I don't remember the sizes, but Mike Santiago's Model T speedster had small rear/tall front wires like that. It's a wonderful car.
theres a wire wheel thread on here somewhere that has a pic of a coupe with 18" fronts and 16" rear. I personally love the look and almost went this route with my roadster. ill see if I can dig it up
These aren't 18 and 16 but 17 front 15 rear so the difference is still 2 inches. Ed Lloyds build Babushka T
Jimmy Shine's pickup had 18" front, and 16" rears when it was built. He then changed to the current wheels. Pictures of it with the wire wheels are hard to find. I thought it looked good with the 16" rears, and the 18" fronts.
Take a look at the Specials thread. That approach to wheel diameters was not unknown in that world – though perhaps 19" fronts were more common. Here are a few: ... and best of all:
What's the point of big fronts and small backs? Is there a mechanical advantage? Otherwise it looks kind of goofy.
The idea, I think, is to maintain the same overall diameter all round, but have more tyre and less wheel at the back. To my eye this approach is more successful when not in conjunction with a classic hot rod rake.