Mystery wheel trims

[holbeck]

Four metal wheeltrims have surfaced due to a friends mum having a garage clear out. He just sent me this pic, no idea of size.

 

 

​Any idea?

[smellypoo]

no idea. but they do look great!

 

If I had to guess, something Japanese perhaps?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

American?

[colnerov]

 Saab 900

[lovejoy]

Salad Shooters ?  

[sierraman]

Like the Midland Bank logo in the centre.

[Saabnut]

 Saab 900

 

They are not Saab, unless aftermarket

[vulgalour]

Look late 80s and FWD friendly.  They don't look very factory, even ignoring that centre badge, they look more like a good quality aftermarket item instead.  Looking at the stuff around them in the picture, probably a 13"-14" trim too.

[Asimo]

Try a reverse image search?

 

70s or 80s Datsun or Mazda etc perhaps.

 

Did the aftermarket ever do metal wheeltrims? They would be much more expensive to tool up for.

[MorrisItalSLX]

I think they are aftermarket hubcaps, I have a heap of aftermarket metal hubcaps floating around the shed thanks to my attraction to shiny things on the side of the road.

[holbeck]

TBH, I think they are from the ad's at the back of a '70's Hotcar mag.

 

But this place is random enough that someone is might put up a scan of the 1975 Carlos Fandango accessory catalogue with a pic of them.

[PhilA]

Eighties, I would say. They have a slight "Ronal Turbo" look to them.

[JeeExEll]

Are they actually metal or just painted plastic?

 

 

Do we have any more clues? (Cars owned).

[holbeck]

Are they actually metal or just painted plastic?

 

 

Do we have any more clues? (Cars owned).

 

They are pressed metal.

 

I've not seen them myself, but my friend Carl (who incidentally runs the former AS bike C15 as a daily), found them clearing up his mum's garage. He is as mystified as the rest of us.

[Daviedv]

Ford crown vic?

[MorrisItalSLX]

On second thought, Caravan?

[Wingz123]

A Bristol?....the one that looks identical to the Saab 900 albeit weird dimensions....

[Pillock]

I reckon caravan is a good shout from Maurice

[JeeExEll]

Ok, I did a bit of digging about these trims earlier and found what we're looking for.

 

They're definitely made by a major car manufacturer, the centre-badge is missing. I have found pics of 3 others, complete with maker's logo and serial number on the back which checks out to two models.

 

Unfortunately I can't seem to find a pic of a car with them actually fitted. Either they were really rare or, possibly, intended to be US-spec.

 

So, problem solved, but not quite 100% nailed yet. More to follow . . .

[JeeExEll]

Pics.

 

They're actually more domed than they look in a "90° straight-on" pic.

[JeeExEll]

 

There is one mint-condition wheeltrim for sale on ebay right now. Listed as for an Audi C1 5000, which is the US version of the 1976-82 Audi 100. More detailed pics of the wheeltrim (which is in mint condition) on this ebay link.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-Genuine-13-Audi-5000-Mk1-wheel-trim-hub-cap-cover/152910964219?hash=item239a3425fb:g:t6gAAOSw~e5ZXpvi

 

An Audi 5000 with the same trims yesterday, just before teatime.

 

Googling the part-code led, co-incidentally, to a short but helpful thread from a few years ago on "The Blue".

From 2011 -

http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/107161/help-audi-wheel-trims

 

Apparently the "CKO 12 115/0" code relates to the Audi 80 B2 as well.

 

I don't remember seeing these wheel trims but I don't really know the VW Audi stuff.

Any VAG-lickers in here? (Fnaaaarrrr, don't all answer at once).

[vulgalour]

Would not have expected that!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Would not have expected that!

 

I don't remember seeing that style of cover trim at all!

[JeeExEll]

Initially I thought the mystery trims were early 80s VW as seen on the Jetta Mk1, but I was wrong, it would appear that the Jetta ones are totally different and made in 2 pieces. I remember seeing loads of these.

(A couple of poor quality pics of the wrong Jetta ones below).

 

 

But,

I can't understand why the recently-discovered long-lost mystery-trims would be Audi US-spec only.

Maybe someone with easy access to VAG part-code info could check it out further. I've had a quick try on t'net but so far it hasn't liked old Autoshite-era part-code-only bollocks.

Maybe the trims were fitted to a limited number of other models too, like an Audi 90 or the early 80s Audi coupe? VW Type-2 T3 minivans or professionally-converted campervans?

 

Would be interesting to find out how a set ended up in that garage. Part of a job-lot of Dubbers stuff from the US, or just from a fucked old VW Santana??

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Bugger me, yes!

 

I definitely remember seeing something very like these these on Audi 80s circa 1980. Assumed the 4 rings were embossed rather than stuck on, rather like those VW ones.

[Noel Tidybeard]

heres one off ebay

[NorfolkNWeigh]

mj

Thought this 80 was sporting them, but they're even weirder.

[Asimo]

Because the Audi 100 was the Audi 5000 in the US it is easy to seperate the two and do an image search for each model name: very clearly different wheels and trims for the two markets.

I was a bit of an Audi licker in the '80s and liked the steel/ hubcap combination the 100s came on. The only base model 100 we saw here was the Avant hatchback which could be had as a 1.6 or a 1.9 Diesel (that'll never catch on!)

[tul66]

Bugger me, that Audi 5000 is more grim than a grim thing

[martc]

 

 

Does "Made in Germany" mean it's not made in Germany?