Steering Wheels...

[balthazar]

Some might say a steering wheel is the #1 interface a driver has with a vehicle. Those 'some' would be, of course, correct.

Used to just steering and honk, now more & more controls are moving to it.

Sure; airbags and crash standards are forcing ever-increasing homogenization in steering wheel design, but there's got to be room for something FRESH. There was a HELLA lot more creativity in the past, maybe a look back would do designers good.

Some interesting wheels ::

1966 Toronado Deluxe with tilt/telescopic ~

 

1961 Imperial ~

 

1956 DeSoto with optional self-winding hub clock ~

 

1956 Lincoln ~

 

1958 Lincoln ~

- - - - -

I'm, umm, a bit biased towards this era, mid '50s thru mid '60s, it was by far the most expressive & unrestrained. That aside, there's tons of inspiration available.

Here's hoping to see something remotely wild/interesting again soon...

 

Feel free to post up some wheels you like.

Edited June 4, 2020 by balthazar

[balthazar]

1955 Thunderbird ~

 

1955 Lincoln Futura, WHERE IS THIS IN PRODUCTION ALREADY?

 

1935 Cadillac V-16 ~

Edited June 24, 2016 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

Lovely Wheels, Check out the art deco EV bikes in the motorcycle thread Drew started Balthy, there is some lovely designs there, hopefully both auto's and bikes can get back to some art style.

[Suaviloquent]

Didn't Citroen have a 1 spoke wheel?

 

[FAPTurbo]

 

M i n i m a l i s t. 

[G. David Felt]

So I really think we have room to improve the steering wheel and even some of the current concept cars show we can do better. Just wonder if the feds can let go of the stupid Steering wheel airbag or if it can be made to fit into some of these designes.

 

200c

 

 

Aston Martin

 

 

Hyundai

 

 

GMC & Hummer

 

 

Ford

 

 

Peugeot

 

 

VW

 

 

Nissan

 

 

Others

 

 

[G. David Felt]

Mazda

 

[oldshurst442]

Knight Industries Two Thousand

[oldshurst442]

I forgot about GM's Hy-Wire concept...

And now that electrics are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with...along with autonomous driving also becoming a thing...

 

I honestly believe that the HY-WIRE concept will be adapted and the steering wheel will either be like the Hy-WIRE or a Joystick with NO acceleration or brake pedals...

Edited June 25, 2016 by oldshurst442

[Suaviloquent]

Like I said before - the first company to use a Wii Wheel as a steering wheel.....will be a god.

[balthazar]

IAnd now that electrics are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with...

Define "fast"...

[oldshurst442]

 

IAnd now that electrics are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with...

Define "fast"...

 

Yeah...I know your stance on the sales percentage/market share meter for electrics...

 

But I think these links answer the question at hand as best as information can for predicting the outcome of the future direction of the automobile...

 

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099596_electric-cars-will-evolve-rapidly-by-2018-split-into-segments-by-price

 

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/roland-hwang/future-electric-vehicles-bright

 

 

http://careers2030.cst.org/articles/future-electric-cars/

 

 

http://jalopnik.com/how-evs-could-kill-gasoline-cars-starting-in-the-2020s-1761822759

 

Yes...I know....these 4 links are roses are red,  sky is blue with sunshine and lollipops in for good measure goodness for EVs...

(the first and last link seem to be less about opinion and more about logic)

But...one cannot deny the massive technological changes we are experiencing in the automotive industry involving the different types of propulsion and the immediate reception consumers are having with the latest trends and the global pressures of polluting less  that affect these changes in the GLOBAL automotive market place.

 

So...yeah....fast.

 

Especially when all major automotive manufactures want to offer to the people Tesla fighters....and even enter niches that Tesla is not competing in....please dont make me have to post proof on all the EV models that are slated to come to fruition by the various OEMs in the next 5-10 years....because it is tiring to do so...but its true what Im saying...and a decade in the automobile industry is a long time....but not concerning trends...the muscle car era came and went in a decade...the ricer era came and went in a little over a decade...the fullsized customized vans of the 1970s came and went in less than a decade...we are just now, entering the Twilight Zone concerning EVs and the market is only gonna get bigger...and especially when WORLD WIDE governments are pushing for EVs and pushing OUT FFBVs... (Fossil Fuel Burning Vehicles)

 

so...yeah....fast...

Relatively speaking.

Edited June 25, 2016 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

1942 DeSoto accessory wheel, with cigarette case/dispenser in center ~

 

1959 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer ~

 

1964 Pontiac GTO optional 4-spoke ~

 

1954 Cadillac Eldorado (and the reason Sammy Davis Jr lost his left eye) ~

 

1960 Dodge Polara ~

Edited June 4, 2020 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Famous 1959 Olds wheel, highly sought after for hot rods/customs ~

 

Hard to find a good shot of this one, but it has an interesting bit going on. Besides the deep dish, the spokes don't join the column at the center, but at the apex of the column's base circle. Creates a bit of a 'soaring bird' look to my eye. I also note/like the 'hooded' center emblem vs. the ubiquitous round one.

1958 Olds ~

 

I wish the below center section was softly illuminated at night, but alas, it was not.

1959 Pontiac ~

Edited June 4, 2020 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Obviously, Olds' inspiration for the '59 production wheel, the '56 Golden Rocket wheel ~

[furioustee]

Famous 1959 Olds wheel, highly sought after for hot rods/customs ~

 

Hard to find a good shot of this one, but it has an interesting bit going on. Besides the deep dish, the spokes don't join the column at the center, but at the apex of the column's base circle. Creates a bit of a 'soaring bird' look to my eye. I also note/like the 'hooded' center emblem vs. the ubiquitous round one.

1958 Olds ~

 

I wish the below center section was softly illuminated at night, but alas, it was not.

1959 Pontiac ~

 

Lovely! Nothing beat classic steering wheels!

[G. David Felt]

Hard to find a good shot of this one, but it has an interesting bit going on. Besides the deep dish, the spokes don't join the column at the center, but at the apex of the column's base circle. Creates a bit of a 'soaring bird' look to my eye. I also note/like the 'hooded' center emblem vs. the ubiquitous round one.

1958 Olds ~

 

 

 

I love this Steering wheel and the nice 10 / 2 position for the hands on the bird wing cross member. Over all this could be done in a modern 21st century fashion I believe with air bag still and be so different than steering wheels of the last 20 years.

[balthazar]

1960 Plymouth Fury ~

[ykX]

1955 Citroen DS

1992 Honda NSX-R

1969 Dodge Charger