We manufacture leather and wood-rim steering wheels for many Historic Sports & Racing Cars, including Lotus, Brabham, Jaguar & Cooper, to name but a few. They are produced in our workshops under the brand name Springall and in many cases using original tooling and drawings, making our product a ‘Continuation’ Springall Wheel as opposed to a replica. Each and every one of our leather steering wheels is meticulously prepared and hand sewn in the traditional way by Agnese Davies. Agnese has established a worldwide reputation for providing the most correct detail in the leather covering of our steering wheels, in particular the natural raised flange stitching and skived joints, as featured on many of the early leather covered steering wheels and the selection of the correct type of leather with the traditional sheen and having barely visible grain. The same care and attention to detail also applies to the production of our wood-rimmed steering wheels which are manufactured entirely in our own workshops where we continue to be world leaders in the production of correct OEM steering wheels.
It is an all too common sight these days to see beautifully restored historic cars, at events around the world, let down by one of the most essential details….the ‘Steering Wheel’ – a detail which, when we sit in the driving seat, is right in front of our eyes and which we immediately want to hold in our hands…. As drivers, we are essentially holding the car by the steering wheel and so this part of the car should, at the very minimum, mirror the quality and style of the car as it was in period, nothing less and importantly nothing more, just as one would expect from a hand made product. The diameter of the rim grip is very important, but most mass-produced leather covered steering wheels are made these days with a grip diameter that is far too thick and ruins the otherwise subtle appearance of the historic cockpit. We have developed seven different rubber grip extrusions for our leather covered wheels, single and twin systems, to enable us to achieve the perfect result for every vehicle in all periods. We have also paid particular attention to frame profiles following extensive research based largely on original period publications and data, factory drawings and confirmed historical photographs.
The type of stitch work adopted in the making of our leather covered wheels is also of great importance if one wishes to have a period correct product, many vehicles such as the early Lotus cars, Lister and some Cooper cars for example were fitted with steering wheels that were made either by V. W. Derrington Ltd or P D Springall Ltd and during the 1950’s these steering wheels, in the main, had ‘raised flange stitching’ (we use the abbreviation RFS when referring to this feature). This process requires time, accuracy and a consistently high level of skill to achieve a fine uniform result. For this we select a slightly thicker, but soft Italian leather, cut along the length of the skin, which is skived out at both ends down to the epidermis which itself is further feathered to create a flush and almost unnoticeable joint. The leather is then subjected to a rather secret process for a specific duration prior to being tightly stretched over the wheel frame and sewn into position using the correct natural (off white) waterproof thread. During the process, the leather is gathered up into an oversized flange on the inside of the wheel frame, creating the foundation of the unique raised flange. The surplus leather is later carefully cut off very close to the stitching using specially developed tooling to produce a perfect edge, leading into each side of the spokes. This edge is finally hot ironed and natural wax sealed leaving a perfect edge finish. This style of stitching is similar to, but not to be confused with the ‘under-laced’ cross stitch (originally black thread) which was a process adopted by Momo and appeared on numerous steering wheels including those fitted to the early Porsche 911 cars.
Prices for our wheels start from £295 – If you have any specific requirements, we will be more than happy to discuss them with you.
We accept all major credit/debit cards (excluding American Express) and of course bank transfers, cleared cheques or cash on collection.
IMPORTANT NOTE: WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYPAL. WE ACCEPT REFUNDS WHERE APPROPRIATE, LESS THE COST OF SHIPPING. FOR ITEMS PURCHASED IN ERROR A REFUND MAY BE OFFERED, LESS THE COST OF SHIPPING AND SUBJECT TO A 10% HANDLING FEE.
The wheels illustrated below, to fit the following car makes, are just a selection of the many wheels which we manufacture here in England.
Austin Healey (Donald Healey Motor Co)
Brabham BT2 thru BT60
Bristol with Badge
Cooper 500 & T53 etc:
Cooper T71, T72, T77, T76 Formula BMC & Junior
V W Derrington
(Original VW Derrington Design as supplied to Brian Lister etc in the 1950’s)
Elva
Ford Cortina Mk1 GT:
We supply two types of period steering wheels for the Ford Cortina Mk1 GT. The first is the Springall aftermarket ‘flat’ spoke wheels, 15″ Diameter as per original specification. This is supplied complete with boss and Lucas type horn push as was originally fitted.
Current price for this wheel, complete with the Lucas type ‘GT’ horn push & badge: £460
The second type is the ‘dished’ composite wheel, similar to the Factory Lotus Cortina SE wheel. It has the same deep dish and anodised slotted spokes and uses the very strong and rigid steel outer rim section beneath the Leather covered rubber grip. This is ideal for later ‘Airflow’ Cortina’s and is supplied complete with the special boss which incorporates the dummy horn push and centre badge.
Current Price for the dished wheel, complete: £495
Ford Shelby Mustang GT350
In 1964, Springall were commissioned to design and manufacture a steering wheel for Carrol Shelby, which was destined for the Shelby Mustang GT350. A drawing was completed on the 11th September 1964 and the first batch of wheels went into production soon after.
Gary Bartman, President of the Shelby and Shelby Inspired Performance Cars Northwest, has been helpful in confirming post ‘drafting’ production and technical detail collected from a known original wheel and in addition information relating to the original alloy mounting boss. Further to this, we have carried out our own extensive research and development into the finer details of the steering wheel and its manufacture and have now started production of these much sought after and rare steering wheels again.
For clarity, there were four generations of steering wheels for the Shelby GT350 as detailed below. We have commenced production with the Gen 2a and 2b, but all of the other wheels will soon be in production and will continue whilst original old stock lumber holds out:
Gen 1. These were very early wheels and presumed fitted to very first cars up-to and including car number #110. They were 16” diameter with ‘teardrop’ shaped slots in the spokes. We will expand upon this later as we also intend re-manufacturing a small batch of these wheels to complement the range.
Gen 2a. This was a 15” diameter wheel with holes instead of slots in the spokes. The holes in the Gen 2a spokes were originally drilled and often not entirely uniform in diameter or spacing, despite the factory drawing indicating precisely the diameters and spacings. This wheel was fitted to cars post Gen 1. up-to at least #117.
Gen 2b. This wheel was very similar to the 2a, however the hole sizes and layout differed and is detailed in the original Springall factory drawing with a clear revision reference. These later spoke holes were punched and were consistent in size and layout. It has not been confirmed exactly which car was the first to receive this updated wheel, but it is known that the fitment of this wheel continued up-to and including car #250. It is therefore clear that a majority percentage of the Generation 2 wheels were of this style.
Gen 3. This was again 15” in diameter but the design had reverted back to the ‘teardrop’ spoke style. There have been numerous claims to who originally manufactured this particular wheel but there is no evidence that the supply would have shifted from Springall in the 1960’s to any other company. Indeed, Springall were already OEM suppliers to Ford/Lotus etc and later Jaguar Cars and many others, the Company’s production capacity at that time being greater than any other steering wheel manufacturer in the UK and yet still producing the very best, truly ‘hand-made’ British steering wheels at a pace that nobody else could have achieved at that time. The Gen.3 wheel is now in production and we are paying particular attention to the detail so that owners can replace spurious replicas of these wheels with a wheel which has the correctness of detail that these cars deserve.
