Re: wires (a footnote from He Who Must Be Believed)

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I mentioned the 'wires' discussion, and in particular the 'factory option'
aspect, in a note to a friend who knows more about ARI and about ARI/AR-SpA
relations, at least on technical matters, than anyone else living or dead. To
the 'factory option' question he had a two word answer: "Interesting
mythology". A bit further in the discussion he wrote "Borrani did make a
conversion set which was sold by some few dealers; as a matter of fact, I did
a late model Spider show car in NY with Borranis. We didn't offer them as they
were not certified for DOT equipment STDs. Also heavy and not a good choice in
latitudes using chlorides on roads." The "also heavy" remark I found
interesting; he did not say whether he was comparing to stock steel wheels or
to then-optional alloys, but "a late model Spider" would certainly be well
within the optional alloys era, and my interpretation of his meaning is that
the Borrani conversions, including adapters, were at a weight disadvantage
relative to the alloys and perhaps to the standard steel wheels offered at the
time.

The "sold by some few dealers" comment rang a bell reminding me of earlier
discussions with him about "factory option" sunroofs on GT Veloces and sedans.
Webasto, and probably other sunroof manufacturers, had authorized (by them)
installers of their products; a franchised (by ARI) Alfa dealer who was a
franchised (by Webasto) sunroof dealer could sell an Alfa with a factory
sunroof in complete honesty even though there was no connection between Alfa
Romeo and the design and installation of the sunroof. That level of ambiguity
could account for some of the beliefs that wire wheels were factory options on
Giuliettas and 105 cars.

I greatly appreciate Jim Steck's late contributions to the discussions, but I
suggest that the "FWD cars need not apply" in his last note is a general truth
which does not rise to an absolute rule; The wire-wheeled FWD Millers at
Indianapolis were quite successful, as were the later Blue Crowns and
undoubtedly others; the wheels were not the limiting factors for the Novis or
for the less successful four-wheel-drive Gulf-Millers. The FWD Talbot GP cars
of the late twenties were, I believe, wire wheeled, and I believe the FWD
Tractas which were very successful (in class) at Le Mans were also, although I
wouldn't swear to it. I expect there were others. They all may have required
different compromises in steering geometry and/or in lacing geometry, but FWD
and wire wheels were not mutually exclusive in the decades before alloys
emerged as a generally preferred technology and (for some) aesthetic, although
Jim Steck's reservation is probably generally true.

Cordially,

John H.
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