| Formula Steering Wheel With a name like "Formula Steering Wheel" in a Trans Am, it almost sounds like the cart was put before the horse. Here was the a steering wheel named after the Trans Am's cousin. Shouldn't the best steering wheel have been named the "Trans Am" steering wheel?
Whatever the chosen name, the Formula steering wheel was almost the perfect appliance to point your Trans Am in the desired direction. The 14-inch diameter was small enough to take advantage of the T/A's quick reflexes and just thick enough to hold onto without your fingers wrapping around too far. The wheel, aside from color changes remained basicly unchanged for it's 12-years of usage.
The wheel was available in colors that matched the interior; unlike the 3rd and 4th generation wheels that are available in any color you want as long as it's black. The spokes were available in a black finish, a natural finish, or in the gold finish of the SE's and LE's. Horn caps mimicked the wheel rim color, and on the special models, the bird in the center was unique to the model.
The wheel rim section was held to a cast aluminum collar that was finished with a "crinkle" paint treatment. Allen head bevel screws attached the wheel to the collars and were coated with a "thread locking" material to keep the threads from backing out. After all, it would be bad news to require your customers to periodicly tighten the steering wheel.
From 1970 to 1972, the steering wheels included a stitched wrapping, but beginning in 1973 the wheel rims were made of a rubberized vinyl with a simulated leather covering, right down to the fake stitching. On 10th Anniversary models, the wheel was treated to a real leather covering, complete with genuine stitching! The leather was a medium gray color to match the horn button and most of the other interior appointments.
The spokes were done in a semi-machined finish with the left and right spokes having a straight accross pattern, and the vertical spoke having it's grain going up-down crossing the left-right pattern behind the horn button. Most cars received a low gloss black finish, a natural silver finich on 10th Anniversary models, and as mentioned above, the SE and LE's were given a gold tone.
This steering wheel was indeed near perfect. My only complaint with the wheel is that angle of the non-tilt wheel obscures the speedometer with the top of the wheel rim when going straight ahead. Then again I'm a short guy so this might not be a problem for those of you who are not vertically challenged. | 
