The Stepney Spare Wheel for motor cars was invented by T. M. Davies in 1904. With his brother Walter, T. M. Davies owned an ironmongery business in Llanelli. At the time, cars were made without spare wheels and T. M. Davies had the idea of producing a clamp-on device to act as a spare wheel. The invention was instantly popular and produced in numbers at the Llanelli factory. Sales abroad were aided by agencies and later a tyre factory in Walthamstow. From 1922, the company became the Stepney Tyres Ltd and the Llanelli factory closed, as manufacturers began to supply spare wheels with their motor cars.