Hubcap Collections

Q Am I the only one collecting hubcaps? I can find and buy them but I have little history about when they were first used and how styles differ?

A There are many collectors of hubcaps, wheel covers and other car parts. Hubcaps are literally caps for the hub of a wheel. The early cars had wheels with wooden spokes connecting the outer steel rim to the center hub. The hub was filled with grease and the hub cap was used to keep the grease in place. Steel wire spokes replaced the wooden ones in the 1920s and they too needed a hubcap. In 1934 Cadillac added a stainless steel disc that covered most of the spokes and was held by a hubcap. Cadillac changed to a wheel like the one used today in 1938 and enlarged the hubcaps into wheel covers. But the name hubcap was still used. In 1950 the chromed Cadillac hubcaps were so popular they were being stolen off the cars. Aluminum hubcaps were next. They were light weight and gave the car less weight and added speed. The 1970s was the beginning of plastic hubcaps that looked like aluminum caps. By the 1980s plastic replaced almost all of the steel hubcaps. So collectors can search online or at flea markets or car accessories auctions for metal or plastic hubcaps with different car logos.