Westfield Elevens

I've made an interesting purchase on Facebook marketplace(!) that I am hoping one of you knowledgeable Lotus chaps on here can shed some light on.

This steering wheel was being sold as a steering wheel from a 1960's racing car.

I took a punt and bought it for £50...!

When I collected it, the retired chap (who was very knowledgeable on Lotus) told me its 'history', which I have no way or proving or disproving.

The wheel is 12" in diameter and has zero dish. The rim is covered in red leather with neat stitching and the leather seam exposed inwards away from the rim (as per the replica Jacob Engineering wheel).

I was told that the wheel was in a box of parts that came out of Colin Chapman's workshop in Hornsey, and that it had been fitted to one of Colin's cars beforehand.

It has certainly been used, and the rim is slightly bent at the top where a driver may have pulled himself out of his car.

The chap said that his son (who had a Jaguar workshop) had kept the wheel for years, and at some stage stuck a Jaguar badge on the front (that I have removed!).

Interestingly, he told me all this before I mentioned my connection with the XI or even said 'Lotus'.

It is clearly not an Eleven wheel as it is only 12" in diameter. It has holed spokes which I have not seen in photos.

Needless to say it weighs next to nothing and can be described as somewhat 'dainty'!

The only markings that I can see on it are on the rear side (very neat but faint) indicating the positions of the countersunk holes indicating that perhaps a CNC was not used to drill them giving its age.

So the challenge is:

Have I stumbled across something quite valuable (historic wise)? It certainly looks old! It is going on my XI regardless as it is spot on.

I have tried to upload a couple of photos, but all I get is an 'HTTP Error'. I've never had much luck with photos on this forum so is there a special procedure that I need to follow...?

Cheers.

Morris.

you should reply to this post and then choose tab "attachments" and find a button "add files" to add a jpg. It works with me.

Good find by the way! Would be interesting to see a photo.

Yes, I've tried and the file photo seems to upload, but I get the HTTP Error box pop up. I've googled it and it seems to be quite common and could be something to do with the admin settings.

I've emailed Techbod but no reply yet.

Bit cheeky, but could I email the two photos to you for uploading via your own post?

Morris.

We could give it a try.....

The e-mail server on here is also a bit tricky, you may use jvanhoek and then 1961 at gmail instead. No dots between the k and the 1h.

Many thanks, I have just emailed two photos to you - fingers crossed!

Cheers.

Morris.

I reduced the photos in size. The originals are 1.5MB each, which apparently is too big.

Many thanks Jack - much obliged.

Have a look at the steering wheel on the lovely series one eleven on the article I recently posted..... very, very similar apart from the holes in the spokes (maybe 'added lightness' by a previous owner?). The colour of the leather looks spot on...

I've just looked and it is rather nice!

I think adding holes to an already feather-weight steering wheel could be considered overkill, but holes there indeed are which I was told are original...!

Before I bought it, I thought I might have it re-covered, but then who knows whose hallowed historic hands have touched it .The leather could do with a refresh though.