The Victor Derrington steering wheel was made using a multi-layered laminate of mahogany and obeechi (obeche) or white maple. This made for a beautiful rim with contrasting colors. While others copied this design, they often fell short with the quality of the wood, sometimes using just a marine plywood. Still, even with an original Derrington rim, the colors were sometimes compromised by the very nature of a ply laminate construction. Laminates of this type were constructed with veneers laid with the grain direction running perpendicular to the one below it. This approach displays end grain around a significant portion of the rim, reducing the beauty of both the grain and color. This is particularly troublesome today when the wood has had its colors muddled from age and exposure.

Whether re-wooding an original Derrington steering wheel or creating a whole new replica, a Lempert Derrington style laminate rim is made to a higher level. We have developed a process that, while more complex and labor intensive than a simple plywood, results in a spectacularly beautiful rim without the downside of a typical laminate. All layers of a Lempert laminate rim are cut from bent wood wrappings, resulting in the grain always appearing the same all the way around the perimeter of the rim. We start with two wood wrappings; one mahogany and one beech, then slice the rings into thick veneers. The veneers are then surfaced to precise thicknesses and the two types of woods are then laminated in alternating fashion. The last layer, the top of both front and rear are then applied using a select mahogany cut very precisely to expose beautiful ray flake grain.