A "suicide knob" (or Brodi knob) is, in this case, a spherical handle attached to a vehicle's steering wheel to enable easy, one-handed turning and improved control. Common in heavy equipment, trucks, and tractors, these aftermarket accessories aid drivers with limited mobility. They are also known as steering wheel spinners, necker knobs, or granny knobs, and are often installed with clamps that require no tools. And some, as you can see below, --especially those made of resin or clear plastic-- are equally graced with images of lovely naked ladies. Judging by the glamorous model's look and photography style, I'd say this one is from around the late 50's or early 60's... and there's certainly nothing "granny" about those knobs!
4 comments:
Wild. I've never seen one of these. Coming from the era of manual transmissions--at least in the subcompacts we could afford--I just naturally learned how to do everything one-handed. And yet, I can see how it might benefit the disabled. Not sure how it helps truckers, though. I'm not sure I'd rely on this thing's grip on the wheel to hold firm when wrestling so many tons of freight from one lane to another. Next time I'm on the highway, I'm gonna be haunted by the idea that the drivers around me are doing just that.
I kind of meant to identify some way I could use one of these around the house for this comment, though. Because I'm also attracted to scuffed-up old gadgets decorated with pin-ups trapped in Lucite. But I've come up with nothing. No pressurized hatches, no arcade claw machines. There is a strange lack of rotating wheels in my life.
Hell, I don't even own a car.
"Suicide Knob" is a good name for this, because if I attached it in my car I think the distraction would certainly be dangerous!
This got some use, and the scuffed up nature of it just adds to the charm, and that's a pretty big knob ... to grasp ...
I wonder if this was an actual item or it came without a picture and you could put your own in there and then seal it? Is there a collector market for nudie cutie knobs?
.. and yes, good band name!
And now the unsolved mystery, where did this item originally come from? A truck stop, an under the counter item at a garage, was it custom made or mass produced, what are the origins of this driver's companion?
I wonder if this item was available from Pep Boys back in the sixties or seventies, or The J C Whitney Catalog. J C Whitney seemed to carry almost every car related item under the sun.
Thanks for the post of this obscure (obscure to me anyway) steering wheel addition.
She is a granny by now though.
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