Old Lotus steering wheel
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 10:12 pm
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.
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.