I know several suppliers offer spare wheel covers but from what I have seen none appear to be like that illustrated on Mrs Popa's car on Pg 362 of the source book, that is assuming it is a factory supplied item and not one that she ran up at home before her picnic!!
My question is does any one have an original and can supply key dimensions/details? Mrs Popa's appears to be made of two pieces of material with a piping but how is it held on?

TIA

The caption does say 'De Luxe models where supplied with covers for the spare wheel'
Though I admit I've never seen an original one.

Edit: - Similar ones are available from a number of suppliers, I would obviously point you towards a member of the Cornwall A7 Club - If you require details, I will email you.

Location: Lands End - UK

Hi Sandy

Yes mine is a DeLux model. I guess they were the sort of item that gets lost, suffers the weather etc. It's just that Mrs Popa's car is the earliest photo I have seen with a cover but it looks different to any thing else I have photo's of. I'm just trying to get the detail right if I can

Trevor

The cover on Mrs Popa's car looks as if it has just the one seam on it.....

I'm mindful that these days we use the Avon sidecar tyre, which has a flattish tread profile with sharp edges going back towards the wheel, whereas period tyres seem to be much more rounded in their profile.

Thus the one 'centre' seam would not be so hard to manufacture and could sit on the rounded tyre profile OK.
I have new (A7) covers on my Avon spare tyre wheel, thus two seams, the inside (hidden) edge is about 4 - 6" deep with an elasticated edge - The style is just like the fabric spare wheel covers I have for my Mk1 RAV4.

Location: Lands End - UK

Sandy

Thats a good point and maybe why there are none around. Prehaps I'll do a mock up and see what it looks like.

Just roll off the subject a bit, when we bought our RP over 25 years ago, she wore a Wilmot-Breeden metal spare wheel cover, painted black and with a chrome band around the circumference with an over-centre fixing catch on the bottom. We kept it on the car for many years but seeing that we were going on holidays abroad and travelling sometimes on fast dual carriageways in this country, it was more appropriate to have a leathercloth cover with a reflective triangle on it to make sure we were seen. This was reinforced when some friends on the A38 in Devon were tail-ended in their Ruby and the excuse was "we didn't see you !". I still have the cover and may well use it again but will need to make a larger cover to ensure both spare wheel and WB cover are enclosed.
Brian

Location: Just east of Sandy

This is the one I have on my car Brian and I have another ready to go on my next project.

Location: Harworth,doncaster

Yes, Mark just the same as mine but my WB motif is rather delicate!. I love the frog!
Brian

Location: Just east of Sandy

Regretfully I have to put a dampener on this - I would question that the spare wheel covers were originally supplied. Just because Source says the De Luxe models had them doesn't mean much, as does the numerous other errors in the book. As the photo was taken in 1938 of a 1933 model, any number of after-market items could have been fitted to the car. If one studies the Handbooks and the Sales Brochures of the period, there are comprehensive lists of Extra items supplied, but no mention of spare wheel covers - and I've yet to find a photo of a new car fitted with one. This includes even the bigger, more expensive models in the Austin range at the time. Does anyone have information that would refute this? Cheers, Bill

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Bill,

I'm with you on this one too, carefully looking at the OP's photo ref. I think the bright part in the centre of the 'cover' is in fact the 'StayBrite' centre of the wheel, and the rest we see is just a 'After Market' tyre cover/bling.

I've seen Brian's cover and it does look rather posh, I admit, but does not seem to espouse the impecunious style of later Austin 7 owners - even in the early 30's, they were not that cheap for a working person.

Location: Lands End - UK

Sandy (and others). Sorry I didn't mention one thing - although I think the covers may not have been originally supplied, I'm not against anyone having a spare wheel cover today - particularly if it's reflective one, or after-market such as the WB. Cheers, Bill

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Please ignore me by all means, but for me, an Austin Seven is all about economical transport and though that Wilmot Breedon spare wheel cover is a smashing accessory and makes a nice change to see one, a vinyl spare wheel cover seems an unnecessary expense, with no practical value and unlikely in my view to be supplied by the factory...even with a leather trimmed RP DeLuxe!

