Motor Wheel Corporation’s Spyder wheel was one of the best-looking wheel designs ever, but it disappeared. Some one should revive it.
The old magazine archives in our Placentia office are full of gold, and we discovered this old ad from a 1969 issue of Popular Hot Rodding. This particular wheel design hasn’t been seen for years, and is all but forgotten. The wheel design in question is called the Spyder, and was most famously the wheel on "The Lawman" 1969 Boss 429 Mustang driven by Elton Al Eckstrand. That car is still around, and is reportedly in Bill Goldberg's Muscle Car Museum collection. An internet search comes up with nothing on this wheel design, except references to various cars with the same name, and a recent Japanese wheel with the same name. The original manufacturer, Motor Wheel Corporation, is a different story. Here’s the timeline I’ve been able to piece together. Motor Wheel Corporation (MWC) was bought by Goodyear in 1964. The Spyder ad in question was placed while Goodyear owned MWC. According to Goodyear’s website, MWC underwent a management buyout in 1987, but according to Hayes Lemmerz International, they bought MWC directly from Goodyear in 1996. Hayes Lemmerz was created in 1997 when Hayes Wheels International (which had been Kelsey Hayes until 1996) bought Lemmerz Holding GmbH. So as best I can tell, the Motor Wheel Corporation Spyder design is now owned by Hayes Lemmerz International. Hayes Lemmerz as far as I know, does not make aftermarket wheels, but instead is a world leader in OEM wheel production. Take a quick look at their website and you'll recognize most all their OEM wheels.
So now here’s my pitch: If you like the Spyder wheel, and want to see it revived, much like we’ve seen the revival of the Rocket, Torque Thrust, and Cragar S/S, I’ve listed below the names and positions of the Hayes Lemmerz leadership team, and some contact info. With the severe downturn in new car production, and what I expect to be excess plant capacity, Hayes Lemmerz has got to be hurting for some side business to fill the gap. Who knows, maybe if they get enough requests, they’ll make the Spyder wheel again!
Hayes Lemmerz Leadership Team Members:
Fred Bentley
Chief Operating Officer
President, Global Wheel Group
Marc Hendrickx
Vice President
Business Development
Donald Hampton
Vice President
North American Operations
Donald Kaiser
Vice President
Quality and Operational Excellence
Pieter Klinkers
Vice President
Sales and Marketing