Maybe I'm missing something, but wood wheels and rear-only brakes are IMO things best saved for real restorations not intended to be used hard.
Race cars went to wire wheels very quickly as speeds increased. Oddly enough, front brakes were somewhat slow to appear.
Presumably stronger wire wheels were developed in the interim. Wire wheels were common on bicycles and the lightest of horse-drawn vehicles by the 1880s. The first cars, being lightweight affairs, used them. Wooden wheels were introduced as cars became heavier because wooden wheels, though heavier, tended to be stronger. Wooden wheels were the norm during the Edwardian era, with wires reserved for very light vehicles like cyclecars, and a few eccentrics like Frederick Lanchester, who appeared to understand the importance of unsprung mass very early and thus fitted wire wheels even to his larger cars. Wire wheels were also fitted to Laurence Pomeroy's "Prince Henry" Vauxhall of 1910, which was the first of a new generation of cars that would produce more power by spinning a smaller engine faster. The effect of this was a lower torque output for any given peak power output, which allowed cumulative weight savings throughout the design, including the wheels which could now be considerably lighter themselves. And of course this was the obvious direction development would take in racing. Wooden wheels persisted for some years on heavier cars and commercial vehicles, especially in America where there was often an anticipation of harsh operating conditions. So strong was the association of wooden wheels to a solid, durable, respectable car that some manufacturers duplicated their appearance in pressed steel for a while.
Wolfi,I usually try to give some sort of description.I think the folks who took the picture were more interested in the woman.if I run across the car again,I'll find out. BanjeauX Bob
I remember seeing a 1950"s Hot Rodding magazine a rear engine dragster with the engine mounted parrelel with teh left rear tire and a small sprocket on the engine, very large one on the tire. No clutch, he just had a stand on it that he released with a lever when he wanted to go. I think it was a "live rear axle that drove both rear wheels. It would have been a blast to drive.Henry
The Jalopy Journal
