PS for Derekpara: In cars of the 1930s (and for a couple of decades on) wheel loss like you described was not very unusual. My father, a motor dealer, once bought a Rover which was overtaken by its rear wheel when he was driving it. He repaired that. Next time he was out in it, he suddenly felt no friction in the steering wheel. In the course of use the wheel had gradually unscrewed itself from the steering column and so was 'turning' nothing but thin air.He was so surprised that he calmly screwed it back by hand without stopping, only to break out in a cold sweat later when he realised what could have happened!