This is the very desirable Porsche Carrera 2 teak rimmed steering wheel that was fitted to the Carrera 2 of 1962 & 1963. Pleas view my gallery pictures to see how accurately I have reproduced the rim. Customers can send me a donor plastic T6 wheel for this rim conversion. The plastic is removed as well as the internal tubular steel rim and replaces with a sturdy bar rim which better allows for wood application. If need be, or the customer just prefers, the spokes can be re-plated in the exact way that the original C2 wheels were finished. The plating process was different from the plastic rimmed wheels. I have worked with a plating expert to identify the approach taken for the original C2 wheels and we have been able to perfectly replicate it.

The teak Carrera 2 wheel was produced by VDM and the rims were made in the 1960s at a shop operated by a gent named Zimber. These were a limited production and the originals are much coveted today. The rims required special tooling, which is one of the reasons they have never been accurately reproduced until now. I have had tooling custom made specifically for this rim and the complex joints found 36 times in each rim. But it's more than just getting the joints right; to do this rim accurately it has to have just the right amount of imperfection.

The rims were constructed of four layers, three teak and one ebony, always in the same order. Nine separate wood segments made up each layer, each having the very steep v-joint. If you were to take the time that I have to study several original examples, you would find that there were inconsistencies. The joints pointed in different directions, sometimes the point of the V-joint didn't even appear throughout an entire layer. As a rim maker and craftsman, I understand the reasons for these inconsistencies. The layers were resawn from larger rings and then surface sanded to proper thickness. Many times the V was not centered in the layer, and sometimes not even present, leaving only a slanted scarf type joint. The top layer is most interesting in that it took on slightly different appearances from rim to rim.

You'll notice on the top layer there is a "tongue", as I call it. This tongue's shape is the result of where in the layer the V-joint appeared. When the V center was closer to the top, the tongue was rather short, and sometimes barely present; if the V was toward the bottom half of the layer, the tongue would be very long. On many rims the tongues were of different lengths and appearances due to the re-saw and surfacing processes lacking precision.

I have made this replica rim to incorporate all of those inconsistencies at random in order to create the most accurate replica rim possible. Not only the joints, but the shape of my rim is correct, from the curves to the finger indents. This rim by Mike Lempert is truly indistinguishable from an original. Other attempts at replication that I have seen not only get the joints wrong, but the rims are usually too fat and incorrectly shaped. Please study the pictures to get the best appreciation for the level of craftsmanship that went into this rim reproduction.

The wood is genuine teak (Tectona Grandis) and a fine macassar ebony. All joints are bonded with black adhesive as original. The finish is hand a rubbed hybrid varnish over a tung/resin mix which provides a fine, furniture-like finish, yet is very durable.

Please make comparisons using pictures of the original rim in the below gallery and pictures from my replica rims in the other galleries; I'm sure you'll agree that this is an excellent and exceedingly accurate replication. Please contact Mike at woodrims@gmail.com for pricing details and current build schedule.