Steering-wheel shaft forming an anti-theft lock element

A lockable steering-wheel shaft comprising a longitudinally-extending cylindrical hollow tubular body (1) which has a circular cross-section and which has at a first end thereof an extension having a diameter smaller than that of said body and forming a steering-wheel support (2);

• said body and said steering-wheel support being connected by a tapered body portion (4);
• wherein a wall of the body has a profiled part (8) forming, on the one hand, directly in the body's outside face and adjacent said tapered body portion (4) in a direction away from said first end, a plurality of longitudinal receiving and locking grooves (10) having inner bottoms (14) which are connected at first ends thereof to said outside face by tapered portions (17), and which have opposite second ends extending into said tapered body portion (4);
• and wherein said grooves (10) form a locking element for an anti-theft catch (24), are distributed over the body's entire circumference and have a radial depth at least equal to an initial wall thickness of the tubular body;
• said profiled part (8) forming, on the other hand, in the body's inside face, a plurality of regularly and circumferentially spaced longitudinal projections (16, 36) projecting radially inwardly;
• said steering-wheel shaft further comprising two telescopic shaft portions in the form of half-shafts, an outer half-shaft forming the cylindrical body (1) with the profiled part forming the locking element (8), and an inner half-shaft having an outside profile which complements that of an inner face of said locking element.