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MG MGA - Interesting wheels?

A friend of photographed this A in Denmark recently - interesting wheels?

Mike Ellsmore

Looks like a normal knock on with a very large washer!

But I do like the picture.
J Bray

Bolt on wires with fake knock off caps.
Won't hold it against the driver!

FRM
FR Millmore

Racing number, wide wheels, fat tires. Looks to me like fake-wire-wheel wheel-covers over bolt-on non-wire wheels. I wold hold it against that driver, but will likely never get the opportunity. Nice car though. At least it's driven on the street.
Barney Gaylord

I was giving her the slack of maybe being in a rally or something for the number. I think the wheels are the sort with the bolts in a large hollow center, like Buicks etc, and lots of cars from the 30s had; I've actually seen ads for those to suit MG.
Seems to have side marker lamp also.
I'd say she is "a person of interest".

FRM
FR Millmore

here are other pictures of the car.
http://www.mgexperience.net/registry/MALONE
Willem vd Veer

FRM, yes indicator side repeaters are required on Danish cars.
Dan Smithers

Willem

I notice The pictures are titled as a 1958 MkII. 3 years early?

Steve
Steve Gyles

I think the wheels are "wire wheel" hub caps from a Ford Thunderbird of late 50's early 60's vintage.

Steve
S L Bryant

Note that the colour is "Irish Blue". At least it makes a change from Scottish Red!
Peter.
P. Tilbury

I managed to get in contact with the owner to ask some questions. The car was re-imported from New York, USA, to Denmark in 2007, restored and put back on the road in 2011. The side lights were installed at that time to satisfy Danish regulations, definitely not original issue parts, and not representing anything about "proper" (vintage) location.

The odd "wire wheels" are as S.L.B. suggests, decorative wheel covers over stock steel wheels, and came with the car from NY, USA. The paint color noted as "Irish Blue" is I think an original factory color "Iris Blue". The racing numbers were added after the recent restoration "to give it some edge". Nice to look at, but nothing to do with competition.
Barney Gaylord

Barney has been busy!
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/et142.htm
Mike Ellsmore

Barney is always busy!
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/et142.htm
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/accessories/at135.htm

Sometimes I take advantage of redundancy. The important thing is, I took time to make the contacts and ask the questions to get the proper answers. I think I would still hold it against her, given the chance. She certainly is friendly enough.
Barney Gaylord

The fake racing numbers and the fake wire wheels sort of go together..... ;-)
Bill Spohn

Good man Barney.
I like all of this!

Note you could wire the side lamp to both flash with the indicators and light up with the normal side/park lights. One of my favorite tricks; no idea what their regs say, but since it makes so much sense I'd generally be inclined to ignore any regs against. Can do on standard sidemarker lamps on later cars too with slight mods; some cars (non-Brit) came that way, which is how I learned it.

Also, I think mounting the lights as high as possible is the real world best choice, given all the high vehicles with window sills/sight lines above Mt Everest. And spray mist on wet roads. Mid point on the length - it is the guy right beside/behind that is the threat. The principle is the same as the high mount brake lights - an unexpected light optically distant from other lights, and directly line-of-sight for the enemy. Tiny BRIGHT LED lamps make this even more appealing while still not putting big lamps on the flanks, but I like the 488 Lucas recessed to fit flush for period. You could build the LEDS into side mirrors, but keep out of driver's sight line. On MGA rdst, you could fit LEDS at the base of the windscreen posts.

I had a 1952 Sebring factory team DB, which had lamps (maybe 488s, or French copies) on the side so they could ID the passing cars at night. Mine had two, one above t'other, and they probably could have changed configuration or lens colour for multiple cars. That's "Racing Edge" period appearance bling!

FRM
FR Millmore

Original MGA even has a picture of an Alamo Beige coupe on page 15 with the side markers and talks about a legal requirement in Denmark.
gary starr

I haven't decided how to interpret that yet. It says they are a legal requirement in Denmark,which explains why the side lights are on those cars now. But it does not confirm if the side lights were required when the cars were manufactured. As far as I know there is no factory documentation for these lights, nothing at all in the SPL. I'm still trying to find out if the side lights were required in Denmark at a time when MGA were still in production (prior to April 1962).
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 01/07/2012 and 08/07/2012

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