A Mercedes GP PETRONAS formula one Steering wheel can cost as much as £25,000, which is a lot of money considering you can get a new A class on the road for around £12,000.
The F1 steering wheel enables the driver to fine tune many elements of the car from the cockpit. According to Wikipedia, The F1 steering wheel has the facility to change gears, apply a rev limiter, adjust the fuel air mix, change break pressure, and call the radio. It can display data such as rpm, lap times, speed and gear selection on its LCD screen. It is made out of carbon fibre and weighs in at just 1.3kgs.
There is one thing the Wikipedia article doesn’t say the wheel can do and that’s change the direction of the car! The Mercedes PETRONAS team have listed this ability on their website though.
If you’re after something a little simpler, maybe something that can change the volume or CD track on the radio. Then you can look for car parts elsewhere and they are less expensive than £25,000. Prices for new steering wheels from £199 for a basic model, but some used part can be much more cost effective.
Don’t forget, by using used parts you’re also doing your bit for the environment.