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The Proper Way To Count Spokes: Crafting Borrani Wire Wheels


The Proper Way To Count Spokes: Crafting Borrani Wire Wheels

Find me a Ferrari made between the 1940s and the early 1970s that shouldn’t be wearing a set of these. I don’t care if it’s a 166MM or a 365 GTB/4 “Daytona”, they just don’t look right without them. Ford GT40s wore them. So did Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, Aston Martins, Jaguars, and so on. The Borrani center-lock wire wheel is one of the most iconic designs for rolling stock. They look classy yet sporting, are built to the same specifications that the company has had for what is quickly becoming a century, and are still handmade in an Italian factory. You know them when you see them, with their trademark knock-off hub, usually on a car surrounded by velvet ropes. Or guards. Maybe both. The look is one thing, but we’re here today because of the process that goes into building, maintaining and restoring wheels like these. These are legit wires…legitimate spokes, hand-fabricated construction, from start to finish. This is the kind of craftsmanship that classic car types pine over, and rightfully so. Skilled workers laboring to make sure that what goes out of the door is perfectly true, presentable to it’s core, and able to take the punishment of a racer desperate to earn a trophy…that’s a tall order for a few guys in a factory to accomplish. Yet these are desirable…a set of wheels claimed to be off of a 1960 Ferrari that were missing the hubs and the knock-offs sold on Bring A Trailer for $3,500 and we’ve seen a single Aston Martin wheel go for the same price. Take a look inside Ruote Borrani and see how those gorgeous wheels are crafted and now, restored back to perfection.


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