The timber species has been identified as West African Golden Mahogany, a strikingly beautiful species which is no longer permitted to be exported for commercial processes. We do however have enough old stock to manufacture a limited number of these steering wheels. It should be noted that the colour of the wood can vary even from the same log and this was also the case in period. Of course, no two wood-rim wheels will be identical. The species used in the making of these wheels tends to darken with age. If you prefer a particular shade then please do ask in advance. Importantly, we do not stain the wood because this would ruin the brilliance and character of the wood and the natural figure. The clear varnish will darken naturally over time, but only a little.
Current Price for either the Gen.2a , 2b or Gen 3 steering wheel is £980
The correct boss (mounting hub) complete with the correct screws is also available at £165
The group of photographs below show the Gen 2b Shelby GT350 steering wheel. Photos of Gen 3 wheel to be added shortly as this wheel is now in production.
Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 1965 (Gen 3)
Images to follow shortly
Intertech
Available with black or polished frame. Current Price £295
Jaguar D Type – Leather Competition
Jaguar E Type – OEM
We are Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to Jaguar Land Rover Ltd and indeed the Springall brand has long been associated with Jaguar Cars.
Since the demise of Coventry Wood Bending (CBT), there has not been a supplier of the ‘correct’ early beech rim three quarter wrapped wheels or the light golden mahogany fully wrapped variant which superseded them and sadly many later style wheel have been hastily reproduced in mahogany, often quite dark in colour and with little regard for correctness in detail.
Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s it had been quite common for car restorers to fit an aftermarket steering wheel, the usual three spoke wheel with holes in the spokes and leather or PVC covering, most often with a disproportionate rim grip thickness. This was pretty much accepted back then and thousands of upon thousands of cars were fitted with such steering wheels. Well, times have changed and with historic sports and racing cars values appreciating to such levels, it is not surprising that that they are now considered as good, if not better investments than property and ‘fine art’
As a consequence, when sourcing replacement parts, owners of these fine automobiles are seeking to have every single detail correct, not just ‘in-keeping with period’ but absolutely correct in every respect and as far as is practically possible exactly as it would have been supplied by the manufacturer in period, not worse, not better…simply just the same! Of course, there are many items on a classic car which are functional and some items which are not seen and therefore we could be a little more forgiving and flexible in tolerating improvements and deviations from the original, if the benefits are worthy and prolong reliability and performance etc, but this is most definitely not the case with the ‘steering wheel’ – in fact it is one of the most important items on the car which needs to be correct, its ‘appearance’ at a distance and at close proximity and just as importantly its ‘feel’.
The steering wheels which we are now supplying to fit the Jaguar E type Series 1 and 2 are made to exact specifications, such that it is not possible to tell the difference between ours and ones which were made in the 1960’s – simply because there are no differences, they are truly a very British, hand made and hand finished steering wheel.
Our wheels are manufactured in exactly the same way that was adopted in period and without the use of CNC equipment, which is so often employed in today’s manufacturing. The owner of our steering wheels can rest assured that their replacement is, in reality, the result of many hours of skilled work using traditional methods and tooling.
Our early rims (Jaguar part number C15168 ) are correctly produced using European Beech (Fagus Sylvatica), this was the main wood of choice for Coventry Timber Bending in their manufacture of the early S1 E-type wheels, each rim being made up of several leaves of Beech which are wrapped and joined with a long scarfed joint. These wheels are refereed to as ‘three quarter wrapped’ because the aluminium frame is visible on the inside of the wheel rim, yet the wood covers the outer portion of the rim. Early S1 cars were all ‘beech’ for the first year or so, with few originals survive today, mahogany was used in the making of the wheels from then on, the wooden grip being just slightly thicker. To be clear, C15168 , the three quarter wrapped wheels, were first produced in beech from early 1961 thru until the middle of 1962 and thereafter in mahogany until the introduction of the ‘Fully Wrapped’ wheel (Jaguar part number C20267) which was used for the remainder of the S1 and S1.5 cars and for the production of the S2 cars until the end of production in 1971.
Rims for later cars are produced using specially selected West African Golden Mahogany, with its typically coarser, interlocking grain structure. The colour of this timber in the main is rather pale for Mahogany and notwithstanding the grain structure and visible ray flakes, only a little darker in colour than beech, however, some of the wood presents with a darker hue as one might more typically associate with the name of the species.
Out of the hundreds of original wheels that we have been able to examine over the past 30 years, many of the mahogany rims have displayed random colours of wood laminates within the rim structure, sometimes two darker or lighter pieces together, sometimes alternate and at times a uniform selection throughout. This feature was the result of random selection of wood during the manufacturing process and being that it was more difficult to see the variations until the wood was either moistened or varnished; it is no wonder that variations became part of the natural manufacturing process when producing literally thousands of these wheels. We have seen early rims which have mahogany and beech mixed, the beech mostly on the inner laminates.
We have adopted the same method in the selection and grouping of the individual leaves that make up the rim.
All our wheels are finally bonded together using the same type of glue as was originally adopted, offering virtually invisible joints in the laminates.
Perhaps just as importantly, the rim sectional thickness and profile shape (which of course differ between early and late S1 cars) are correct for both types of wheels and we pay particular attention to the blending of the finger grip notches. We are the first company to offer these important features. The varnish is also a spirit based product as per original specification and not the 2k type lacquer which sadly makes the wood rim look as if it’s been encased in clear plastic.
So how can you tell the difference between an original wheel and a reproduction wheel I hear you ask…. Well, even the reproduction wheels of the 1980’s are beginning to look suitably old but don’t let that influence your judgement. The reproduction wheels normally had a makers stamp on the reverse of one of the spokes and this will certainly give it away, however, some have gone to the trouble of grinding the name out and polishing the whole area to hide the evidence. But this is not the only tell tale sign of an incorrectly made repro Jaguar E type steering wheel; To begin with, the upper edge of the right and left spokes on original wheels are not completely horizontal and this was a Jaguar design to counteract the illusion created by the tapering spokes and the need for the upper spokes to appear horizontal giving the symmetrical ‘T’ configuration. It’s only a matter of a few degrees but it is important and not difficult to train the eye to detect it, because if you can perfectly line up a ‘straight-edge’ over the top edge of the two upper spokes, then the wheel does look slightly different and it is a repro wheel. There are however more important points to look out for with the fully wrapped wheels, relating to the quality and detail in the wood shaping and finishing. Reproduction wheels have a relatively deep step where the wood section blends into the front face of the spokes unlike the beautifully blended form that ‘feathers’ into the spokes on the original wheels. You should be able to run your thumb along the spoke’s face and over onto the wood rim without noticing too much of an intersection, but if there a noticeable step, then the wheel is not correct in detail. The thumb groove is also a more subtle and gentle concave radius on the original wheel, though this won’t be too obvious unless the wheels are side by side. Turning to the reverse side of the wheel, the finger notches are one of the biggest indicators of a poorly finished reproduction wheel, being sharper edged instead of the sweeping blends between the concave and convex profiles, its easy to spot, but even easier to feel when holding the wheel, feeling harsh and un-finished and lacking that smoothness and normal refinement one would expect of a correctly made Jaguar item. Moving onto the metal work finishing, the holes on the original wheels had evenly formed radius’s over the holes and were nicely blended. Of course it is quite easy to improve a repro wheel in this respect, but if the edges of these holes do appear less than beautifully finished, then it is a sure sign that you are not looking at a genuine or correctly made Jaguar E type steering wheel. For us there are many more details relating to the wood type and construction which tell the wheels apart on closer examination, but I will leave this subject here now because I’ve probably dwelt on it too much already.
