RS Steering wheel

[Duisburg]

Hello,

I have an RS Steering wheel '914 347 806 10' that is wrapped in its original leather. Quite nice condition overall. Any idea of value? Noticed some re wrapped ones sold but haven't seen any decent original ones. I have a horn pad that was with it...but not plastic unfortunately.

Was setting it aside for a 72 911 coupe hot rod project but I am now reluctantly considering the sale of it due to space issues.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[mfitton]

Is it the standard thin wrap of leather or the thicker 3 5/8" wrap?

[Duisburg]

It is the standard thin wrap

[mfitton]

Then probably more suitable for the 914-6 crowd, I sold one not too long ago for $650 with it's good original cover over on 914world. Someone who wants to keep their 914-6 original would want the thin wrap but most buyers would want a core 806.10 and have it re-wrapped with a thicker 3 5/8" grip.

[GT3Racerich]

I recently bought one similar to what you are describing. Same part number but yours sounds like it is in a little better condition. I paid $350.

[Herman F Lausberg]

P M sent. Thank you.

[Duisburg]

Mike, From what you are saying .....should I gather that you think a '70 dated' 914 347 806 10' came with the thick grip leather wrap in the first series RS's?

[911MRP]

Duisburg, As a long term owner of an RS fitted with with thinner grip (70 dated) original wheel that still has its patinated original wrap -- still fitted on car along with its rare unique to first few hundred fragile RS plastic horn push -- I'd suggest to be cautious of sweeping generalisations and presumptions that sometimes get made.

There are numerous posts on the RS wheels and at times current owners of early RS and previous owners of them such as Clyde have at times tried to correct some things but confusion persists.

steve

[Duisburg]

Steve with you being an RS owner, what you said above is what I gathered as well. My thoughts are this wheel is correct for an early first series RS.

Mike, I am sure it is suitable to 914-6 owners but I feel it would also be very appealing to first series RS owners. I see many said cars with incorrect wheels and non original leather wrap.

[911MRP]

If it still has the plastic horn push that often broke you would have very strong proof. These were used on RS only and even then only up until 6th February 1973 -- replaced as plastic deign to reduce weight proved fragile.

Being a a 914 prefix part has led to a lot of confusion and total bunkum over the years. I've had my car quarter of century and that is the wheel it arrived with. Thank God mine is still bolted to the car along with that very rare plastic horn-push together giving a real pointer to originality and provenance. Additionally, I've spoken to the car's relatively few previous owners who confirm wheel not changed during their time.

So I'm as positive as it is reasonable to be on a 45 year old car mine is original wheel and hornpush and have had corroboration when talking to previous RS owners like Clyde who had same part number on his 1xx series. The knowledgable Andy has previously posted a somewhere on forum picture of two: thick and thin wheels side by side.

It is owners prerogative to re wrap a wheel to be thicker and sometimes this is needed if worn out -- but why put a thicker wrap on a wheel if it is perfectly good and actually as (some of) the early RS came equipped with? How many detail features get done over incorrectly to these cars and their parts based on misplaced conventional wisdom of what is now thought originally correct?

How many times do actual RS owners have to say clearly that a 70 dated thin rim wheel with part number as listed in the maroon parts book (914.347.806.10 marked as only for Carrera 2.7 edition III 1/73 paper version) is correct for those early RS that were being built around time of publishing ...even if some RS cars did thicker rim fitted as options. When they ran out of 70 date wheels after factory reactively decided to produce over 1000 extra RS cars unsurprisingly those subsequently hastily sourced 914 steering wheel date stamps likley shorter lead time vs actual RS production date.

This quirky fact of wheel 70 date and stamp lead time, their wrap thickness, the 380 size along with that hens-teeth plastic hornpush for some survivors was a little special RS distinguishing detail known by those of us actually buying the early RS. It was based on word of mouth research and insights from the network long before the Internet -- so quite why this little feature is now often muddied and why confusion persists now we have the world and brother on the www defeats me!!!

Maybe an early RS owner feels this wheel you describe might be useful if it is of type that could have been fitted when new; we'll never know if it actually came off an RS. Of course 914-6 owners might be interested too and they may have less of an issue assuming there is no plastic horn push providing earliest RS provenance proof.