Originality: hubcaps

[sivallan]

I’m thinking of switching my ’66 Mk1a Tiger back to factory wheels and installing correct hubcaps.

I have a set of the "dog dish" hubcaps and beauty/trim rings, but have seen others hubcap combinations that appear to have
something in between the hub cap and the wheel’s rim – a piece accented with many small holes ranging all the way around.

Can anyone specify which hubcap combination is correct for a Mk1a?

Thanks in advance,

Allan Ballard

[Eric and Bonnie and Bonnie Gibeaut]

Hi Alan
Can you post a photo of your trim rings-will make it easier to ID what you have. Eric

[sivallan]

Hi Eric,

Here’s a picture of a wheel with a trim ring and a hubcap.

http://s826.photobucket.com/albums/zz18 … errims.jpg

I have some better hubcaps and stuck an old one on the wheel just for
an example.

Thanks!

Allan Ballard

[Eric and Bonnie and Bonnie Gibeaut]

Hi Allan
Your photo shows what would have been used on an early Alpine up to about Series 4. Here is a photo of the trim ring used on a MK1A Tiger. Later ones used a different type of trim ring-instead of crossed over slots they were straight slots. Eric

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[Randy Zimmermann]

Hi guys:

If I interpreted TBON correctly, the MKIa trim rings were straight slotted whereas the crisscross pattern was used on earlier versions. At least that’s what I used on mine.

The tire rims are painted in a unique version of white– Old English White???– and the trim rings are held in place by the hub caps.

[Robert and Mariet Jaarsma]

Randy,
You are totally correct with the diagonal crossed trim rings. Also the color of the rims was that off white.
Robert

[Eric and Bonnie and Bonnie Gibeaut]

That is the original white paint on the rim in the photo I uploaded. Guess I better read the BON to see just when they went from crossover to straight slot trim rings! Eric

[Bob and Jean Webb]

eric,
i have heard many tiger owners say that the straight slot trim rings were for series 5 alpines only. were those trim rings on your tiger when you bought it back in the 70’s ?

[Robert and Mariet Jaarsma]

I had the criss-crossed ones on my 1964 MkI Tiger. Robert

[Eric and Bonnie and Bonnie Gibeaut]

They were on my car when I bought it. I do like the looks of them! Eric

[sivallan]

Does anyone know when the change to the straight slotted trim rings occurred?

Perhaps with the first Mk1a – OTOH perhaps the early crossover Mk1a’s used the X pattern?

Rgds,

Allan Ballard
Atlanta, GA

[Randy Zimmermann]

Allan, et al.

According to TBON, pg. 158, "The trim rings used for the Tiger were unique to the V8 equipped model, for all but a very few late B3920xxxxx vehicles. From this point on, the crisscross-cross pattern was dropped and all cars used the same slotted ring as the Alpine."

I guess you’d have to query Norm directly for a more precise estimate of vehicle VIN when the change-over occurred.

My Tiger is rather late in the MKIa run but since it did not come with the original wheels, I have no idea if it was sold with crisscross or slotted rings. As mentioned earlier, I opted for slotted when I bought replacements.

[sivallan]

Thanks Randy!

I never question TBON 🙂

So now we have an a general change point:

"According to TBON, pg. 158, "The trim rings used for the Tiger were unique to the V8 equipped model, for all but a very few late B3920xxxxx vehicles. From this point on, the crisscross-cross pattern was dropped and all cars used the same slotted ring as the Alpine."

For my purposes that informatioin is quite helpful as my car is earlier…

Thanks again,

Rgds

Allan Ballard
Atlanta, Georgia

[Mark Petri]

was just watching some of the 1st season of "Get Smart" on DVD (originally aired fall 1965-spring 1966)… his red Tiger appears to have had "plain" slots in the trim rings (not criss-crosed) – along with those snazzy whitewalls.
(Although "would you believe" in one earlier episode there was a scene where the car had LAT70s and blackwalls 😮 )

Mark

[alpine-64]

I saw an episode of get smart the other day.. he pulls up to his house in a MKI tiger, cross hatch wheel trims.. then later int he scene they show an aerial shot of the car as he checks to see if chaos agents are around.. the car is now a red SV alpine (hood bag, alpine centre consoule and shifter) then when he gets to the car its still the alpine, an ejector seat goes off andf he speeds away.. car sounds like an alpine and there is smoke coming out of the left exhaust only.. its a SV tarted up to look like a tiger. 🙂

[Mark Petri]

I was so busy looking at the LAT70s that I didn’t see enough detail to note if that was an Alpine 🙄
Will be sure to check more closely next time!

Mark

[Jeff Nichols]

Gene Winfield created the Get Smart car from an Alpine with all the trick features. Look for the book, The Legendary Custom Cars and Hot Rods of Gene Winfield. There are a few photos of the car with Don Adams checking out the spy stuff. The AMT Get Smart model is an Alpine based off of Gene Winfield’s creation.

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