Author: Paul Cowland
No project or resto is truly finished, until it’s on the right footwear, reckons Cowland
We’ve all seen it – and it’s genuinely spoilt our day at the car show or coffee meet of our choice. You walk up to beautiful classic, its polished flanks glistening in the winter sun. Your first impression is of its perfect straightness, the clarity of the glass, but as you get nearer, Horror of Horrors. The wheels chosen are TOTALLY unsuitable for the build. And that’s it. It’s all ruined now. You may even have to leave early and spend time with the family. Heaven forbid.
The effect that the right (or wrong) set of wheels can have on a car’s demeanour, stance and character should never be underestimated. Of all the things that you can do to your classic, visually, and allied to how your car sits, they are the single most important change or improvement that you can make. And what’s interesting is that, most of us can instinctively tell in a nano-second whether a car is on the right shoes or not. It’s like looking at a human face. We immediately know whether the proportions are visually agreeable, or otherwise. It’s hard wired.
The manufacturers spend many months and many millions getting it right, and it’s easy to think of OEM examples where the designers were so perfectly on the money that the results are truly iconic. The 15″ Speedlines on the 1.9 version of the Peugeot 205 GTi, for example, or the sculpted lines of the 3-spokes that adorn a late ’80s Range Rover Vogue SE. How can these designs ever be bettered?
Familiarity can also equate to beauty. See a particular wheel on a particular car enough times, and your brain will mentally tie them together. Lotus fitted many wheels to the Esprit over the years, but nothing quite suits the shape like the none-more-period Wolfrace GKN slots. And after all, if it was good enough for Bond…
Generally speaking then, most cars look good on their factory wheels. Where it all starts to get tricky though, is when we look to the aftermarket, or fitting other wheels from other ranges to the car of our choice. Certain combinations are easy. Any 4 spoke RS wheel on a Mk1 or Mk2 Escort works and works beautifully. Ditto, pretty much any later Capri. But stick those same wheels on a Mk3 or Mk4 Escort however? And they simply don’t. Certain eras mix. And some REALLY won’t.
It’s the same with classic Minis. There’s a reason so many people reach for a Minilite style wheel and arch combo. Because if you’re spending all that money, you want a package that looks right. And thanks to Mr Hopkirk and his ilk, that’s probably a look that will never leave us. In fact, if you’re looking for a sure-fire way to score a visual hit on your project of choice, aping the contemporary competition machinery, if there was such a thing, is an easy win. Don’t believe me? Show me any Focus RS on white OZs, Classic Impreza on 5-Spoke Gold Speedlines or Skyline on Enkeis and I’ll show you an owner that’s getting snapped for Insta on their way home. Classic combos, all.
It’s been brought home to me over the last few weeks as I’ve been trying to find wheels for my own projects. I’m lucky enough to have a couple of real peaches on the go at the moment; one being a true ‘survivor’ ’70s modded GT Beetle, complete with period fitted Kamei spoilers and Cobra seats, and my FOTU attendee 1996 ‘sadface’ Fiesta LX. Daft as it sounds, these are quite tricky cars to get the ‘right’ wheels for.
The Beetle is an interesting period and style. Done in the fashion of 1970s motoring mags it has a very unique aesthetic. Built in period on Wolfrace slot mags, it now sits on its factory-fitted GT Beetle steel wheels. But what to fit now? The plethora of ‘Cal Look’ wheels that are so easy to buy won’t look right, as they’re for a very different time and design period. And as for the Fiesta, it’s a Ford from the height of 90s swoopiness, when ‘The Macarena’ topped the charts and every panel was perfectly curved, meaning that there really aren’t many wheel styles that work.
As is often the case, Ebay has proven to be a veritable goldmine of rareties, and after clicking through literally thousands of listings I came across a right-for-the-time set of Allycat cross spokes for the Beetle, which while needing a refurb and sort out will look absolutely beautiful on the car. Unlike the Wolfrace, they’re also the exact right offset for a Beetle, which will be great news come MoT time. 10mm of ‘poke’ may have been the done thing in 1970s Britain, but it’s not going to cut the mustard these days.
And as for the Fiesta? Well, there I’ve managed to find the rarest of the rare. A genuine set of Ford accessory 14 inch ‘RS’ 3 spokes that will look like an old lady went car shopping with her grandson. All purple and floral print up top, and all 90s accessory pages below. Sounds like an excuse for a mild drop and colour coding the bumpers to me.
Whatever your current project is, have a long hard think about the wheels. Whether it’s a resto or custom path that you’re taking, a little time spent choosing, sorting and restoring the right wheels will make all the difference in the world. You wouldn’t wear your wellies to a black-tie do, so don’t expect your car too, either
Have your own thoughts on choosing the perfect wheels for a project or resto? We’d love to hear from you below.
