7 iconic German cars in sim racing games

7 iconic German cars in sim racing games

Jul 21, 2021 1 Min Read Posted by OverTake Team
THE PEOPLE'S CAR Ask someone to name an iconic car from any country, and the Volkswagen Beetle might be their answer. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930s, the Beetle was designed as an affordable mass-produced car and its popularity ensured its appearance in plenty of racing games. A cabrio version appeared in OutRun back in 1986, and since then the vehicle has featured in titles ranging from the Forza series to Need for Speed. THE MOTORSPORTS LEGEND Next up is a direct descendent of the Beetle and a vehicle that epitomises the name 'sportscar'. The Porsche 991 has a racing pedigree that few other cars can match, and it therefore features in a list of racing games that is far too large to write here. Pictured is the car with which Josh Rogers won the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup championship for the second time this year. THE YELLOWBIRD A casual observer might be wondering why we've included another Porsche 911 in this list – but take a closer look and you'll notice that this is something even more special. It is a CTR Yellowbird, built by German maufacturer RUF. At its launch in 1987 it was among the fastest road cars on sale and it quickly developed a reputation for tricky handling, especially in the wet. Only 29 cars were built from scratch making them rare, but you can drive one at any time in Assetto Corsa and Gran Turismo titles. THE ENDURANCE RACING KING The Porsche 919 Hybrid marked Porsche’s return to prototype racing after a long absence. It won the arduous 24 Hours of Le Mans three times running from 2015 to 2017, and claimed the WEC championship in 2016 and 2017 as well. The car is a popular choice on iRacing as it combines two aspects that are crucial for endurance racing – predictable yet rewarding handling, and (relatively!) good fuel economy. THE OG OF M CARS Do you find your BMW to be a bit slow? Well BMW's famous M division might have the answer! They produce sporting versions of BMW's series production cars and have spawned icons such as the M3, M5 and M6 to name a few. It all began back in 1978 with the launch of the M1 – a mid-engined coupé specifically designed to go racing. Although the M1 itself only really features in the Forza series (and appears in Forza Horizon as a rather unlikely "Barn Find") it's the car that you have to thank for all the later M cars which made it into every kind of racing game imaginable. THE GAMECHANGER The world of rallying changed forever when Audi unveiled the quattro in 1980. It combined four-wheel drive with a powerful turbo-powered engine, and blew away all the two-wheel drive competition. Other manufacturers were forced to return to the drawing board, and thus the Group B era of rallying was born. As a rallying icon, the quattro features in most rally games, from DIRT to WRC. Pictured is Audi Sport quattro S1, with which German driver Walter Röhrl became the first driver to complete the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb under the eleven-minute mark in 1987. THE F1 LEGEND Yes, we know... the Mercedes AMG F1 cars are designed and built in Brackley in the UK, and driven by a Brit and a Finn. But there's no doubting the nationality of the parent company Mercedes – plus it's the German anthem that plays when one these cars occupies the top step of the podium. Mercedes have completely dominated the hybrid era of F1 so far, winning the driver's and constructor's championships from 2014 to 2021. Whether this year's car will continue the trend remains to be seen, but you can drive the car for yourself in the recently released F1 2021.

Let’s hit the Nordschleife! Here are seven of the most iconic cars from German car manufacturers that you can drive in your favourite racing games.

Photo credit: Kunos Simulazioni

As a follow-up to our gallery of 7 iconic American cars in racing games, we now move to Europe to find out what Germany has to offer.

Germany has a connection to the motor car that stretches back further than any other country. The very first car ever produced was created by Carl Benz back in 1886 – the three-wheeled Benz Patent Motor Car. Thankfully things have moved on a lot since then and our list consists of an array of much faster vehicles – from a hybrid endurance racer to a rally car, and even a contemporary Formula One car. So take a look at our gallery of seven of the best!

This is of course not a definitive list of every iconic German car ever. If your personal favourite is missing, tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!

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