Of all the cars and wheels in this thread, I like the GTB about the least. Even though they are the preferred (to me) center-laced construction, they just look dinky compared to the visual mass of the car -- like a low rider on undersized wheels. I think 14" wheels were a really bad idea all over the world!
I'm with 50Fraud on the 14" wheels - never could figure out why. The 250LM and the 275 Ferraris had an odd 32mm hub to boot. I must have had about 150 Borranis of all sorts which I bought as a job lot for about $5 per wheel - in the late 1970s. In the mix were 16" Borranis from a 250 Testa Rossa and a set of 7x15" and 8x15" with 32mm hub which I thought looked familiar - turns out they were from a Ferrari 250P race car which I crewed on - well - gophered on to be more accurate, when it was new. The name of the owner was still written on the inside rims....
I still remember my dad taking me to look at a silver grey Lusso in a back room at a car dealers in West Vancouver when I was a kid. Wasn't for sale, belonged to one of my dads friends. Man what a beautiful car. This was about 1970, and as we were coming off the Second Narrows bridge on the way over, I saw a red Dodge Daytona with Ansen Sprints going the other way. A Lusso and a Dodge Daytona in one day, I'd call that a pretty good day any time.
If the question was, "What is the best looking car of all time," I think that a Lusso would be a pretty good answer.
. A later version of the lip laced style Borrani wheels. 1968 Monteverdi 375 S. Frua coachwork, Chrysler 440 V8 power. .
As you know, photos dont do them justice. That was the first time I had seen one in the flesh so to speak, in the back of this building, flickering florescent lights, slightly dusty car cover peels back, whoh! That was 40 some odd years ago, and I still remember that car cover coming off like it was yesterday. Funny thing is, I cant remember the first time I saw a woman step out of her clothes, but I still remember the "unveiling" of that Lusso. Car guys are a sick breed...
My take is that Borrani wheels work best with blackwalls, if you are rollin' wide whites, Daytons rule...
sometimes...wonder what wires would look like-(to keep on topic)? edit** Mmmm, no on the wires on that car, photoshop confirmed
This is truly an interesting subject. I don't think about them because of not having an appropriate vehicle or live in a climate that would not destroy them. Certainly a financial situation exsits also. But going to Pebble Beach a couple of times, the wheels were mesmerizing and about as beautiful as it gets. I hope this comes to fruition and think it is the coupe de grace of sleekness and style. Best wishes on the product. ~sololobo~
WWWs age it, or make it look "Superfly"... Not that you aren't super fly, poobah, but... ahh... yup...
Bill Mitchell, the car's designer, put wide whites on his personal car: Admittedly, it doesn't make much styling sense today... and it was probably considered pretty eccentric back then... Even so, I still like wide whites on the right car and I loved them on my first '65. The Borranis, however, will not be getting wide whites.
Why would someone put WWWs on a mag style wheel? That's dumb! hahaaa God bless America, this Rivi is SO pretty!
"Eccentric" is a good word for that look. Just cant say I'm feeling it. Narrow whites, or blackwalls, yes, but to me, WWW's just totally jar with the image of sporty elegance that they were trying to project with Rivs. The Borranis fit perfectly with that image. I guess with the wheelcovers, maybe Mitchell was trying to establish a visual linkage with the classics of the thirties? With hidden headlights, and hard edged, angular lines? Fail. I even like yours better, with the WWW's on Buick wheels. The Mitchell car really looks odd to my eye.
Jeem, agreed on the black riv with the 1" WW's and Skylark wheels. Very sharp looking car. Nice paint too.
If you read the "knock-off" correctly, it says "52" ,not "32", although 32's were available for Amilcars and early Ferraris wheras most MG's and Austin Healeys are 42's and the sizes just keep going up to 90's and above ,seemingly with no rhyme or reason unless you know why. The numbering system relates to the Metric size of the bearing in the Rudge -Whitworth patented hub. So a 32 takes a 32mm bearing , a 90 takes a 90 mm bearing and so on, English, European ,or American , they all have Metric bearings .
Hmm, interesting. Sort of odd. But that car with some solid black wall tires or thin white lines with those caps might do the trick. Not sure what that red in the inner front fenders was all about, but probably would black that out too unless there is some compelling design reason. Interesting grill as well. I wonder what else is interesting about that one. Cool to see what the man himself wanted out of the design.
Here is the complete Steve Stanford rendering of a '65 Riviera with Borranis. We thought some of you might get a kick out of it. Steve
In addition to the unique grill aero/opening panels the top was lowered and the front fenders/hood were lowered toward the front. The red inner panels were from a time when old buicks did that,(or Bill just liked it). This is just what I remember reading and it may well be totally wrong.
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