[Healeys] Derrington Wheels PART 1

[Bob Spidell]

Hi Mike, 

re :" Finding an ORIGINAL Derrington is difficult" 

How can one know if his Derrington is "original?" I have one that's been on my car since before I owned it--would like to know if it's a genuine Derrington. 

Cheers, 
Bob 





I would like to add to this and clarify involvement by Moto-Lita. The 
original Derrington was developed by Victor Derrington circa 1953-1954, and 
he applied successfully for a patent in October of 1954. Those interested in 
such trivia may view it here: 
http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=GB&NR=791052A&KC=A&FT=D&date=19580219&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_GB 

The patent specifies a few traits that never materialized in actual 
production, but for the most part, is accurate. Victor's early wheels were 
well made out of rich mahogany and either obeechi or white sycamore, 
creating lovely contrasting layers. At some point Victor must have gotten 
too busy to keep up with all the work and chose to outsource. Moto-Lita was 
one such outsource provider, but not until around 1957. The Moto-Lita 
"Derrington" wheels were not made precisely like the early Derringtons and 
were not of the same high quality or workmanship. Finding an ORIGINAL 
Derrington is difficult. In the 1960's, Moto-Lita did supply Derrington 
style wheels to Healey and were sold as optional accessories with a 
personalized badge to go with it: 
http://www.pbase.com/mdlempert/image/107240008 
TO BE CONTINUED...