Early Brabham steering wheel?

[PZR]

What steering wheels were usually fitted to early Brabhams, and to the BT8A in particular? Would there have been a 'standard' fitment supplied with a car, and if so was this an MRD / Brabham piece or was it a proprietary brand item bought in from an outside supplier?

I'm sure that steering wheels soon got changed due to owner / driver preference, but what was fitted to the cars when they were new?

Any information would be gratefully received. Thank you!

[PZR]

Two and a half weeks and not a sausage.

Thought somebody on Ten Tenths might know...

[Librules]

Originally Posted by PZR

Two and a half weeks and not a sausage.

Thought somebody on Ten Tenths might know...

You might have better luck on TNF....

[PZR]

OK, thanks for the suggestion. I might give that a shot when I'm feeling ready to be eaten alive by wolves... They seem not to take prisoners over there.

I really thought I would find the answer from members of the Ten Tenths Motorsport History forum community, given the amount of expertise shown - for example - on the Chassis History archive section. Is it a secret?

[PeterMorley]

I didn't reply because I can't add much but early Brabham steering wheels were different, having curved spokes.

Here's an example:


No idea who made them, probably an outside supplier.

[PZR]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

....early Brabham steering wheels were different, having curved spokes.

No idea who made them, probably an outside supplier.

Many thanks for your help. Yes, I'm expecting it was an outside supplier - but wondering who it might have been ( and if anyone makes replicas ).

Here's the particular steering wheel I'm interested in, pictured in-situ, first in 1965, and then again in the same car - but rebuilt & modified - in 1966. Chassis was BT8 (A?) SC-9-64, bought by Prince Motor Co. in Japan and fitted with their own body and GR8 engine, and named the Prince R380A-I:





It was a three bolt design, quite large diameter, and with tapering spokes. The car in question is currently being refurbed, and it would be nice to put something closer to the correct steering wheel back on it. The original is long gone, and in fact it was replaced with a cut-down 'Mach' ( Japanese ) wheel some time in the late Sixties.

[PeterMorley]

Originally Posted by PZR

Many thanks for your help. Yes, I'm expecting it was an outside supplier - but wondering who it might have been ( and if anyone makes replicas ).

Here's the particular steering wheel I'm interested in, pictured in-situ, first in 1965, and then again in the same car - but rebuilt & modified - in 1966. Chassis was BT8 (A?) SC-9-64, bought by Prince Motor Co. in Japan and fitted with their own body and GR8 engine, and named the Prince R380A-I:

It was a three bolt design, quite large diameter, and with tapering spokes. The car in question is currently being refurbed, and it would be nice to put something closer to the correct steering wheel back on it. The original is long gone, and in fact it was replaced with a cut-down 'Mach' ( Japanese ) wheel some time in the late Sixties.

Which form is the car being rebuilt in, BT8 or R380?
The Prince R380 is an interesting car - I used to have a slot car of it!

The most obvious choice of steering wheel manufacturer would be Moto-Lita, they started out making the Cooper steering wheels and then expanded.
The steering wheel in your pictures looks a bit like a Cooper one.
I think Moto-Lita will make anything you want but they might have that style anyway - they will also leave off the Moto-Lita logo if you ask them!

One of the Cooper restorers made us a steering wheel once - it isn't difficult just cut the shape out of a flat piece of aluminium and give it to a trimmer. But the aluminium they used wasn't stiff enough and it distorted rather easily, so I'd be tempted to go with a proper steering wheel manufacturer!

There is a company in America called Vintage Racing Steering Wheels who apparently offer a large choice and will make any design.

[PZR]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

Which form is the car being rebuilt in, BT8 or R380?
The Prince R380 is an interesting car - I used to have a slot car of it!

It's being refurbished - to running and driving condition - to its 1966 Japan GP guise of dark red with race number '11'. That was the second guise and third paint livery for this chassis, and has become known as 'Prince R380A-I'. The original ( black and white, then red & white paintwork ) 1965 'Speed Trial' build was called 'Prince R380-I'.



The refurbishment / rebuild is being carried out at NISMO's new facility at Tsurumi, near Yokohama. They hope to have it finished by late November this year. It is indeed an interesting car and story, and I'm always surprised how little is known about Prince and Nissan's domestic racing activities outside Japan.



Thanks for your suggestions. It would be nice for the car to have a more accurate steering wheel, but nobody seems to know what the original diameter was! It is likely that the steering wheel pictured was the one supplied with the original Brabham chassis ( SC-9-64 ), and that's why I was asking if anyone knew anything about the originals. Don't want to go off half cocked by making something that's not quite 'right'.

Thanks again.

[Librules]

Have you tried contacting Ron Tauranac to ask him? He's living back in Australia these days.