'Superfast' wheel designs.

[SMS88]

I have done a diagram highlighting what I think has been happening with the 'Double Numbers' wheels.

The attachment Double Numbers.jpg is no longer available

My diagram has the original number stamped onto the tool area for the narrow wheel. If the tooling was modified to make this into the wider wheel, the first stamping (in Black on the diagram), is half covered with the larger axle housing (in Red on the diagram), as part of the new design, so the the new stamping (in Green on the diagram), has had to be smaller.

Given this is possibly what they have had to do, they might as well have started from scratch and made new tooling for the wider wheel!

GHOSTHUNTER.

½ Number is still in the wrong place if this mould started out as a normal thin wheel mould. I suspect the original trial centre boss was so much thinner that the wheel was so weak as to break off the centre boss too easily

[GHOSTHUNTER]

You have not offered a date for the above, but I wonder if both cars are running on 'Pre-Pro' wheels, most certainly the Lotus will be.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[SMS88]

You have not offered a date for the above, but I wonder if both cars are running on 'Pre-Pro' wheels, most certainly the Lotus will be.

GHOSTHUNTER.

Red Lotus and green Marzal are both 1969 models - this looks like image is taken in 1969

[Matchboom]

A few more numbers.
SF 62 A Cougar - Green body - Thin solid wheels : C36 - 22A - 3 - A34.
SF 62 A Cougar - Green gold body - Thin hollow wh : M1 - M26 - M16 - M31.
SF 67 A VW 1600 - Red body - Thin solid wheels : 3A - 41D - 17D - 9A (or 19A).
SF 67 A VW 1600 - Plum body - Thin solid wheels : 25D - 16 - 12 - 30D. Unsure about body colour, could be light purple...
SF 05 A Europa - Lilac pink body - Thin hollow wh : M15 - M38 - M37 - M38.
SF 14 A Grifo - Light blue body - White interior - Thin hollow wh : L18 - L29 - N8 - L30.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Here is the lower section of the advert posted by "SMS88" above. The box for the VW is making this late 1969.

LATE 1969.jpg (105.77 KiB) Viewed 2438 times

GHOSTHUNTER.

[Matchboom]

Another funny number. Unintentional I guess (so far biggest wh numbers I've seen are 61 and 62).
SF 22A Pontiac Coupé, medium purple body : 8 G - A 34 - 9 A - 92 A.

[Matchboom]

SF 23A Camper, lighter blue body, orange int, with filler cap, solid wheels : J 40 - J 35 - J 39 - J 21.
SF 23A Camper, darker blue body, orange int, without filler cap, hollow wh : N 48 - M 19 - N 8 - N 45.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

On page 3 of this thread I stated this...

"There is very little evidence this design was changed much, except one other wheel seen (on a Lamborghini Marzal), with out the separated central 'Disc' area allowing for the 'Hot Foil' trim."

Here is a picture of the wheel I was describing above, but found on the BMC 1800 Pininfarina.

'Indented' central area..JPG (17.62 KiB) Viewed 2391 times

#33c BMC 1800 Pininfarina in deep Yellow..jpg (41.23 KiB) Viewed 2391 times

You can see the central area with what looks like it has been 'Hot Foiled' is not the same as the wheels we normally see on 'Pre-Pro' models with the early 'Superfast' wheels. The design here has the central area rather set further-in, than the tyre side-wall, to be classed as 'Indented', the usual design which had air-vents added for full production models, has a gap between the central area and the tyre side-wall with the central area protruding enough to be level with the tyre side-wall.

Because this wheel design has been found on Two models, I will class it as 'Superfast' design number 1.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Here is the more common design we see on these early cars.

'Protruding' central area..JPG (19.44 KiB) Viewed 2391 times

#33c BMC 1800 Pinifarina in Aqua Blue..jpg (71.48 KiB) Viewed 2391 times

This wheel design I will class as 'Superfast' wheel design number 2. It is this design that was retooled to include the little rectangle 'Air-Vents' we have seen on all full production 'Superfast' models.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[Idris]

Well spotted, Kevin!