1970's aftermarket wood steering wheel for 356B/C ...
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2023 4:42 pm
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I was saving this for a future 356 project but can't see that happening anytime soon so thought I'd see if there was any interest here before posting it on ebay.
It's an 'unknown' brand which has a great 'patinated'* appearance - providing a far better look/feel than a soul-less modern aftermarket wheel ... IMO of course !
Diameter is a fraction under 38 cm & the wheel is slightly dished.
The boss looks exactly the same as a Moto-Lita boss for a 356B/C - the only reason I'm not stating that it is one of theirs is the lack of model no. stamped into the top face.
* There are no splits in the wood, or any signs of de-lamination but there are numerous minor nicks/marks on the alloy spokes (mainly on the back) & I think the attempts at giving the front of the spokes an 'engine-turned' finish was probably done by a previous owner - in addition 2 of the screws securing the wheel to the boss are different/incorrect (see arrows in picture below).
There is a very small 2-digit number stamped into the bottom spoke on the back which seems to be '73' (or possibly '77') - I'm assuming this is a date stamp - it certainly has the look & feel of a wheel from that era.
£200 + postage
.
I was saving this for a future 356 project but can't see that happening anytime soon so thought I'd see if there was any interest here before posting it on ebay.
It's an 'unknown' brand which has a great 'patinated'* appearance - providing a far better look/feel than a soul-less modern aftermarket wheel ... IMO of course !
Diameter is a fraction under 38 cm & the wheel is slightly dished.
The boss looks exactly the same as a Moto-Lita boss for a 356B/C - the only reason I'm not stating that it is one of theirs is the lack of model no. stamped into the top face.
* There are no splits in the wood, or any signs of de-lamination but there are numerous minor nicks/marks on the alloy spokes (mainly on the back) & I think the attempts at giving the front of the spokes an 'engine-turned' finish was probably done by a previous owner - in addition 2 of the screws securing the wheel to the boss are different/incorrect (see arrows in picture below).
There is a very small 2-digit number stamped into the bottom spoke on the back which seems to be '73' (or possibly '77') - I'm assuming this is a date stamp - it certainly has the look & feel of a wheel from that era.
£200 + postage
.