A once popular accessory - the steering wheel cover
05/14/2017
Today, most cars already have a steering wheel with a leather cover and a thick rim that is easy to grip, and some manufacturers even go overboard. In the past, however, in the seventies and eighties, when steering wheels were made of plastic and often had a very thin rim, many car owners resorted to steering wheel covers from the aftermarket. This "refinement" was about grip quality, but also about looks, although the tinkering efforts did not always result in an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
When I started driving my father's Datsun 160B at the end of the seventies, a leatherette steering wheel cover like this was definitely worth a few francs to me, because the standard steering wheel with its smooth, thin rim was not convincing in either summer or winter. The cover was one of the practical extras that were added to the car, as was the wide-angle mirror, which was attached to the normal interior mirror to improve rearward visibility. Then there were the famous C-boxes for the audio cassettes, loudspeakers on the rear shelf and a more powerful radio tape with at least twice ten watts. And then you were happy.
A quick search shows that these steering wheel covers are still available, at least on Amazon.de in various colors and designs. And what used to be called artificial leather is now called microfiber leather. Whether it absolutely has to be a pink cover remains to be seen ...
