<VV> Brodie knobs?

[Tony Underwood]

At 10:32 PM 11/29/2006, J R Read_HML wrote:
>We called them "suicide knobs" in my neck of the woods, so maybe?
>
>I thought (mistakenly?) that it was because it could fail or catch 
>in your sleeve and you could end up off the road or into another vehicle.
>
>This is what Wikipedia offers on the topic:
>
>A brodie knob (alternate spelling brody knob) is a knob that 
>attaches to the steering wheel of an automobile. The knob swivels, 
>and is intended to make steering with one hand less difficult. 
>Brodie knobs are also known as necker knobs, presumably because they 
>allow steering with one hand while the driver wraps his other arm 
>around his passenger's shoulders. Other names include Suicide Knob 
>and Steering Wheel Spinner.
>Although brodie knobs were never widely popular,


...and THIS is where Wiki drops the ball.

When I was a kid, nearly everybody's car had a "wheelspinner knob" on 
it.   Grandpa's '41 Dodge had one, the '49 Chevy belonging to the 
teacher across the street had one, the Hudson across the alley in 
back had one, as did the Studebaker next door to him... as did the 
'48 Desoto next door to us.    The shiny bright baby-blue under white 
'53 Bel-Air two houses up (gorgeous car, old Mr Dillon took very good 
care of it) didn't have one, which brought up the question of why the 
Chevy didn't have the knob on it.    "I don't know.   Ask Mr 
Dillon".     (I was kinda scared of Mr Dillon so I didn't ask)


I thought cars came with them...  then again I was a little kid and 
didn't know much more than I know now.



tony..     saw one on a 'Vair at a show some years ago.