PB asks: what is the best wheel design ever?
OK, so what’s the best wheel design the world has ever seen? The nicest looking wheel trim, hub cap, steelie or alloy wheel. This was the question posed by pillar of the PetrolBlog community, Peter Counsell, in a recent email. Quite rightly, Peter believed it was time PetrolBlog started the hunt to find the ultimate wheel.
It’s at this point that the smart alecks and smart alices will point out that the best wheel design is a round one. And yes, they’d have a point. But we’re looking for the design. The wheel that makes you go weak at the knees.
You’ll have discussed this very subject at the bar on a Friday night. Such conversations are usually heated and involve a fair amount of nodding and strange facial expressions. You know, that face you pull when someone reminds you of something very pretty or agreeable. Like Barbara Bach in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Anyway, moving on.
It’s time to settle the argument once and for all. We need to settle upon the most PetrolBloggy wheel design of all time. As our regular reader, you’ll know we’re not looking for the biggest, the blingiest (is that a word?) or the craziest. We’re not into 20-inch rims or 40-spoke designs encrusted with diamonds mined by unicorns. But hey, if they float your boat, put them forward.
To kick things off, PetrolBlog – in conjunction with Peter Counsell – is putting forward 18 designs that float our boat. There’s something for all here, unless you happen to think big and bling is the way to go.
Ladies and gentleman, choose your weapon. Actually, don’t do that. Choose your wheel instead. Tell us your favourite wheel by using the comments facility, tweeting us on Twitter or talking to us on Facebook. You can use the hashtag #PBWheel if you’ve got nothing better to do. We’ll then run a vote to find the most PetrolBloggy wheel design in the world. Ever.
And the vote may indeed involve Hobnobs.
Over to you…
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- Saab’s Inca alloy wheels
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- Fiat Strada – proof that wheel trims can rock
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- Alfa 164 Q4 – swoon
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- Fuchs – sublime
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- Delightful VW up!
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- Escort XR3 cloverleafs – 80s loveliness
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- Renault 18 Turbo – hell, yes
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- The lady approves of steel wheels
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- Stunning Starion wheels
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- Suzuki G70 – crazy concept wheels
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- Alfasud does everything right
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- Ford’s ‘Pepperpots’ – yes please
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- Kia Rio’s 5-spoke – surprisingly cool
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- Rostyle – gotta love ’em
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- Ford 4-spoke – timeless
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- Citroën Synergie – yes, really
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- AX GT – simplicity
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- Alfa Teledials – Italian perfection
All pics © manufacturers or PetrolBlog, except Ford 4-spoke © Veloce
25 Comments
I’m going to kick things off with the Ka three-spoke: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/file/fit/730×700//media/3158034/Ka3_RHD.jpg
That is an unexpected, but surprisingly good submission.
Bravo.
I hate the piece of plastic they put on steel wheels nowadays: it’s cheap and tacky.
Bring back the simplicity of plain old steel wheels.
http://www.nettally.com/jcarr/Autox/images/miata.jpg
Ooh, that pic makes a strong argument! Good work.
prize for the best plastic hubcaps goes to the mirage aero gt
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–OGj-J7Dc–/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/yistizypvnfemexfwobw.jpg
and although you have already listed most of my favorite wheel designs (inca, and various pepperpots), i think ronal turbos deserve an honorable mention for their use of the word TURBO on the rim itself.
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/GroteFoto-WJL3WT48.jpg
RONAL TURBO for the win. Excellent choice.
My vote goes to the Peugeot 205 1.6 GTi pepperpot alloy. Richard Hammond agrees too!
http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/hammond-drives-the-icons-peugeot-205-gti-18-07-2012?imageNo=3
Oh, that’s a very good shout!
Or the timeless classic, the BBS rs.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp154/sethpeterz/DOKA/DokaPhotos006-1.jpg
No, you’re all wrong, it’s the Toyota Will from the ‘my Spirograph set is one cog short of a spiral and appears to be stuck but somehow it works” school of design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_WiLL_Vi_002.JPG
or actually…..maybe just this one as another example of why Saabs are simply sublime
https://petrolblog.com/2014/10/end-for-3-spoke-alloy-wheel/3-spoke-alloys-saab-900-turbo/
Well that’s a surprising – but welcome entry. Good call!
For me it’s got to be the XM wheel trims, these ones in particular:
http://www.vehicules-hors-serie.fr/site%20Amicale%20Tissier/Images%20agrandies/images%20XM/XM_limousine_blanche_profil.jpg
(from here: http://www.vehicules-hors-serie.fr/site%20Amicale%20Tissier/menu_XM_limousines.htm)
Although while I was looking for pictures I came across this XM looking pretty on the Synergie’s three spoke trims:
http://c-forum.forumpro.fr/viewimage.forum?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmediastorage.classiccarsforsale.co.uk%2F5c%2Fc5cae%2F8982d%2F125d4%2Fe790c%2Fb1c28%2F61a05%2FPicture171_880x660.jpg%3F1359742071%26displayId%3D1002
That was in this large thread of big Citroen pictures (click at your own peril):
http://c-forum.forumpro.fr/t4128p675-il-etait-une-fois-les-grandes-citroen-hydrauliques
Some great pics there – I had a XM a few years ago, but it didn’t have alloys. I was always a big fan of the jelly-fish alloys that they did, superb design.
http://jvgavila.com/xm_big.jpg
Oh yes indeed.
Maserati Boomerang: http://www.carstyling.ru/resources/studios/1972_Italdesign_Maserati_Boomerang_18.jpg
/thread
Bloody hell, yes.
How about these lovely BBS 18 inch split rims as fitted to the Z4?
https://flic.kr/p/nbyMsq
Or, alternatively, these equally lovely items as found on the Alfa GT Blackline?
https://alfetta.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/gt_blackline_1.jpg
The Pirelli wheels off the Golf Gti: http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa172/bigrvg/15×6%20P%20Slots/DSC_0843_zpsa83d2335.jpg
No matter which year the Alpine A310 was made in it always sat on an amazing set of alloys: http://www.autozine.org/Archive/Renault/classic/A310.html
Ronal R8s found mainly on 80’s / 90’s Audi are rather nice, and available in a range of sizes from this:
http://www.audi-me.com/etc/medialib/ngw/brand/company_history/models/1965_1990/audi_80_b2.Par.0030.Image.jpg/704x396_4_90seitesilbermj84.jpg
to this:
http://carfreakz.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/07e373132daf2db46c2fcf607d599d3b.jpg
(I’m hoping thse links work okay).
Difficult one. Especially since it usually depends on the car.
These steelies probably wouldn’t look that special, if it wasn’t because they were attached to a Bertone:
http://www.alfaholics.com/old_cms_pics/447017f2f21edd20736fc994e64de8b2.jpg
They get my vote nonetheless.
I do like the Teledials on the Alfa 156 though, if we’re talking more modern day cars.
I think I just like Alfa Romeo in general.
I thought the ones on the Laborghini Athon looked nice too, particularly the handling of the wheel nuts:
http://www.lambocars.com/images/prototypes/athon5.jpg
Saab Aero’s every time 🙂 Either those or the 4 – hole ones (don’t know the name) found on the Golf GTi … for some reason they remind me of the spools of a cassette tape!