Unsurprisingly the price tag reflects the quality of these wheels. We only supply the wheels with the correct boss assembly which is blind riveted to the wheel frame as per original specification. The wheel below has been sympathetically aged as requested by one of our clients so that it’s virtually impossible to tell it apart from a wheel made in the 1960’s. We offer this service at a small extra cost for those who prefer a wheel that looks original rather than brand new.
Current Price for the Series 1 ‘Three Quarter Wrapped’ Beech wheel is £695
Current price for the Series 1 & Series 2 ‘Fully-Wrapped’ Mahogany wheel is £675
Jaguar E Type – Leather Option:
The early Jaguar e-type steering wheels were made for Jaguar Cars by Coventry Timber Bending Co. Ltd. However, Springall was later to become an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and supplier to Jaguar Cars, producing wheels for the later e-types. Springall also produced aftermarket wheels during the production of the early S1 and S2 e-type cars and they were available as an upgrade. The Leather covered Series 3 Jaguar E-Type Steering wheel and boss is also manufactured by us, photos will appear here soon but please contact us if you need one of these wheels.
From the very beginning of the e-type production, many enthusiastic sports and racing drivers alike preferred the feel of the leather covered steering wheel which had in fact already established itself in the market by the early 1960’s, not least because it was inherently stronger but also due to the obvious safety advantage it offered, particularly in the often harsh and dangerous motor racing environment, where numerous stories have emerged detailing the additional injuries driver sustained due to having been involved in an accident whilst being in control of a car which was fitted with a wooden steering wheel.
Our continuation ‘Springall’ leather steering wheel for the Series 1 and Series 2 Jaguar e-types are manufactured to exacting standards, as indeed is the case with all of our steering wheels, where ‘excellence comes as standard’. The foundation of these wheels is a once piece light aluminium alloy frame, having a higher magnesium content than most other alloys, a material which is very much respected in the aerospace industry as much as the competitive world of motor sport engineering.
The frames are covered with the highest quality Italian Leather available to us and they are beautifully hand stitched by Agnese Davies at our premises here in the UK. The frame drilling is of the original Jaguar XKE configuration enabling the use of the original boss and horn push assembly. These leather covered steering wheels have become very popular with our clients and apart from their more practical advantages, they look equally as stunning as an original wood-rim wheel and because they were a period aftermarket item, they are the obvious choice for the owner of a fast-road, competition or lightweight e-type Jaguar.
Current price for the leather wheel is £345 (Excluding boss & horn push which are available separately
Lola Mk1 & Early T70
Lola T60
Lotus VI
Lotus XI
Lotus Seven Woodrim
The ‘Springall’ Lotus Seven wood-rim steering wheel was available from very early on in the production of the Lotus Seven. The first version had a slender golden mahogany rim with a thumb groove machined into the front face, whilst on the reverse side of the rim there were domed head studs acting as finger grips, these wheels are refereed to a ‘studded’ wheels. Later cars had a similar wood-rim wheel, again produced from carefully selected laminates of golden mahogany, marginally thicker in section than previously produced wheels and the spokes were also slightly different in profile. Both used a similar shape of aluminium boss and a presser ring which also accommodated the aluminium/resin Lotus badge.
Featured below is the later ‘notched’ wheel and photos will soon be posted of the early ‘studded’ wheel. The current price for either wheel, excluding the badge, is £495
Lotus Seven Leather
In addition to the woodrim wheel, there was a leather ‘Springall’ version for the Lotus Seven which was introduced to the Lotus Super Seven Series 1 models and officially on show to the public on the 2nd September 1959 at the International Handicrafts and DIY exhibition at Olympia in London. This wheel differed from the steering wheels used for the Lotus XI cars, which were originally 15″ in diameter and made by V W Derrington. These leather covered Lotus Seven wheels were now produced by Springall and were only 14″ in diameter, the rim grip diameter remaining the same as for the Lotus XI and still having the raised flange stitching but with a little less material extending onto the aluminium spokes, forming what was effectively an integral spoke-guard. From around 1960, the Springall Lotus Seven wheel changed subtly in design again, the leather was from here on a lighter shade of red and no longer extended onto the spokes, in addition the wheel frame had a centre hole machined into it for the standard fitment of the production centre badge. It is not clear why Lotus made a switch from V W Derrington to Springall, but one must assume that cost was the driving factor. It is of course very likely that some of the 15″ V W Derrington wheels from the Lotus XI’s were used on some very early Seven’s, these, along with the very first Springall Lotus Seven wheels were installed without a centre badge as standard, the usual array of 6 countersunk screws being visible in this case, as on the Lotus XI’s. The photograph below left shows the Pre-Springall Lotus Seven S1 steering wheel and the example on the right shows the ‘Springall’ Lotus Super Seven S1 wheel with the centre hole and badge fitted. We also supply the later S2 wheel which has the later and more reliable cross stitched leather and slightly thicker rim grip.
The current price for either variant is £295. The Boss & Badge are not included in the price of the wheel.
Lotus 23
For many years, nearly every Lotus 23 has been retro-fitted with the wrong style of steering wheel, in fact having carried out extensive research, we couldn’t even find one car fitted with the correct wheel and certainly we have yet to witness a 23 which retains its original steering wheel. There have of course been numerous Lotus 23 copies since 1963 and this has most probably added to the confusion over correctness of detail in this particular case. Sadly, many cars have ended up having 11” diameter wheels fitted to them, coupled with the much later 1-1/8” rim grip which looks totally out of proportion and in most cases ruins what might otherwise have been a period looking cockpit. These later ‘chunky’ style wheels only came into use in later cars, well into the 1970’s and were correct on some of the later Brabham cars and on race machinery that had adopted the ‘Intertech’ wheels. Of course such steering wheel styles look fine on later racing cars, but they have no place amongst cars which were built in the 1960’s.
