aluminum and carbon fiber, it houses the paddle shifters and key controls right where your fingers want them. It looks like something Tony Stark would design after a bottle of Barolo.
Pagani Huayra: Art, Emotion, Technology, Carfection
Caterham Seven SuperSprint
Steering wheels don't get more honest than this. The Caterham’s thin-rimmed, wood-rimmed wheel is delightfully old-school, designed for pure driving feedback. There’s no airbag, no buttons, no fuss—just you, the car, and the road (or track).
Caterham Super Sprint HD Video, The Car Specialists
McLaren F1 GTR
The F1 GTR’s steering wheel is race-car minimalism at its peak. It’s tiny. It’s functional. And in typical McLaren fashion, it screams “function over form”—yet somehow ends up being beautiful. There’s no mistaking that you're behind the wheel of a machine built for one thing: winning.
McLaren F1 GTR driven by autocar.co.uk, Autocar
Mercedes-AMG One
You want F1 for the road? The AMG One actually delivers. Its squared-off steering wheel features integrated screens, switchgear, and controls borrowed straight from Mercedes’ Formula 1 program. It’s more spaceship than sports car, and yes—it works surprisingly well on the road.
Mercedes-Benz AMG One | SBX Cars, SBX Cars
BMW M3 (E30)
It’s not flashy. It’s not covered in buttons. But the E30 M3’s wheel is beloved because it delivers a perfectly analog driving experience. It’s thick-rimmed, simple, and gloriously communicative. A reminder that not every great wheel has to look like a fighter jet yoke.
Here’s Why the BMW M3 E30 Is My All-Time Favorite BMW, Doug DeMuro
Eunos Cosmo
Before infotainment was mainstream, the Eunos Cosmo—a quirky rotary-powered GT from Mazda’s luxury arm—had a touchscreen interface...in 1990. The steering wheel was just as advanced, featuring buttons and tech no one else dared use at the time.
1000HP 20B 3-ROTOR TURBO - Mazda Eunos Cosmo Review: WORLD’S FASTEST ROTARY, Clay Wong
Spyker C8
If steampunk were a car, it’d be the Spyker C8. Its steering wheel is a polished aluminum throwback, complete with aviation-style detailing and intricate spoke designs. It's retro-futuristic art on a stick—and it turns just as many heads as the rest of the car.
The Spyker C8 Is a Quirky, Beautiful, Amazing Supercar, Doug DeMuro
BMW Z8
James Bond drove one, but that’s not the only cool thing about the Z8. Its steering wheel is a nod to 1950s BMWs, with a simple three-spoke layout and elegant chrome details. It’s vintage charm in a modern shell, just like the car itself.
Pagani Zonda R
The Zonda R’s wheel is a work of extreme detail, with carbon-fiber finishing, integrated shift lights, and a center-mounted screen. The attention to craftsmanship is obsessive. It’s part race car, part jewelry box.
What it's Like to Drive a Pagani Zonda R, Fastrrr
BMW M Wheel
BMW’s iconic “M” steering wheels have long been a benchmark for driver feel. The best of them—like the ones found in the E46 and E92 M3s—strike the perfect balance of thickness, tactile feedback, and understated design. They may look ordinary, but they feel extraordinary.
Is the BMW E46 the Ultimate Enthusiast Daily?, Twin-Cam
Ferrari Wheel
Modern Ferraris ditch the stalks altogether. Everything—turn signals, headlights, drive modes—is on the wheel. This "manettino" design philosophy comes from F1, and while it’s controversial, it’s undeniably innovative. You never have to take your hands off the wheel.
Reviewing a $99 Sim Racing Wheel | Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider, OC Racing
Ford Mustang (1st-Gen)
The Mustang’s wheel was as much a style icon as the car itself. With its thin, chrome-rimmed design and deep-dish layout, it instantly conveyed performance and freedom. It was a wheel that practically whispered “let’s go burn rubber”.
First Generation 1965 Ford Mustang owned by Jim & Cris, Two Guys and a Ride
Aston Martin Lagonda
The Lagonda was weird—in a good way. And its square-shaped steering wheel was the icing on the digital dashboard cake. It felt more like flying the Millennium Falcon than driving a luxury sedan. Futuristic in the 1980s, and still kinda futuristic today.
1979 Aston Martin Lagonda, Iconic Auctioneers
Subaru XT
Who gave the XT a trapezoidal steering wheel? Subaru did. And it worked. Pair it with the crazy cockpit dashboard and digital readouts, and you’ve got a wheel that looks more like a Nintendo controller than a car part.
The Subaru XT Is Probably the Weirdest Subaru Ever Made, Doug DeMuro
Ferrari F40
No buttons. No airbags. Just a three-spoke wheel wrapped in suede. Like the rest of the F40, it’s raw and focused. Every ounce of this wheel screams: “Hold on tight—we’re about to unleash 478 turbocharged Italian horses”.
Analog Escape — The Ferrari F40 that gets DRIVEN [4K] | Documentary, PROJECT1
McLaren 570S
McLaren went for simplicity with the 570S: no buttons on the wheel at all. That’s right—none. The idea was to keep the driver focused on driving, not toggling through menus. Some love it. Some don’t. But everyone remembers it.
McLaren 570s - 13 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW, Downshift
Lotus Evija
The Evija’s steering wheel looks like it was yanked from a Le Mans prototype. Flat on the top and bottom, with a squared grip and a digital screen in the center, it’s futuristic, functional, and very, very cool.
Meet the Lotus Evija, Lotus Cars
De Tomaso P72
Retro glam at its finest. The P72’s wheel is wrapped in stitched leather, mounted on polished copper, and features a central hub that looks like a vintage watch face. It’s the kind of steering wheel you want to take home and hang on your wall.
FIRST LOOK: De Tomaso P72 – 700bhp, £1.6m… Work Of Art?, Top Gear
Aston Martin One-77
The One-77’s steering wheel is angular and bold, mirroring the brutal elegance of the car itself. It’s made from carbon fiber and hand-stitched leather, and looks like it was designed by Q Branch.
Driving The Aston Martin One77 // Nicholas Mee & Co. | SCD Driven, Supercar Driver
Lamborghini Sesto Elemento
Minimalism meets madness. The Sesto Elemento’s wheel is stripped of everything unnecessary—bare carbon fiber, no airbag, no frills. Just a hardcore, ultra-lightweight race car component, built for one purpose: to obey you at 200 mph.
$3m Lamborghini Sesto Elemento REVS and Driving in UK!!, TFJJ
Final Thoughts
Steering wheels may seem like an afterthought in the age of digital dashboards and self-driving tech—but for driving enthusiasts, they’re still one of the most intimate parts of a car. The best ones combine style, innovation, and feedback into a single object that connects human and machine.
From the tactile purity of the E30 M3 to the outlandishness of the Pagani Huayra, every wheel on this list tells a story. Which one would you want to grab hold of?
Blast From The Past: Caterham Seven SuperSprint Review, Car Obsession
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