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Fancy Footwork: 8 Cool Wheels from Autorama
Every year since 1964, hot-rod builders from all over North America have travelled to Michigan to pursue “the Nobel Prize of hot-rodding,” the Don Ridler Memorial Award, at the Detroit Autorama. Any participant in the three-day event is eligible, as long as the vehicle is operable and has never appeared at any other show.
Winning the Ridler requires a car with an impeccable attention to detail. Builders go to great lengths to leave no stone unturned, powdercoating and chroming chassis bits that you would never see without the help of a mirror or two. One of the most important details to get right on a car are the wheels. As a certified wheel dork, I love seeing the creativity and variety of cool rolling stock at the Detroit Autorama. Here’s a look at some of our favorite wheels from last weekend’s show.
Meshtastic
Pro-touring builds answer the question, “What if we take a vintage muscle car and make it perform like a modern one?” The style, which originated in the mid 1990s and saw a boom in the 2010s with outfits like the Ringbrothers, borrows heavily from motorsports—both aesthetically and parts-wise. And nothing says motorsports quite like mesh wheels. The mesh-style wheel was pioneered by Jim Hall, the creator of the Can Am Chaparral race cars, and later copied endlessly by companies such as BBS and CCW. (Hall reportedly regrets not securing the intellectual rights for the design). The multi-spoked, forged-aluminum CCW LM20s on this Road Runner are probably as no-nonsense as a mesh wheel can get.
Many, Many Spokes
Speaking of spokes, Autorama had plenty of them, especially in the lowrider section. Wire wheels, particularly of the small-diameter 100-spoke variety, have long been a staple of cars that bounce up and down on hydraulics. (That said, one of the most famous lowriders rides on Cragars). The wheels featured here are not Daytons, the century-old manufacturer that is the Kleenex of wire wheels, but rather Luxors, a more recent American brand.
Deep Dish
The 1939 Ford, like many prewar cars, has bulbous, pontoon-like fenders that could fit a lot of wheel and tire. And many enterprising hot-rodders and customizers have done exactly that—whether to fit a big slick to put the power down or just to fill the void for aesthetic purposes. This particular Deluxe Coupe goes wild with width. The 19-inch forged aluminum Boze Alloy rear wheels are 12 inches wide.
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Big Blades
If you are going to spend the BIG BUCKS necessary to build a highly customized contender for Autorama, you might as well go all the way with some one-off wheels. The owner of this 1990 GMC truck took inspiration from the fourth-generation Corvette’s “Saw Blade” wheels, albeit in a much larger diameter. The wheels, which are 20 x 8 inches up front and 20 x 11 in the rear, were designed and machined from billet aluminum by Sage Speed & Custom.
Fuchs for the People
Fuchs wheels might be more associated with Porsche, as they were a factory option, but the fat five-spokes are also popular with the modified Volkswagen crowd. The chrome Fuchs on this Karmann Ghia contrast nicely with its matte lavender paint.
Real Steel
This GT-2 Camaro race car was way more go than show. Sports Car Club of America Grand Touring classes are for tube-framed “silhouette” cars that don’t have much in common with their road-going siblings. Although cars in the GT-2 class can run any size wheel and tire, so long as they don’t exceed 12 inches of width in the front and 13.75 inches in the rear, this car runs 15-inch-diameter steel wheels made by Basset. Basset wheels have long been popular with circle-track racers and road racers alike, because of their durability and relative affordability.
Satisfying Symmetry
Work, a Japanese brand known for making high-quality aftermarket wheels since 1977, has always been a master at radial symmetry. These Work Equip 40s really do it for me, especially because the number of lug holes matches the number of spokes.
Put It All on Red
I’d like to think that the riff from Motörhead’s 1980 speed metal classic “Ace of Spades” inspired this choice of hubcap. I know that song is more about cards rather than roulette, but lead singer Lemmy Kilmister, who was a fan of all types of gambling, likely would have approved.
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Can’t stand any of them.
Agree – don’t like any of them, but if forced to pick I’d go with Real Steel. In my bood, wheels should be shiny!
Totally agree Roberto. Where’s the bling!
DITTO !!
A big helping of “Nope”!
It looks like they tried to “reinvent the wheel” and failed.
none of them
None of these will take use/abuse that my Forge Line wheels have been subjected to. Nor will they be as lightweight and beautiful .
None of these vehicles are designed to take use and abuse. They’re all show-floor queens.
I agree with Jack. Different does not make them better. I would rather have a old style steel wheel with a decent hubcap than any of this stuff.
Right on Jack and Roberto
Simply throwing money at something rarely makes it better. Everything here is screaming “look at me”, and I just want to look away.