Springall steering wheels were of course OEM for the Lotus 23 and the wheels which we produce for this model are totally correct and carry the Springall brand. They are only a little smaller than the Lotus Seven steering wheels at 13” in diameter but the rim grip dimensions are different, measuring 15/16” deep by 7/8” tall and they no longer have the raised-flange natural colour stitching. The frame is of the usual configuration as is common to most Lotus models and the brighter red leather is of the same high quality.
Evidence suggests that a few early Lotus 23 cars were fitted with Lotus 7 S2 steering wheels and therefore did not have spoke-guards but it is clear that the majority of subsequent production cars which left the factory had non-cushioned guards fitted to the steering wheels. The Lotus 23 was indeed the first Lotus to have a steering wheel which featured spoke-guards. Prior to the Lotus 23 none of the Lotus cars had this feature. With the exception of R1 & R2, the Lotus25 was the next car to be fitted with a Springall steering wheel fitted with spoke-guards and the 33 and 49 followed in the same vein, although these were of the cushioned type, with small foam mouldings beneath the leather. Many of the early spoke-guards were not secured adequately and came loose, once this happened they were usually all removed due to the distraction they no doubt caused. There is an excellent cockpit photograph from a 1965 SCCA meeting highlighting this problem on chassis 23–S-82 driven by Ken Leith, indeed this is one of a very few period photographs which depicts the original Lotus 23 steering wheel.
All production Lotus 23 cars had the centre hole in the steering wheel frame and would have been fitted with the factory Lotus Badge, the same badge as was fitted to the Lotus Elite. Our wheels can be supplied with or without the mounting hole drillings, we also manufacture and stock the correct aluminium boss. Current Price is £295
Lotus 22, 25, 33 & 49
Lotus 47 ‘Works’ Competition & Europa
Springall steering wheel for both the ‘works’ competition Lotus 47 and the Lotus Europa. These wheels are manufactured to exacting standards and available with either ‘flat’ (lightweight ‘works’ competition or factory ‘dished’ frames. The standard colour was black, however a number of works and well known competition Lotus 47’s were trimmed in bright red as per the photos below. Supplied with the correct boss and presser plate which accepts the genuine Lotus Horn Push and badge. The centre photograph below shows the same ‘Lightweight’ wheel fitted to Johnnie Blade’s Lotus 47 at Brands Hatch in 1967, still with the ‘Springall’ sticker attached.
Current Price for the 47 Lightweight wheel, including the factory type boss and presser plate is £395
Current Price for the Europa Factory dished wheel incl. the factory type boss & presser plate is £465 (both types excludes horn push which is available separately)
Lotus Steering Wheel Boss – Early ‘Top-Hat’ & Tulip
Lotus Cortina Mk1 – Flat Spoke ‘Springall’
This is the steering wheel manufactured specifically for the Lotus Cortina Mk1 and is the same Springall wheel as was used in the Jim Clark Lotus Cortina BJH417B with which he won the BSCC in 1964.
This wheel is quite different to the Elan 26R steering wheel, not only in diameter but also in its configuration; the spokes are set at a slightly different angle to enable a perfect view of the most essential dash board instruments, the larger overall diameter also playing a roll in this essential part of ‘Springall’s’ design. The bolt array drillings are also of the 6 hole arrangement as opposed to the 7 hold array which is found on the 26R, the first hole appearing 30 degrees from the 12 o’clock position and the remaining 5 continuing at 60 degree intervals to complete the array over the PCD which also differs.
The frame finish is however the same as the 26R, being painstakingly hand brushed as standard, unlike the normal production Elan steering wheels which were anodised, a vital requirement for higher volume manufacturing when combined with the more aggressive process of applying and finishing the wooden rim. This wheel was essentially a low production item for Springall and very much more bespoke. The boss, though similar to the 26R was longer and an integrated shroud protruded beyond the normal depth of the boss towards the steering column binnacle, the Lucas horn brush bore shared the same position.
Current price including the factory type boss and presser plate is £425 (excludes horn push which is available separately)
Lotus Cortina Mk1 – OEM Woodrim Steering Wheels:
Following months of painstaking research and development we have now completed the first run of our Mk1 Lotus Cortina woodrim steering wheels.
We manufacture both the early ‘thin-rim’ type, either studded or with the filed finger notches or the later ‘thick-rim’ wheels. Both types are manufactured in our workshops to exacting standards in the traditional way, using carefully selected White Beech (Fagus Sylvatica), the same species specified by Springall back in the 1960’s. The rims are not stained, they remain in their natural colour and are clear varnished.
Originally the Lotus wood-rim sections were produced for Peter Springall by Woodrims Limited of Slough, unlike the Jaguar rims which were manufactured by Coventry Timber Bending Co. Ltd. The workmanship was indeed very fine and we have gone to great lengths to ensure that the same high standards are maintained in the manufacture of our continuation Springall steering wheels.
There are many procedures involved in the making of these wood-rim wheels and a great deal of detail must be observed if the process is to be executed properly. For those who are interested, I will briefly describe the process here:
The lumbar we have used originated from trees which had been planted around 100 years ago and quarter cut lumber is preferred for its uniform straight grain. When the leaves of timber are sawn, we keep them in the same order in which they are cut and then group them together into sets, some with seven leaves and some with eight, depending on the steering rim thickness, some also having differing profile heights. Each of the leaves is then cut to length and although calculations provide us with a good starting point, this is where pure mathematics fails in trying to establish how long each section needs to be, because the forming of wood (varying amongst different species) presents quite unusual behaviour.
Once we have the set of relative wood strips, both ends are hand scarfed with a paring chisel over a fixture, which we have named a ‘scarfing shoe’. This device retains the individual strips of wood whilst pressure is applied to the top of the shoe and the chisel then naturally follows a 4 degree angle whilst removing the fine slivers of wood until the end of the strip is feathered to virtually nothing. This process is repeated for all of the leaves, by which time the chisel will need fine honing once again.
The leaves are then grouped into position and are steamed ready for pre-forming to shape and left to dry in this position for 24 hours, after which they are glued up and clamped into their final radial position and left to dry for a further 24 hours. The finished scarf joint extends to around 9 inches in length and if all has gone well, the radial joint line should be virtually impossible to detect.
All that remains to do then is to machine the profile, file the finger-grip notches onto the reverse of the rim (where applicable) and cut the half inch deep spoke slots into the inside of the rim. Of course it is necessary to apply several coats of clear varnish after all this, but otherwise it really is a simple as that…… (you wish !)
The photos below show both the early studded ‘thin-rim’ wheel (top row of photos) with the ‘Y’ pattern spokes and the later ‘Aeroflow’ steering wheel (bottom row of photos) which has the differing 160/100/100 degree spoke configuration and later style two piece boss along with the dummy horn push & badge. Not shown at this time is the non-studded thin-rim wheel again with the ‘Y’ pattern spokes – not to be confused with the 3 equal spoke pattern of the very early S1 Lotus Elan’s. Contrary to a seemingly popular understanding that the Lotus Cortina and Lotus Elan steering wheels shared the same wheel frame and that there was a ‘cross-over’ of types, they are in fact all quite different. This will be further detailed in the Lotus Elan section shortly.
