The chromed lattice wheels were never offered by the factory as an option in the US. Dealerships, however, often had them chromed but it was not factory authorized. Same goes for wheel arch and sill chrome strips.

The only factory option for chromed wheels in the US was the MY95 (and possibly 96), these were the five spoke 16" design.

Cheers,

Allan

 

Thanks Allan,
I also have the Flying Cat hood ornament, Was that added also?
My '87 XJ-SC has the wheel trim (mouldings). It looks factory?

 

Nope, as mentioned above chrome wheel arches (mouldings) were never offered by the factory. It is quite common to see them on cars in the US but they are aftermarket often added by dealers to give the car an extra bit of bling.

You will be surprised by how many owners believe they were factory fitted. It is a very common occurrence at Concours shows. The cars are penalized quite severely by the judges and many owners counter with "but that's how I bought it from the dealer!!"

Some less scrupulous people added the mouldings and sill covers later in life to hide rust spots before selling the cars

Cheers,

Allan

 

As per the Dr....

I have used and continue to use SONAX FULL EFFECT wheel cleaner....This product is truly amazing!!!

I do NOT use it every time, only periodically as I keep my wheel very clean not allowing a build up of dirt / brake dust etc.

A quick powerwash of the wheels then apply the product liberally and leave for a few mins, It goes on a green foam that reacts with the brake dust and turns a deep purple as it works.....You can actually see it working to break down the iron deposits and liquify them.

Generally, a thorough powerwash afterwards is unbelievably all thats needed. Personally I still get down close and personal by hand but its genuinesly not necessary.

I cannot receomend this product highly enough....try it, you won't regret it I promise you.