Make your wheel as light and strong as possible, then dress it with a nice plain, domed or flat, poverty cap. Classic, timeless, simple.
The Vette style turbines are cool- rest are middling to yuck
Absolutelly agree! Chrome wheels makes me vomit.
Stay away from car shows. That might be best for everyone.
Ditto. If I’m forced to pick among these awful choices, Deep Dish. Wheels are a personal choice but are also closely tied to specific vehicles. What looks good on what car, may not on another. Can we have better choices?
Agreed!
I agree. Not a fan of any of those!
Double Ditto…
Pass on all of them
Agreed! Give me an old school set of Crager S/S, Keystone’s, American Racing Mags, or Torq Thrust’s, depending on the car they are going on, and I’m good to go!
I am on board. Keystones or American, 5 charcoal spokes, satin polished (no chrome ever) rims, maybe a spider center cap.
Yep
Neither can I ! The ones on the Camaro are the only ones I would want
wouldn’t have any of em on anything I own
I agree these rims look Cheap to me–
Agreed, I am of old school, and in the 80’s, my pick was always the solid Center Line wheels. Though they don’t cool off the brakes as well, I still use them on all my classics. They also clean up easily !!
That makes two of us Jack. I’ve never seen so many ugly wheels.
I agree. Yuck.
Miss the classic wire wheels.
All hideous.
i agree. what about classic cragers
LUUUUUUVVVVVV my C4 “Sawblades”!!!!!1
None of those wheels make the vehicles look good. But I’m old, and still like Cragar mags! 😂
Classics, along with Keystone Kustom
yup, Cragar SS everytime.
Cragar SS. Been my favorite since the 60’s
No wheel has ever looked better!
You got it, Cragar today and everyday!
Whatever happened to Rocket wheels? They looked similar to Cragar SS, but with the subtle differences I liked them better than the Cragar.
Joe, You do know that the Cragar wheels you speak of were not actually made of magnesium, right?
Same here. Real wheels mounted on real cars and trucks.
You are so correct Joe. Cragar SS best looking wheels ever.
Definitely like the deep dish and Cragars. My favorite is the BBS mesh for BMW. To me black wheels are not attractive too dull.
BBS with many spokes reminds me of an architecture style from many centuries ago, called Rococo. See the link: https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=07ed4e611c1941a0&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1055US1055&q=rococo&udm=2&fbs=ABzOT_BYhiZpMrUAF0c9tORwPGlsjfkTCQbVbkeDjnTQtijddMtUi1tIuK0dGtaRH-mto4far6JEqL0OoC455CwXZ-ZiBNentTTkkezb2VcJBkqw31ouVNZJuN5kCj74pxUx-foC25BNB0y33rQNYhA94NCgoL3zahynONoMuvadsmztBUEZxX2R2Zx5V8TJS0_eEZOCtwOarnX7GqeWduj_SeRzKwtOPg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj61NLJj_aLAxXSw_ACHYeFHdUQtKgLegQIEhAB&biw=1280&bih=585&dpr=1.5
Only the black rims intrigue me of the ones shown here. On the right vehicle, I really like those old school jet engine fan blade rims. I don’t think you can go wrong with the standard 5 slot mags on nearly any vehicle. It’s like a good suit, always classy.
I agree as well, nothing but ugly, silly attempts at something different. Unfortunately the result is that some look alike. Many have so little metal remaining in their center areas one wonders if they have enough strength left in them to take a corner hard and fast. Can’t imagine how vehicles handle with an inch of side wall. Give me old school cragers or GM rallys and day. Nothing like classic beauty. And white letters should be turned out, not in.
None of them can beat the good old 5 spoke torque thrust. (time less)
Agreed.
So true. The current fad favoring 22″+ wheels with O-Ring tires cannot pass quickly enough, and the thinner the spoke, the worse they look. The only tolerable wheel in the group would be the “Real Steel” wheel simply because it is closer to the type of wheel that has always looked best on cars.
Completely agree.
Every time, all the time
You beat me to it!
Cragers are on my list also. Gimme 5 spokes!
Really don’t like any for production cars .
I agree.
Fuchs, man, Fuchs. I don’t like ’em polished, but Fuchs are always cool. Otherwise, I road race wheels. Halibrand, Cragar Torq Thrust Mags, etc.
I’m more of an “all original” kind of guy… but if I had to pick one style of wheel it would be the “Many, Many Spokes”, but it would have to be on the right kind of car and not just on any jalopy.
Agree.
Nope
Don’t like any of those.
All of them remind me of gaudy gas station velveteen “art.” Bad taste prominently displayed. The least offensive in this bunch, I’d say, is the Real Steel mostly because it suits the style of car its on. Eye of the beholder, for sure, but aren’t some eyes better than others?