Current price for the early ‘Thin-Rim’ Studded or non-studded wheel, including the factory two piece boss is £595 (excludes horn push which is available separately)
Current price for the later ‘Aeroflow’ wheel, including the factory two piece boss & unique badge is £595
Lotus Cortina OEM Mk1 SE
We now produce the Lotus Cortina Mk1 SE steering wheel. This wheel is manufactured in the same way as the original Springall wheels were produced. The composite rim frame closely follows the Springall patented design and the separate aluminium spokes are jig fixture formed to generate the ‘dish’ which is slightly deeper than that associated with the early Lotus Elan variants. The extruded rubber grip has been manufactured specifically for this application and the high quality, virtually grain-free leather cover is sewn in place to the same high standard as is now common to all of the steering wheels which we manufacture. In addition to the SE wheel, we are now manufacturing the wood rimmed Lotus Cortina Mk1 steering wheels, see above for details of both the studded and non-studded types.
We have a limited supply of NOS Lotus horn push/badges, including the dummy horn push/badge as detailed in the lower of the three photos below, which are available separately.
Current price of the Cortina Mk1 SE wheel is £495 including the two piece boss & unique centre badge
Lotus Elan Steering Wheel – S1, S2 & S3
Following months of painstaking research and development we have now completed the first run of our Lotus Elan S1, S2 & S3 Wood-rim steering wheels.
We manufacture both the early ‘thin-rim’ type, either studded or with the filed finger notches or the later ‘thick-rim’ wheels. Both types are manufactured in our workshops to exacting standards in the traditional way, using carefully selected White Beech (Fagus Sylvatica) for the early rims and West African Golden Mahogony (a little darker than the beech to more closely match the teak wood dash board) the same species specified by Springall back in the 1960’s. The rims are not stained, they remain in their natural colour and are clear varnished.
Originally the Lotus wood-rim sections were produced for Peter Springall by Woodrims Limited of Slough, unlike the Jaguar rims which were manufactured by Coventry Timber Bending Co. Ltd. The workmanship was indeed very fine and we have gone to great lengths to ensure that the same high standards are maintained in the manufacture of our continuation Springall steering wheels.
There are many procedures involved in the making of these wood-rim wheels and a great deal of detail must be observed if the process is to be executed properly. For those who are interested, I will briefly describe the process here:
The lumbar we have used originated from trees which had been planted around 100 years ago and quarter cut lumber is preferred for its uniform straight grain. When the leaves of timber are sawn, we keep them in the same order in which they are cut and then group them together into sets, some with seven leaves and some with eight, depending on the steering rim thickness, some also having differing profile heights. Each of the leaves is then cut to length and although calculations provide us with a good starting point, this is where pure mathematics fails in trying to establish how long each section needs to be, because the forming of wood (varying amongst different species) induces quite unusual behaviour, very differently to metal for example where the ‘K’ factor can be observed and factored into certain forming calculations.
Once we have the set of relative wood strips, both ends are hand scarfed with a paring chisel over a fixture, which we have dubbed a ‘scarfing shoe’. This device retains the individual strips of wood whilst pressure is applied to the top of the shoe and the chisel then naturally follows a 4 degree angle whilst removing the fine slivers of wood until the end of the strip is feathered to virtually nothing. This process is repeated for all of the leaves, by which time the chisel will need fine honing once again.
The leaves are then grouped into position and are steamed ready for pre-forming to shape and left to dry in this position for 24 hours, after which they are glued up and clamped into their final radial position and left to dry for a further 24 hours. The finished scarf joint extends to around 7 inches in length and if all has gone well, the radial joint line should be virtually impossible to detect.
All that remains to do then is to machine the profile, file the finger-grip notches onto the reverse of the rim (where applicable) and cut the half inch deep spoke slots into the inside of the rim. Of course it is necessary to apply several coats of clear varnish after all this, but otherwise it really is a simple as that…… (you wish !)
The photos below show the later Later S2 steering wheel which has the differing 160/100/100 degree spoke configuration. In the fullness of time we will add photographs of the early ‘studded’ wheel with both equally spaced spokes and the later ‘T’ patern spokes, along with the ‘thin-rimmed’ non studded rim, again with the ‘T’ spoke configuration. Contrary to a seemingly popular understanding that the Lotus Cortina and Lotus Elan steering wheels were the same and that there was a ‘cross-over’ of types, they are in fact all quite different, indeed, across the range of Elan S1, s2 and S3 models there are now fewer than five different types of steering wheels which we will detailed shortly.
The group of three images below show the thin rim ‘notched’ wheel. The current price for this wheel, including the factory boss is £595 (Excludes horn push which is available separately)
The group of three images below show the very early ‘thin- rim’ Three Equal Spoke ‘Studded’ wheel with the thumb groove on the face of the rim ( there is also a later ‘Y’ shape studded wheel)
The current price for either wheel, including the boss is £595 (Excludes horn push which is available separately)
Lotus Elan Steering Wheel – S2-S3 – SE Leather:
We now manufacture the original specification leather covered SE Steering wheel for the Lotus Elan S2 and S3 SE models, these are available in addition to the various different types of wood-rim wheels which now fully complete our range of Springall steering wheels for the Lotus Elan. Featured below is the Elan SE leather steering wheel. Manufactured to the original Springall specification and as was supplied to Lotus in period. We have gone to great lengths to put the Springall Patented frame rim back into production. This British Patent, No. 1,156,492 – June 1966 (final specification published 25th June 1969) details numerous feature including the construction and configuration of the frame rim. Our wheel frame rim follows the preferred method specified, which was cold-rolled formed from a 3/8″ square x 1/8″ steel channel, to which the press-formed aluminium spokes are double riveted. This rather complex system, by comparison to today’s modern manufacturing methods is somewhat time consuming, nonetheless, it is incorporated in all of our Elan steering wheels and indeed our Lotus Cortina variants. It is the foundation for the increased stiffness which is achieved, in particular over the upper portion of the wheel rim. The rubber grip moulding is one piece and manufactured to the correct dimensions before the leather covering is stretched and sewn into position. The wheel is correctly dished and supplied with the two piece boss assembly and accepts the original type horn push and badge assembly (Black for later S3 SE cars) which we can supplied separately if required. Although this wheel was specifically supplied for the S2 & S3 SE Lotus Elans models, it is now a popular fitment on earlier cars, including the S1, where the leather rim is preferred over the wood-rim wheels.
