1965 Steering Wheels - Wood, Bakelite, Leather?

[VA_alfa]

I'm back to learn more about what is period correct for my October 1965 911 that I recently purchased. I want to return the car to as original as reasonably possible and I am close, I think.

This question has to do with the steering wheel. I have seen steering wheels in wood/hockeypuck, wood/butterfly, bakelite/hockeypuck, bakelite/butterfly, and leather wrapped. My car has a bakelite/hockeypuck wheel stamped VDM and 65 on the hub behind the horn button.

What is correct for an October 65 car?

Here's my wheel with a faux leather wrap that has been removed.

[VA_alfa]

I was looking at a sales brochure for 65 911's and see a wood wheel with a butterfly horn. Were there standard and optional steering wheels offered then?

[joegt3cup]

I believe the correct wheel for a 1966 MY 911 (and 65 for that matter) would be wood along with the butterfly horn button.

[flatsixcrazy]

Alex, IIRC, wooden wheels are standard on '65 and '66 models and an option on later SWB models.

[VA_alfa]

Thanks Joe and Andy, makes sense; except.......

Now for the extra credit question to porsche history experts and concours judges!! What then does the wheel on my car (stamped on the hub under the horn button: VDM and 65) go to?

[joegt3cup]

That's easy a 912 !

[VA_alfa]

Aha! mystery solved and makes sense.
Now I have a new problem that needs to be solved. Where will I find a 65 wood rimmed wheel with butterfly horn button!?!?

Thanks all for the contributions. I will have many more similar questions as I can bring my car back to original/period correct.

[VA_alfa]

The early 1965 wheels were made from aluminum, and you could see this edge on the inside of the rim all the way around the aluminum was exposed. Some point in 1965 they went to the steel rim wheel and then the metal was not exposed on the side of the rim all the way

Ahh; details, details!
Thanks Eric, I have been reading the board today about steering wheels and found reference to aluminum and steel wood rimmed wheels, thanks for the photo. The puzzle may have become more complicated though, the wheel in the photo has a hockey puck horn button. Could the early alum wheels come with hockey pucks then when changed to steel, the butterfly appeared?
I don't know about you guys, but I like figuring this stuff out.
The mystery continues........

[preS]

Is it possible that the numbers are production numbers? Does any one have a "double" number (the same number on two different steering wheels, either Alu or Iron)

Richard

[Merv]

The early 1965 wheels were made from aluminum, and you could see this edge on the inside of the rim all the way around the aluminum was exposed. Some point in 1965 they went to the steel rim wheel and then the metal was not exposed on the side of the rim all the way around.

I do not know the cutoff for the changeover, sorry.

Note that there is a stamping on the hub of the wheel, but this number (as far as I have seen) has no relation to a date stamp, I've seen 2 digit numbers and 4 digit numbers, and couldn't make sense of them.

Attached is a picture of the early aluminum based rim with the exposed aluminum around the inside of the wood rim.

regards,
Eric

That's the same as mine. It has two numbers on it. It was fitted but I had two wheels. Are they hard to get/valuable?