I’m an absolute sucker for aftermarket wheels, and most especially those from the 1980s and ‘90s. Prior to that era most aftermarket wheels were designed for motorsport prowess, but by the ‘80s, wheel designers seemed to be allowed to design primarily for style. The market for items to provide a unique look exploded to fit individual preferences, and wheel options along with them. Designers were throwing new wheel designs at the wall just to see what would stick.
In the case of this set of Borbets, they’ve gone with a faux-motorsport theme aping a traditional five-spoke center-lock wheel from any number of manufacturers. This wheel’s spokes concave inward with an angular break just outside the pentagonal center section. Obviously the center lock motif is faked on this wheel, as this is simply a center cap to cover the standard bolt pattern.
Up there is a similar set on an E30. Looks good, right?
This particular set of wheels caught my eye on eBay recently, as it is an extremely rare set of 16" Type As with a 5X130 Porsche-specific bolt pattern. With the fronts measuring 16x7.5" and the rears measuring 16X9", these are a significant increase in tire over most stock Porsche wheels of the era.
While I don’t currently have a Porsche that this set of wheels would look good on, they’d sure look great on a pre-facelift 928, 944, or perhaps a slant-nose 911 Turbo—provided proper spacers are used for each. The car has got to be a bit angular to work with these wheels, in my opinion.
What is your favorite aftermarket wheel from the ‘80s and ‘90s? I’ll bring you more of mine next weekend.