There can’t be a fan of vintage sports car racing anywhere in the world who doesn’t know the iconic “Minilite” wheel on sight. This 8-spoke wheel design got its name for the car it was originally developed for-none other than the Mini Cooper, one of the most surprising successes the racing world has ever seen. First appearing in 1962 and originally made of magnesium, the original BMC design proved so popular that there were imitators all over the world overnight, and soon the same design was showing up on all kinds of cars; they graced everything from SCCA-style Triumphs, MGs, Alfa Romeos and the like to big, high-horsepower rompers like the Trans Am Mustangs. They remain as popular today as then, on the same types of cars that once wore them-which, one could argue, are even more popular today than back then!
And yet, this wheel design was missing from the HO slot car world…that is, until now! Thanks to our friends at Vincent Wheel in Germany, this timeless design is now available in miniature, and you can bet your humble blogger was jonesing to try them out!
But, what car to put them on? They would look good on almost anything, but I didn’t want to start tearing wheels off my cars willy nilly; I needed a test car, and I set my sights once again on my poor, abused little blue Cheetah.
This battered Aurora original with the mended screw posts has been bounced around my collection like a red-headed step child for years now; fortunately it has had its moment in the sun here on this blog, being the subject of not one but two posts when it was running with The Road Crew. However, after all that, I’ve now reconfigured it again! Referencing once again my recent decision to blow the lid off my 64-car fleet limit, fitting it to a brand new, super-hot light brown Ultra G chassis just like the one it used to ride on. This, then, was the car that got the first set of these wheels, a worthy reward, I think, for the indignations she’s suffered as a sports car “test mule.”
Well, how do you like her now???
These wheels were sized “C” and “E”, “E” being the biggest and widest size Vincent makes; I normally use “C” and “D” on my cars which most closely approximate the sizes used by Road Race Replicas for their custom wheels, since I want consistency, but there are exceptions to this, and I know the design of the Cheetah body would not only accommodate the widest wheels at the rear but would also look great in them. I was right, though I chose to forgo the Vincent tires and shoe them with RRR full-sized silicone tires, my favorite tires that I use whenever I have the clearance to do so.
In terms of Lore, since this car’s original name, identity and racing number were reassigned to its patriotically themed linemate, she’ll need a new name and a new driver, which I haven’t come up with yet, although she has been reassigned racing number 71 with a black on orange roundel that looks great against the blue body. As a test, this is a success! The wheels look great, and you can bet I’ll be ordering many more of this style in the near future for numerous other cars in my fleet!
The blue Cheetah is back, y’all: who wants some?!
It’s amazing that it took so long to start making these great looking wheels. I love the history and thanks for pointing out these often unsung heroes of the racing world!