[ROVERNET - UK] Rover P6 wheels on EBAY

[S Manwell]

Rudiger,

These are Magstar wheels.  They were accessories for North American 
market P6 Rovers in roughly 1966 through 1968.  They were made for Rover 
North America by Kelsey Hayes before Rostyle wheels were available from 
the UK.  Kelsey Hayes has been making wheels for many different auto 
manufacturers since at least the 1920's.  The other well known 
application for Magstars was the Shelby-modified Ford Mustangs 
(different rim size and bolt pattern though).

Magstar wheel center caps are available from Shelby Mustang sources, but 
for some reason they have a cobra head where the viking ship should be.

To answer the bolt pattern question that always comes up next, the Rover 
Magstars have the same bolt pattern and stud size as the standard P6 
wheel, but they require unique lug nuts.  The chrome Magnum500 wheel, on 
the other hand, requires a different hub with different bolt circle and 
different size lug nuts.  The Magnum 500 was offered at the same time as 
an option for NADA Rover 2000's and also made by Kelsey Hayes for 
Rover.  The similar-looking chrome Rostyle wheel replaced this wheel as 
an option sometime in 1968 and, thankfully, it fits the standard P6 hub.

Taking a further step into the obscure, the Magnum500 was also an option 
on many other American cars from each of the major makes including GM.  
I speculate that GM would not allow Kelsey Hayes to supply Magnum 500's 
to Rover with the P6 bolt circle, because many (most?, all?) GM cars 
used the same pattern.  I don't believe any GM cars used the Magstar 
wheel, so that may explain why it does use the P6 bolt pattern.

Obscuriously,

Steve Manwell

RoverP6 at gmx.de wrote:

># 4632995769
>
>"Kelsey Hayes" wheels?
>
>Rudiger
>www.RoverP6.info
>
>
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