Current price of the Elan S1 S2 & S3 SE wheel is £495 (Excludes horn push which is available separately)
Lotus Elan S4, S4 SE & Early Sprint Steering Wheel :
The Elan S4 & S4-SE steering wheel is now in production following months of development and research, the Elan Sprint steering wheel, complete with the boss and horn push assembly will soon follow. Our Elan S4-SE wheel, as shown in the two photographs below, is manufactured to the original Springall specification and as was supplied to Lotus in period. We have gone to great lengths to put the Springall Patented frame rim back into production. This British Patent, No. 1,156,492 – June 1966 (final specification published 25th June 1969) details numerous feature including the construction and configuration of the frame rim. Our wheel frame rim follows the preferred method specified, being formed from a 3/8″ square x 1/8″ steel channel, to which the press-formed anodised aluminium spokes are double riveted. This rather complex system, by comparison to todays modern manufacturing methods is somewhat time consuming, nonetheless, it is incorporated in all of our Elan SE steering wheels and indeed our Lotus Cortina SE variant and it is the foundation for the increased stiffness which is achieved over the upper portion of the wheel rim. The rubber grip is one piece and manufactured to the correct diameter before the leather covering is stretched and sewn into position. The wheel is correctly dished and supplied with the two piece boss assembly and accepts the original type horn push and badge assembly which we can supplied separately.
Current price of the Elan S4-SE wheel is £485 (Excludes horn push which is available separately)
Lotus Elan Sprint
Springall continued their roll as original equipment manufacturer to Lotus for their later Elan Sprints. There were some cross over wheel types between the different Elan models, so please ask if you are unsure which is the correct wheel for your vehicle. The later cars, including some of the Sprint models had a different wheel style and a new boss and horn push assembly, in addition these later wheels were PVC covered. This covering is no longer an option for short productions runs. Instead we produce the same wheel but leather covered which in many ways is a better option, although still not acceptable for the staunch purist. In all other respects the wheel is virtually identical and features the same channel steel rim design as used in the other Elan factory wheels. The shallow dish is the correct depth and this also adds rigidity to the structure. We do not plan to manufacture the boss and horn components in the near future and for the time being offer the wheel alone as photographed below. It can of course be used with the original boss and horn components, sharing identical measurements.
Current price for the Elan Sprint wheel is £385
Lotus Elan 26R Competition
Springall were the original equipment manufacturer of the Lotus Elan 26R Steering wheel and we have continued that tradition today under the same brand name. Our steering wheel is not to be confused with similar copies which are know to be available.
Our finely crafted wheels are not made to be better in any way, but simply just as they were when originally supplied to Lotus. This Springall 26R wheel is correct in every detail. Unlike numerous copies, our wheel has the correct, irregular 7 hole bolt pattern and these are drilled on the original PCD which means that if you are lucky enough to have an original boss, then the wheel frame will fit directly on to it. The bolt hole array also has the correct configuration, starting at the 12 o’clock position and the corresponding horn push brush (horn pencil) hole is also in the original position in relation to these drilling so that the Lucas horn push fits as it should. The frame is manufactured from the original thickness aircraft spec. material and the wheel is supplied with the boss and the horn push/badge retainer ring. We use the same high quality type of leather as was used in the 1960’s which is slightly thicker than the material used by most others and the leather has virtually no grain or texture – exactly as per original, with that characteristic satin sheen, instead of the contemporary dull finished leather which one would associate more with more modern production cars. The rim grip is also manufactured to exacting specifications in the traditional way, so as to avoid the clumsy appearance so often created by other steering wheel makers who continue to generate an inappropriate rim grip diameter, a feature which ruins the aesthetic appeal and character of a vintage steering wheel. We offer the wheel in the original diameter but are happy to produce a smaller version if required for serious competition driving We also supply the same wheel with an FIA quick release boss using the same unique 7 bolt hole pattern. The Lucas type horn push is not included but available separately.
Current Price including the factory type boss and badge retainer ring is £425
Lotus Elite MK14 – Wood-rim
We manufacture the original specification beech-wood wheel for the Lotus Elite, S1 and S2. The early 16″ (thin-rim) and the later 15″ version, both totally correct in every respect and having the ebony inlay on the front face. The later 15″ version has the very unique style and position of finger grip notches just as they should be.
The set of six photographs below show the 15″ wheel. The Current Price for this wheel is £575 excluding the boss & badge which are available separately.
The set of six photographs below show the 16″ wheel. The Current Price for this wheel is £595 excluding the boss & badge which are available separately.
Lotus Elite MK14 – Leather
In addition to the production wood-rim wheels, Springall also manufactured a leather rimmed version in the same style in period. It was available in 14″ and 15″ diameter compared to the 15″ and 16″ diameter of the factory wood-rim wheels and was very popular amongst sporting road and competition drivers alike. The wheel is very light and strong but with a desirable amount of flexibility which is attributed to the one piece H30 aluminium alloy frame design, a material frequently used in the aerospace and motor sport industry.
We manufacture this wheel to exacting standards along with the cross-pinned boss which has the correct 6 hole PCD drillings, however the cross pin holes are not applied so that they can be matched on assembly. The steering wheel can be supplied with or without the boss. Both items are illustrated in the photographs directly below this information.
Current price for the leather wheel in 14″ or 15″ diameter is £399 including boss. The badge can be purchased seperately.
Elan+2
Our Elan +2 and early +2S steering wheel is now in production following months of development and research. this superb looking wheel, as shown in the photograph below, is manufactured to the original Springall specification and as was supplied to Lotus in period except for the rim covering material which is leather as opposed the PVC which is no longer a viable option. We have gone to great lengths to put the Springall Patented frame rim back into production. This British Patent, No. 1,156,492 – June 1966 (final specification published 25th June 1969) details numerous feature including the construction and configuration of the frame rim. Our wheel frame rim follows closely the preferred method specified, being formed from a 3/8″ square x 1/8″ steel channel of composite construction, to which the press-formed anodised aluminium spokes are double riveted. This rather complex system, by comparison to todays modern manufacturing methods, is somewhat time consuming, nonetheless, it is incorporated in all of our Elan ‘factory spec. steering wheels and indeed applies to our Lotus Cortina SE variant and it is the foundation for the increased stiffness which is achieved over the upper portion of the wheel rim. The rubber grip is one piece and manufactured to the correct diameter before the leather covering is stretched and sewn into position. The wheel spokes are dished to the correct depth adding further stiffness to the structure and the wheel is supplied with the two piece boss assembly and accepts the original type horn push and badge assembly which we can supplied separately.
Current price for the Elan +2 Steering wheel is £525
Mini Mk1 Cooper & Cooper S
This fabulous wheel is manufactured by us under the ‘Springall’ brand name, a registered Trademark. The Wheel is the same as was used by many road and race enthusiasts in the early 1960’s, indeed some ‘Works’ rally and competition Mini Cooper S Mk1 cars used the very same wheel. It is leather covered and is supplied complete with the unique black finished aluminium boss and polished aluminium horn push retaining ring, enabling the wheel to be attached directly to the original Mini steering column in the usual manner, without disturbing the originality and authenticity of the vehicle. Few original leather covered Springall wheels in this style have survived, as these were mostly sold for use in competition cars, selected for their additional strength and safety in the competition environment. We are fortunate to have been commissioned to restore several 1960’s Springall wheels and have studied them at length. This knowledge, combined with our original drawing database has enabled us to re-manufacture the steering wheel and boss assembly to exacting standards, the imperial frame thickness and grip diameter are totally correct and the Soft Italian Leather is sewn over the grip with the same type of stitching pattern that was adopted for this wheel in the 1960’s. The original horn push and badge can be fitted in the same way that it fits the original Mini production steering wheels. We do have a limited stock of original 1960’s dated horn push assembles, part number 27H6943 (without badge) which we can agree to sell with one of our wheels if required.
