When the spare wheel was still on the road
02/22/2020
The picture shows a Peugeot Type PB1 "Bébé", built in 1912, with a spare wheel on the front right wheel.
This "Stepney Spare Wheel" was invented at the beginning of the 20th century by the brothers Walter and Thomas Morris Davies from Llanelli, Wales, and exported all over the world by their company Stepney Iron Mongers.
Advertisement from "Der Motorfahrer" No. 38 of 19 September 1913
The "Stepney Spare Wheel" consisted only of the rim with the tire, and could be attached to the outside of the defective wheel in the event of a puncture without removing it from the axle.
Advertisement in "Der Motorfahrer" No. 40 of October 4, 1907: "Pneumatic defects on the highway are no longer a horror for those who carry a Stepney Auto Spare Wheel."
The manufacturer quoted a customer: "The feeling of no longer having to mount tires in the event of pneumatic defects on the road doubles the pleasure of driving a car."
Later, car manufacturers began to carry one or more spare wheels on the mudguards or at the rear.
From the 1950s to modern times, they were carried in the trunk, underneath or in the engine compartment, and many modern cars are delivered with a tire repair kit only.
In some countries today, the term "stepney" is used for service personnel who shirk their work...
