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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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Not too hot for any of these, but the deep dish is OK.
Personal favorites not shown…..triple reverse painted the color of the car and with a baby moon cap. Also a big fan of ET Torque thrust, and Studebaker/Avanti repop of the Hilman magnesium style from back in the 60’s.
Like others, I cannot stand Any of them! How about more to choose from?
The Fuchs are the only tasteful ones, in the bunch.
Nope to all of them, the black wheels being the worst. Black wheels make a car look like a cheap base model.
I do not like any of them
I am partial to the original Keystone Classics.
The American Racing Torq Thrust wheels on my1967 Camaro look better than any of those.
Being a vintage Porsche guy gotta vote for the Fuchs . No chrome please
Most poverty caps are better than these.
I ure like the Magnum 500 wheels from the 70s , always a good look !
Staggered Rally style steelies with chrome beauty rings and center caps does it for me. Look up Mobsteel rims out of Detroit, amazing steel wheel selection. Also original mesh Enkei 98’s look great on my “Z”illager project van!;)
american racing wheels are on my malibu SS, magnum 500s are on my AMX when I,m not running the Pacer mags that amc used on the last pacers I wouldn,t put any of the new wheels you showed on anything I own
american racing wheels are on my malibu SS, magnum 500s are on my AMX when I,m not running the Pacer mags that amc used on the last pacers I wouldn,t put any of the new wheels you showed on anything I own
I thought being 76 years old would make me hate them as an old guy not with the times. Finally I am not alone.
You can’t go wrong with Cragar SS or Keystone Classics, ’nuff said!