Current price for the assembled wheel and boss without the horn-push is £455 (Excludes horn push – perfect NOS items available separately when ordering a wheel only)
Mini Mk1 Cooper & Cooper S Works Rally
This steering wheel is similar in construction to the wheel featured above, but has lightening holes instead of the slots. It is also the same as was used by many road and race enthusiasts in the early 1960’s but available in dished and non dished style. It is the perfect steering wheel for those wishing to give their cars the ‘Works’ rally and competition Mini Cooper S Mk1 appearance. It is leather covered and is supplied complete with the unique black finished aluminium boss and polished aluminium horn push retaining ring, enabling the wheel to be attached directly to the original Mini steering column in the usual manner, without disturbing the originality and authenticity of the vehicle. We were fortunate to have been commissioned to restore a number of original wheels and with the permission of our clients we have taken full advantage of the technical features enabling us to reverse engineer the steering wheel and boss assembly to exacting standards, the imperial frame thickness and grip diameter are totally correct and the Soft Italian Leather is sewn over the grip with the same type of stitching pattern that was adopted for this wheel in the 1960’s. The original horn push and badge can be fitted in the same way that it fits the original Mini production steering wheels. We do have a limited stock of original 1960’s dated horn push assembles, part number 27H6943 (without badge) which we can agree to sell with one of our wheels if required.
Current price for the assembled wheel and boss without the horn-push is £455 (Excludes horn push NOS items available separately when ordering a wheel)
March
MGA
MGA 1500, 1600, 1622 & Twincam – Leather
MGA 1500, 1600, 1622 & Twincam Woodrim
Photos arriving shortly of the original specification woodrim steering wheel which was a factory option on all MGA Roadster & Coupe models. The wheels are exactly as per original and available in beech wood, or West African Golden Mahogany, both being full-radial wrapped. The boss is also correct, of one piece construction from solid and incorporates the presser plate, attached with the very unique flush countersunk machine screws which have a milled-on square just below the counter-sink which locates into square holes in the presser plate, eliminating the necessity of a slot in the head of the screw to prevent it turning when attaching the deep-section self-locking nuts – all in all a lovely jewel-like feature of this wheel.
Current price for this wheel is £685 which includes the centre badge
Tecno
Morgan
There are few attractive steering wheels for Morgan Sports Cars, however, our Springall wheel, which comes complete with the boss and Lucas type horn push (including new old stock badge centre badge while stock lasts) is perhaps the most attractive and practical wheel on the market today. The wheel is very slightly dished and is very rigid having the Springall patented composite steel rim beneath the leather covered rubber extrusion. The leather is again from a very high quality Italian sourced hide and has that perfect appearance for the ‘Traditional Classic’ and ‘Modern Classic’ Morgan interior. The spokes are hand polished and the wheel is supplied complete with the boss, presser ring and horn/badge assembly, ready to bolt onto the steering column of any model.
Current price for the complete wheel is £495
Nike
Porsche 911
We manufacture, to special order, the lightweight Momo style steering wheels, as originally made availably by Porsche as a competition option for the Porsche 911 models between 1964 and 1977 , including the competition Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera RS models. The soft Italian leather is of the same high quality with a hand skived radial joint, correctly located to the left of the vertical spoke and the correct ‘flattened’ raised flange stitch, again hand prepared and sewn in the traditional way and hot wax sealed. The frame is flat, not dished, as per the original specification to ensure maximum strength and again manufactured in one piece from high tensile aerospace aluminium alloy. As always, care has been taken to ensure that the grip diameter is correct, a feature which for some time has been overlooked by other steering wheel manufacturers. This vintage style of wheel is 370mm in diameter and is only supplied with the black finished spokes as per the original specification. The specially shaped, cushioned spoke guards are also of the correct design and therefore applied only to upper two spokes.
It should be noted that the stitching is black and not the contrasting natural or white stitching which is often incorrectly used on similar reproduction wheels, such examples are also lacking some of the fundamental correctness in detail, such as this and the absence of the unique ‘five-point’ square stitching arrangement on the reverse of the spoke guards. Sadly even the Momo branded items which are available appear to lack these vital details, These issues, combined with repeated client requests, are why we have chosen to add this particular steering wheel to our bespoke manufacturing program.
In addition we are currently developing the special cast boss assembly, which for many years has been unavailable and we anticipate that this will be available by the autumn of 2017. These superb boss assemblies will be manufactured to exacting standards and will be virtually indistinguishable from the originals and will fit all early Porsche 911 cars.
Current Price is £365 excluding boss & badge which are available separately
Westfield & Caterham Cars
We manufacture and supply wheels to fit both Westfield and Caterham Super Seven Sportscars. Sizes are offered in 13, 14 and 15 inch diameter and all wheels have a proportionate rim grip thickness offering a more ‘early’ and period appearance to the cockpit, similar to how the early Lotus Seven appeared back in the 1950’s & early 60’s. Two shades of red leather are offered along with black if preferred. The wheels can be supplied with or without boss and with or without the badge hole machined into the centre.
Prices start at £265 (Excludes badge)
Most of the steering wheels featured in this page are ‘Springall’ steering wheels; Springall is a Registered Trade Mark, a brand name which is owned by our company and our continuation wheels are manufactured to original specifications for all of the cars for which they were originally intended. In the early 1960’s Springall was an original equipment supplier to BMC and their competitions Department, Brabham – MDR (Motor Racing Developments), the Cooper Car Company, Ginetta, Lotus, Nike, Tecno, Alan Mann Racing, Lola Cars, to name just a few…in addition they made many steering wheels for other vehicle makes including the Jaguar D type and the later Jaguar E type, often leather covered as a preference, particularly for racing drivers of the time who found the leather covering more comfortable and having the obvious safety benefits.
Famous racing drivers of the day such as John Surtees, Jack Brabham, Jochen Rindt and Dan Gurney all sat behind the famous Springall steering wheel, even Jim Clark used a Springall wheel when he won the world championship for the second time around!
The original Company under John Springall dated back to 1957, it was around this time that Connaught Engineering approached John to manufacture a steering wheel for one of their racing cars and although a contract was not established between the two parties, John saw that there was a clear market for a bespoke and aftermarket steering wheel manufacturing business. Initially, the only competition was from Victor Derrington of V W Derrington Ltd, though steering wheels alone were by no means Derrington’s main product line and it was not until the early to mid 1960’s that Simon Green’s ‘Motolita’ business became known to John, however, this was of little significance to him because the Springall company had already established itself as a major OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) steering wheel manufacturer, which was to remain the case for more that a decade.