Just my tuppence worth...

Location: Near Bicester

Ivor,

Ignore you? never.... open discussion is what it's all about.
And I see the cost of living's gone up ---- It use to be "my Penny's worth!!!".

Please accept there's an element of T.I.C...

I think know the reason why some people have covers today, as Brian says above :-
This was reinforced when some friends on the A38 in Devon were tail-ended in their Ruby and the excuse was "we didn't see you !".

I know that Dave Mann has had some very close shaves and he now uses a Trailer Board hung on the spare wheel.

I have a black cover with a large 'Cornwall A7 Club' logo across etc., and Penzance, so that when, say, travelling West through Somerset on the A30, those behind me know I'm not likely to be pulling off the road any time soon . .

In the 60's when I was travelling down to Winchester from Aberdeen in the 7, I had 'Aberdeen - Winchester, Today' on the back, that brought a few smiles from people, and of course 'You have to be joking', well there wasn't the road network then.

I am going to use a Trailer Board on the Jogle. It may not be any safer in reality, but I will feel safer... or at least there's no excuses for those behind NOT seeing me.

I admit this is over the top for the impecunious A7 owner, but I live in a Matriarchal* household, they voice their concerns etc., sometimes for a bit of peace I have to concede to their requests demands.

* Wife, Mother-in-Law and two female dogs.. ..
Oh and most of the neighbours are widows or single females too... Well somebody has to attend to leaky taps etc.,

And the Catcha code = WAGG, honestly....

PS - See you in June - Falmouth.

Location: Lands End - UK

The 1935 Brown Bros. catalogue list a " Fabram " Spare Wheel Cover.
Made of "superior quality leather cloth, bound with silver piping around the seams. Smart, waterproof & durable. Covers one side of tyre & wheel only. "
Price to fit a 3.50 x 19" tyre - 7/6d in black. For other colours, 2/6d extra.

Location: Melton Mowbray

trevor

Chris Garner

The 1935 Brown Bros. catalogue list a " Fabram " Spare Wheel Cover.
Made of "superior quality leather cloth, bound with silver piping around the seams. Smart, waterproof & durable. Covers one side of tyre & wheel only. "
Price to fit a 3.50 x 19" tyre - 7/6d in black. For other colours, 2/6d extra.

Chris
That sounds just the job..do you have a web link for them?

By reading everyones comments it looks as if there is no known defined 'original ' pattern. Looks like I will be designing my own then.

Location: Melton Mowbray

Hi Mark, I came across this advert for the WB spare wheel cover in the Feb 1934 Austin Magazine when I was looking for evidence that the RP had a pork pie light after revisions to the model in Sept 1933.
As it says "like its bigger brothers" I assume it is an add on made specifically for the A7 by WB.
Apart from the motif which looks like an italic capital A it is like yours.
Regards Richard

Location: Sutton Coldfield

Sorry just couldn't get the scanned pic onto my message. Richard

Location: Sutton Coldfield

Hi Richard,
I've seen ones fitted to larger Austins with the "A" on,as you said in a sort of script italic writing.I've also seen the same as mine in a 1934 Morris brochure and actually on the top of the chrome band that goes around the outside is stamped 34 which I imagine can only be the year of manufacture. To be honest although the cover can be adjusted,even on the smallest Adjustment it's still a bit large and mine is padded out with a strip of rubber to keep it tight.any chance of emailing me a copy of the picture?
Thanks,Mark.

Location: Harworth,doncaster

Hi Brian

I appreciate your previous post was a long time ago but I've just come across it. I'm looking for a wheel cover just like yours. Can i ask is your cover 19" and would you be prepared to sell it?

I've been looking for a cover for a number of years, if you could come back to me it would be really appreciated

Regards

Adam

Location: Worcestershire