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MG Midget and Sprite General - How much is this steering wheel worth?

I'm looking for one of these steering wheels and I found someone who has one for sale but he wants £240 for it. He says it's in excellent condition with a new button in it, but it still seems like a lot of money. So what do you guys think, is it worth that much money? I'd like an orginal wheel but not sure I want one that bad, especially as they may not be very nice to hang onto.



Greg H

I was quite happy to swap mine for a 13" Mota Lita, but its all down to preference I guess, if you want one that badly I could probably be persuaded to part with my one for racing vouchers, though I can't assert its in perfect nick and the centre button isn't new... Wouldn't want £240 for it though... Will dig it out and post a pic if you want...

James
James B

sounds a lot, I would expect a reasonable secondhand one to be around £50 - and you might have to wait a while to get that. For £240 I would expect it to be fully professinally restored and be as good as new.
There was a brand new (NOS) black Mk1 Midget wheel on ebay the other month for around that figure and they are much rarer.
David Smith

£50 - £100 for a fairly good one.

I've got one that needs some work.
Dave O'Neill2

That is nice

But you could have a nice wooden wheel with some history for that price

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Thanks for confirming it's over the top, I've decided not to buy it. I did have a nice wooden wheel but it has too much history which is why I was looking for a new one. It's split quite badly around the circumference and I've already glued it once before and the centre is pretty crappy. If it was in good condition I wouldn't mind it back on the car. I do wonder about the wheel and whether it may be orginal as it's been on the car since at leasts the early 80's and the centre looks like the orginal ones. Anyone know if it could be orginal? I could possibly glue it again and see if an orginal mdget centre will fit in it.

Greg H

unless I'm mistaken Moss are selling new repro ones for around £220

I had one of the first five they had made in the 90s to trial sales (I think £120 at the time) they were lovely to feel and use the spokes give a slight springing

at the time they didn't supply the copper horn ring so I had to search for a s/h one

the button was also made new and was extra charge

I think not long after Moss went bust here (remember that)

Dave,
a £100 s/h one would be no where near as good as the repro I had it was 'as good as new' as I remember it, all the s/h and repair ones I've ever seen have been quite poor or very expensive or both

ETA: I'm sure that Midget photo is of the car my mate had and later sold for £14,000 which caused a big debate on here
Nigel Atkins

I wondering if my wooden wheel is orginal as the bits in the centre look the same as orginal. Its had a little mod done to it as per the photo. A 10 cent piece has been riveted in there to make the horn work. So I had a look at the date on it and it's 1968 which is interesting since my car was first registered in 1969. I know all that means is the money went in there after 1968 but I do wonder. So to keep my car original I might need a wooden wheel like mine? Perhaps someone may have one sitting around in the attic in an old box with their collection of rocking horse sh*t?
Greg H

forgot the photo

Greg H

Yes I can buy a repro wheel without the centre for about £228 but at those prices it's too much for me. Although no one seems to sell the correct centres for them.
Greg H

bit of research required to find if that wheel is original, getting books out and the like plus it’s on a Aus car, it might also have been a dealer added thing or previous owners

if it’s period wheeler (as you’re going for period car) and you like it why not keep it

is that rust on what looks like the copper slip ring or is it scorching off the horn pencil?

often the horn pencil brush is often fitted wrong way round it should be fitted with the long spring part facing the front of the car

personally I don't like wooden wheels as they seem to slip through my chubby little sausages too easily and there’s no give in the feel of them but I do prefer the larger steering wheel with thin rim, the larger wheel keeps the sweet feeling without losing the directness of steering
Nigel Atkins

Yep a spot of rust but the centre was always jammed and so the horn button never worked. I'll need another centre for it if I keep it but the problem is the rim may be a bit far gone. I can have a go at gluing and filling but probably not going to be happy with it.

Greg H

I have a Luisi wheel as a backup. I liked it in the 90's but not so much now.

Greg H

I'm sure some wood expert would have than wheel looking good but I've no idea how

that 90's steering wheel certainly looks what it is

what about a standard later steering wheel with holes, thin rim, correct size and would have been on cars from '69 (ish)
Nigel Atkins

Ask, Onno. He was talking about how to repair/make a new wooden rim recently.
Lawrence Slater

As far as I know, no Spridget ever had a wooden steering wheel as original equipement. I suppose the wooden one fitted to Greg's car could be a period after maket job.

Bernie.
b higginson

This thread was discussed between 02/01/2012 and 03/01/2012

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