I distictly recall spinners were outlawed on new cars due to the perceived
danger they posed to pedestrians.
The same legislation also eliminated fake spinners on wheel covers and rigid
stand-erect hood ornaments. None of these could not be sold after January
1st 1968. A lot of the '67 cars have the rigid ornaments (e.g. Plymouth Fury
and Lincoln) but none of the '68 cars did (-Rolls Royce may be the sole
hardship case exception.) Spring loaded installations (like Mercedes had
used for years) allowed erect hood ornaments to return on some 1969's. But
we haven't seen a new spinner wheel cover or knock-off spinner since 1967.
BMC's introduction of the big hex-nuts in mid '67 was probably just in
anticipating or in keeping-up with the elimination of spinner wheel covers
on the US-built cars in September '67 for the new '68 cars.
-Dave Murphy
66 BJ8
SEMAHC
>From: Alan Schultz <alan@andysnet.net>
>Reply-To: Alan Schultz <alan@andysnet.net>
>To: GSFuqua1@aol.com
>CC: Awgertoo@aol.com, dwflagg@juno.com, sbyers@ec.rr.com,
>healeys@autox.team.net
>Subject: Re: An interesting question
>Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 11:29:52 -0600
>
>OK. How's this thought. Spinners may have come in contact with concrete
>curbing on city streets. The results? Maybe the spinners came loose from
>this contact? Anyone dare guess the result?
>
>Alan Schultz
>HBJ8
>
>GSFuqua1@aol.com wrote:
>
>>Well, it seems we have the date, person and car reasonably pinned down but
>>the reason for the change from eared spinners didn't happen until 1967. I
>>believe we have the DOT to thank for that change but in reality it
>>probably came about more from the Corvette and American Marques than the
>>British Marques. The difference being that the spinners on Corvettes
>>required a small pin to be inserted to keep them from coming off. As most
>>know the British wheels are set up to actually tighten when driven. Not
>>so for the American models.
>> Cheers,
>> Gary Fuqua
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