MGB Wire Wheels
2 min readShare this
I was talking with a very good friend at Kilbroney Vintage Car Show 2015 this year and the subject of MGB Wire Wheels came up. He gave a very good tip on how to clean them and what he used, very valuable information, which I hope he will share in an article at a later date.
During our discussion we touched on the subject of the number of spokes on the wire wheels, and we both had different opinions on the matter, so when I got home I decided to look into this in more detail.
Original MGB, states that (and I quote) –
“60-spoke wire wheels were available as an optional extra, size 41/2 x 14 on both roadster and GT models.
These wheels were normally painted Aluminium, but chrome plated wire wheels were fitted to the first 200 or so MGB Roadsters for the USA in 1962 and became generally available in October 1965, continuing to be offered until June 1971.
It is questionable whether they were offered in the home market and, generally speaking, seem to have been most commonly found on cars exported to North America, but also on some cars bound for Europe.
Wire wheels, incidentally , were standard on export GT`s until 1969. Stronger 70- Spoke wire wheels were quoted as competitions equipment for the MGB”.
Also in the MOSS Catalogue under Wire Wheels (and I quote) –
“Available in a choice of sizes: Standard rim with 60 spokes, or up rated with a wider rim for wider tyres and 72 spokes giving greater strength”.
So to clear up a point of conversation – MGB`s & GT`s never were issued with 70 spoke wire wheels as standard: they had to be specifically requested when ordering a car.
I hope this clears up our interesting discussion which was most enjoyable.
Alan Caldwell
A.C. Restorations
About Post Author
