In a message dated 12/30/99 8:49:28 AM Pacific Standard Time,
Laifman@Flash.Net writes:
<< You are describing my American Racing "Silverstone" wheels, (so marked)
that were
made in magnesium and aluminum. They were used on the Ken Miles original
prototype after he tore the spokes out of the wire wheels, and by Larry Reed,
early Tiger racer and LAT option tester. These are 8 spoke sand cast finish
with
polished rims.
>>
And, in a message dated 12/30/1999 10:46:12 AM Pacific Standard Time,
MWood24020@aol.com writes:
> The American wheels have a very different look than the Shelby wheels. They
> have less rim offset and finer, more rounded spokes. They are also more
> desireable to collectors. Weren't the Americans available in 4.5" and 5.5"
> rim widths (in a 13" diameter)? The Shelby's were available in 5.5" up to
> 7.5." I guess we won't know which is which until some photos are
> scanned...maybe use the same software which created the Tiger "limo" and
> make
> them 13X11"!
> Mike
And in a message dated 12/30/1999 11:02:31 AM Pacific Standard Time,
stuart_brennan@agilent.com writes:
> Are we all talking about the same wheels here? My Westerns have eight
> curved spokes and look sort of like Minilites or Panasports. From the
> pictures I've seen, the wheels on the Miles car, like the ones that Steve
> has, also have eight spokes, but there the similarity ends. The spoke
shape
> is significantly different.
>
> I also find it interesting to note that one source suggests that the
> Westerns are a copy of the Shelby wheels, while another source suggests
that
> Western made the Shelby wheels. Anybody know the whole story?
>
> Stu
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No Stu, I don't think you guys are talking about the same wheels at all.
IMHO, I don't think the wheels being described are the American Silverstones,
but rather are the wheels marketed by Western, Carroll Shelby Enterprises,
and others. And I agree with both you and Mike on your observations of the
differences between the two wheel styles.
When the Shelby wheels were released, they were about the widest, cheapest
13" wheel available, so they were popular with Tigers owners. So much so
that in early 1979 the CAT club bought several sets of them from Shelby for
resale through the CAT parts department in what was known as "The Great Wheel
Deal." This arrangement was struck with Shelby after CAT officials visited
the "Carroll Shelby Enterprises wheel factory in Southern California" and saw
this wheel "that was almost a dead ringer for a Minilite." The size of the
8-spoke wheels was 13 X 6 inches, the rims were polished, and the centers
were shot-peened in either natural aluminum, gold, or a silver-gray speckled
paint called "Silvervane." The price, including the CS plastic hub caps and
lug nuts was either $34 or $42, depending on the finish. Locally, Allan
Connell has a set of the CAT/Shelby "Great Wheel Deal" on his Tiger. Perhaps
he could assist us by posting a scan for us to pick over. How about it Allan?
Although I can't say who actually manufactured the wheels (note the CAT
officials called if the CSE wheel factory), I do recall that there were
several companies (including Shelby and Western) which all sold these same
wheels, each with their own brand name and logo. And I definitely tend to
agree with Mike on his view of Shelby's outsourcing and marketing philosophy.
Mike posted the following on this subject:
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> I suggested that Western made the Shelby wheels simply because they are
> identical in casting form and I couldn't imagine Shelby actually
> manufacturing wheels. Shelby seemed to outsource everything on their cars,
> from TMC for traction bars to Edelbrock for manifolds to Koni for shocks
etc.
>
> etc.
> I guess this is a chicken and egg kind of deal: which came first, the
Shelby
>
> wheels or the Westerns? If you follow the genesis of any number of popular
> '60s wheels (Cragar, Keystone, LAT 70) you will find that any number of
dies
>
> were run at one manufacturer, sold, run again, sold etc.
> I believe the Shelby wheels were not produced at the time of Tiger
> manufacture. I also believe that Shelby outsourced the production and
simply
>
> labeled them "Shelby" as a means of generating cash flow off his name and
> branding a rim for sale through speed shops and Goodyear. I guarantee I
> bought the "Shelby" minilite type rims in the '80s through a discount
wheel
> shop in the East Bay for fitment on my 240Z and that the wheels were
> identical to the "Shelby" minilite type rims on my Tiger, except for rim
> width.
> I think we are grasping at straws here, trying to find some reason to
> believe
> that Shelby went to the trouble of producing a limited run of wheels
> specifically for the Tiger, which, IMHO, is less than highly unlikely.
> Mike
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It was exactly this kind of product development and marketing philosophy
which gave us many of the LAT options which were developed for Tigers. The
"LAT Man," Dick Wheatley, who was Ian Garrard's parts manager for
International Automobiles (later, Chrysler International), got together with
J.D. McLean (Shelby's parts man) and took advantage of Shelby's existing
resources to introduce a line of optional Tiger parts, which were available
with Rootes' blessing through it's authorized dealers.
It was all part of a "good old boys' network" in the L.A. area which involved
companies like Benevides, Buddy Barr, Schroder, Traction Master, Wedge,
Belanger, Cragar and others who manufactured the stuff and sold it to
automotive accessory outlets, including Shelby and International Automobiles,
who retailed with their own labels/identification. It was actually a fairly
tight knit little group of small businesses, and their arrangement probably
made a quite a bit of money for many people.
None of this is new of course, having been very thoroughly addressed in
Chapter 8 of the Book of Norman, which on pages 54/55 includes an early
business letter from Shelby American to International Automobiles proposing
arrangements by which Shelby would supply Rootes with various LAT and
performance parts.
Dick Barker
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