Manufacturing of aftermarket steering wheels by the original company using the Springall brand continued well into the 1980’s and the use of the brand name taken forward from 1988 by Spridgecentre of Upton St. Leonards, Gloucestershire. Since that time, the constant growing demand for steering wheels for the classic and historic race car industry has seen manufacturing grow stronger year by year. Today, our Springall steering wheels are manufactured to exacting standards with careful attention to detail as it was back in the 50’s and 60’s – not improved, not altered – but just as they were originally made and it is this key factor which has bought growth and continued success to this sector of our company and the Springall brand.
The file here has been taken from the ‘Auto Accessory Retailer’ publication, dated June 1982 and will no doubt be an interesting read for may enthusiasts and historians alike.
Brabham Steering Wheel, Cooper Steering Wheel, Lotus Steering Wheel, Lotus XI Steering Wheel, Lotus 7 Seven Steering Wheel, Lotus VI steering wheel, Lotus Elan Steering Wheel, MGA steering Wheel, MGA Twin Cam Steering Wheel, Jaguar XKD D type steering Wheel, Lola Steering Wheel, Lola T70 Steering Wheel, Intertech Steering Wheel, March Steering Wheel BRM Steering Wheel, Aston Martin Steering Wheel, Springall Steering Wheel, V W Derrington Steering wheel, Bugatti Steering Wheel
Testimonials: It would not be practical to collect and publish all of the messages of thanks from our customers here, so this is just a small random selection relating to the thousands of wheels we manufacture and supply each year:
Just a quick note to say a big thank you for the steering wheel, its awesome.
Terry Stillman. UK – 11/12/14 – 09:10
Just arrived Mark and it’s absolutely stunning. What a lovely job, thank you very much indeed.
David Driver. UK – 15/07/16 – 01:38
Ivan loves the wheels !
Amelia c/o Ivan Dutton Ltd – UK – 09/09/15 – 08:18
Delighted with wheel and QR boss. Will recommend on forums. Thanks and regards.
Mark Salt – UK – 12/11/16 – 09:28
Just arrived and its perfect!!! Thanks so much
Terry Piner – UK – 20/02/16 – 01:09
Got my wheel today. I’m very happy with it. Thanks.
David Casey – Australia – 12/03/16 – 04:01
The wheel arrived and it’s very nice.
I am sure my dad will be pleased. Thank you.
Ryan W. Tsoi – Hong Kong – 08/03/17 – 02:30
Thank you for your email: The steering wheel is beautiful and the centre too.
Best regards, Stefano.
Stefano Possati – Italy – 24/03/17 – 07:25
I received the steering wheel today. Really pleased with the quality, it will really help my Eleven look far more original.
Many thanks for the 1st class service.
Graham Ching – UK – 22/03/17 – 12:54
I’ve not seen a better steering wheel – many thanks – Phill Lane – UK
It’s a peach! Came out really well, very pleased. Agnese has done a beautiful job on the stitching. Thank you
Will Grant – UK
I just wanted to say thank you for the work on the steering wheel. I am very pleased with it. Thank you for taking the time to make the second wheel and for taking the trouble to make it into a faithful replica of a Cooper wheel.
George Shackleton – UK
The owner was delighted by the wheel…
Rudy Thomann – France
Steering wheel delivered and collected this afternoon.
Top class build, and craftsmanship.
Much admired by all when unwrapped!
Josh Jago – UK
Thanks for very nice wheel, really beautiful, a picture of the bristol will follow. Regards, Jochen
Jochen Schmidtke – Germany
Thanks for the nice wheel I bought from you. It looks very nice!
Magnus Holgrem – Sweden
It came today
It’s beautiful I could not be happier!
Thanks Mark.
Alan Tosler – USA
Many thanks for the wheel which has just arrived: all looks straight and true and undamaged in the post – a truly a beautiful wheel – you’re very talented.
Christyan Fox – Belgium
The wheel and logo hubs arrived and are perfect..Thanks..
Roger H. Drue – USA
Steering wheel arrived safely today – thank you very much – it’s fantastic!
Martin Stather – Germany
I received the steering wheels which arrived safety.
Your steering wheel is wonderful. The best steering wheels ever seen!
Hiroaki Otsuka – Japan
Just to inform you that I have received the steering wheel today and it’s superb!
Pierre Lecoutone – France
The wheel arrived this week, and what can I say – I am speechless! The guards are so perfectly mounted and absolutely symmetrical! Very well done!
Many many thanks, I am absolutely happy! Best wishes to all of you, keep up your great work!
Pierre Dietze – Germany
The wheel arrived Thursday and I just opened the package today. It’s perfect. I can’t wait to fit it to the car. Thank you.
Eric Young – USA
The steering wheel is a masterpiece! Thanks, it went on very easily.
Lou Gilpin – USA
I’m just back home, I have seen the steering wheel, it is gorgeous! Very happy!
Thank you!
Andrea Stortoni – Italy
Just back from Riga steering wheel looks great thanks.
Graham Hinkley – UK
Just received the steering wheel, its fantastic.
Charlie Ernawan – Singapore
Wheel has arrived and looks super; I’m really pleased with it, thank you very much for producing such a well made item.
Rob Hume – UK
I have received the item. Thank you. It’s very nice steering wheel.
Can I buy one more same item?
Kind regards
Toru Igasaki – Japan
Photos attached as promised. Fantastic job, thank you very much. She drives so much better and I have a more comfortable driving position. One friend said it’s a work of art, and Mrs T who usually doesn’t share my love of all things car was very impressed! Thanks again and looking forward to many miles in the Cotswolds over the next few months.
Graham Taylor – UK
Just to let you know the wheel arrived today and it’s fantastic! I am also interested in one for my Morris Mini Cooper. Can you do me a good price with a Morris horn push?
Jeremy Best – Australia
The steering wheel is brilliant Mark, I love it ! Thank you so much.
Barry Poulton – UK
Steering Wheel arrived safe and sound thanks. It looks superb and I can’t wait to get it fitted to my car. Once fitted I’ll send you a picture.
Nigel Arnold – UK
I’ve just received the steering wheel. Beautiful workmanship! Thank you.
Jeff Urwin – USA
The Mini wheel has arrived and it’s the business!! – I think it’s so good I will have to restore my Cooper before I can bring myself to fit it !
Jeremy Best – Australia
Just letting you know that the steering wheel arrived today (undamaged by its journey) and it’s a work of art! I’ll send a photo once I’ve fitted it later this year.
Jeff Manger – Australia
The Steering wheel arrived today and I cannot believe how nice it is, I was amazed at the quality and the detail – British engineering still producing such amazing products, thank you !
Lee Gamble – UK
Steering wheel arrived today and looks fantastic – Thank you. David Arbon
Yesterday I picked up the steering wheel. I must say it looks fantastic. Thank you very much and have a nice day. Regards
Bjarte Christoffersen – Norway
Just a note to let you know the wheel arrived a few days ago.
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