A boring wagon with some suspension—that's what makes it interesting
In a garage in New Zealand, a white Subaru wagon that rides on air suspension sits beside a sim racing rig — and together they tell a story about what happens when precision technology stops being the exclusive property of professionals. Jamie Hall, who manages Logitech's New Zealand operations, embodies a quiet but significant shift: the tools of the elite are becoming the tools of everyone, whether the arena is a show car meet or a virtual racing league. The walls between hobbyist and competitor, between spectacle and practicality, are coming down — not through compromise, but through better design.
- Professional sim racing hardware once priced out ordinary enthusiasts is now landing at consumer-friendly price points, collapsing a barrier that defined the hobby for years.
- The market is no longer splitting cleanly between casual players and competitive pros — the same direct drive equipment is showing up across the entire spectrum.
- Modularity is emerging as the decisive trend: racers can now swap steering wheels for different disciplines without scrapping their entire setup, turning customization into a practical reality.
- Hall's own life — a show-worthy Levorg that doubles as a family hauler, a sim rig that doubles as a competitive racing tool — models the convergence the industry is chasing.
- The trajectory points toward a sim racing world where personalization and performance are no longer in tension, and where entry-level no longer means compromise.
Jamie Hall runs Logitech New Zealand by day and, in his garage, tends to a white Subaru Levorg wagon that rides on airbag suspension so low it barely clears the asphalt. The car is inspired by the American mini-truck scene of the late '80s and early '90s — a showpiece that somehow doubles as a practical family vehicle. Hall can drop it to the ground for a Cars and Coffee crowd, then raise the rear for a camping trip with his kids. His wife finds his habit of airing out the suspension at every gas station mortifying. He finds it irresistible.
His history with cars runs deep — a Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo, a 2017 Mustang, classic Hiluxes, a rotary-converted Mazda 626. For Hall, it's never been about the badge. It's about what each machine offers, how it changes your relationship with movement. The Levorg, with its hidden compressor and tank beneath a removable boot floor, is simply the latest expression of that instinct: function and passion, held together without choosing between them.
That same instinct shapes how he reads the sim racing market. Hall has raced competitively in Gran Turismo leagues for years, long ago abandoning the controller for a proper wheel setup. From inside Logitech, he now watches the professional and casual segments of the market converge. Direct drive wheels that once cost thousands are reaching price points ordinary enthusiasts can stomach. The gear pros rely on is becoming the gear everyone uses.
The deeper shift, Hall argues, is modularity. Rather than replacing an entire rig to switch racing disciplines, users will swap out the wheel and keep the base — customizing the experience without rebuilding the system. It's the same logic as the Levorg: one platform, endlessly adaptable. What's emerging is a sim racing world where the technology no longer belongs exclusively to the elite, and where good gear simply works — for everyone.
Jamie Hall runs Logitech New Zealand, which means he spends his working hours selling the steering wheels and pedal sets that have transformed sim racing from a niche hobby into something that looks, feels, and demands the same precision as the real thing. But his real passion lives in his garage, where a white Subaru Levorg wagon sits so low to the ground it looks like it might scrape asphalt if you breathed on it wrong.
The Levorg is a lowrider—fully airbag-suspended, inspired by the American mini-truck scene that exploded in the late 1980s and early 1990s. To the untrained eye, it reads as just another family wagon. But step around the side and you see what Hall has built: a car that somehow manages to be both a genuine showpiece and genuinely practical. The airbags let him adjust the ride height on the fly, which means he can lower it to turn heads at a Cars and Coffee event, then raise the rear suspension for a camping trip with his kids and a cage trailer full of gear. His wife, he admits with a laugh, finds his compulsion to air out the suspension at every gas station deeply embarrassing. He finds it impossible to resist.
Hall's automotive history reads like a greatest-hits collection of modified machines: a Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo, a 2017 Mustang, classic Hiluxes, a Mazda 626 with a full rotary bridge port conversion. For him, it's never been about the badge. It's about the experience each car offers, the way it changes how you move through the world. The Levorg, with its hidden air compressor and tank tucked beneath a removable boot floor, represents the latest chapter in that story—a car that lets him be both a father and a showman without choosing between them.
That same philosophy of blending precision with accessibility shapes his thinking about sim racing. Hall has logged thousands of hours in the Gran Turismo series, racing competitively in weekly leagues that demand serious skill and consistency. He switched to a steering wheel setup years ago and never looked back; he'd be, by his own admission, terrible with a controller now. Before he joined Logitech, he was already convinced that a proper wheel made the difference between playing a racing game and actually racing. Now, from inside the company, he watches something significant happening in the market.
The barrier between casual gaming and professional-grade equipment is dissolving. Direct drive wheels—the kind that cost thousands just a few years ago—are now priced within reach of ordinary enthusiasts. The gear that pros use is becoming the same gear that weekend racers can afford. But Hall sees the real shift coming in modularity. Instead of buying an entire new setup when you want to switch from circuit racing to rallying to Formula 1, you'll swap out the wheel while keeping the base. You'll customize your experience without replacing the whole system. The same modular approach that lets him keep his Levorg practical while making it spectacular is coming to sim racing.
What's emerging, Hall explains, is a convergence across the entire spectrum. The pros and the casual players are using the same equipment now. The technology that once belonged exclusively to the elite is becoming democratic. It's a shift driven partly by price, partly by accessibility, but mostly by the simple fact that good gear works for everyone. The Levorg proves the principle: you don't have to choose between function and passion. You can have both, and you can make it yours.
Citas Notables
I made my mind up on the airbags first and then was like, 'What's the car to put them in?'— Jamie Hall, on building his lowrider Levorg
There's been a blurring of the casual gamer through to the pro gear—it's almost come together. People are buying the best gear because it's at a price point that's now more palatable for the average person.— Jamie Hall, on the convergence of casual and professional sim racing equipment
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
You've got this lowrider wagon that's also a family car. That seems like it shouldn't work—like you're trying to be two things at once.
That's exactly what I wanted to figure out. Most people pick a lane. You're either the guy with the show car or the guy with the practical family wagon. I wanted to prove you could be both. The airbags let me do that. I can lower it to the ground at a car meet, then raise it up for a camping trip. It's the same car doing two completely different jobs.
And your wife thinks you're ridiculous for airing it out at the gas station.
Absolutely. But I didn't spend all that money and time just to drive it around looking normal. The whole point is that it's a boring wagon with some suspension—and that's what makes it interesting. You have to use it.
That philosophy seems to carry over into how you think about sim racing gear. You're saying the expensive professional stuff is becoming accessible to regular players.
Right. Five years ago, a direct drive wheel was something only serious competitors could justify. Now the price has come down enough that an average person can afford it. But more importantly, the same wheel works for everyone. A pro and a casual racer can use the exact same equipment.
So the gap is closing.
It's more than that. It's converging. And the next phase is modularity. You won't have to buy a whole new setup when you want to try a different racing discipline. You'll just swap the wheel. Same base, different experience. That's where it's heading.
It sounds like you're describing the same principle as your Levorg—don't choose, customize.
That's it exactly. You build what you need, you use what you have, and you don't apologize for enjoying it.