Octagonal safety knock-offs

[MadRiver]

Howdy gang. Quick question -- when did U.S. laws require the switch over from knock-offs with ears to the octagonal "safety" knock-offs? I think it was sometime in 1968, yes? Thanks!

 

[beaulieu]

I know the Germans doid it way before 1968....

Beaulieu

 

[Steve_S]

1968 models and after.

 

[Keoke]

1967---US Imports---Keoke

 

[vping]

Two of my GT's 73 & 74 have Octagonal. My 72 midget had ears but I suspect after market. Still got em somewhere.

My 67 GT has eared.

 

[DrEntropy]

1968. First year for "save us from ourselves" rules.

Save pedestrians' shins from any damage.

 

[Keoke]

Healey production officially ended in 1967. Those 1967 cars and only those cars imported to the US had non eared knockoffs.---Keoke- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/yesnod.gif

 

[Steve_S]

Octagonal spinners were not introduced to the USA until the Mark II model for 1968. They were installed on US-bound cars until December 1967 when octagonal spinners were used to comply with US safety standards. These cars were the new Mark II model. Mark I cars never had octagonals from the factory.

In the UK, eared spinners continued to be used until nearly a year later, but by mid 1968 they too were changed to octagonals for pedestrian safety, as crazy as that sounds.

So technically yes, octagonals were installed by the factory in 1967, but it was on 1968 model cars.