Italvolanti Wheels 1

If Bunta is all over it then it can’t be bad right?

You guys are all hyped about Nardi Classic and Torino… and for good reason.  Nardi wheels are sweet.  No one else has really found the right balance between classic looks and good function.  I’ve had a couple Nardi Classic wheels and I couldn’t resist picking up another for my car which currently has no steering wheel at all.

I’d hoped to find a suede covered one with a polished center to exactly duplicate how the car was several years ago, but… with my limited patience the only way to get that done would be to buy a new one.  HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT NEW ONES ARE WORTH!?!

I ended up buying a leather covered black one.  As stoked as some of us are about Nardi wheels, they are by no means rare or hard to come by.  There are probably a thousand of them on yahoo auctions Japan at any given time.  Not that that makes them cheap.  Demand seems to be huge!

Since I’m an AE86 nerd… and I get really excited about all wheels, I did some searching beyond Nardi.  Magazines talk about Italvolanti wheels as being ultra rare and sought after.  If you don’t know the name… it’s certain that you never ever really got that excited about Initial D.  Takumi sports an Italvolanti Admiral wheel.

 The Admiral is a high dollar wheel, especially in Red… and that’s probably wholly the fault of Takumi.  Used examples in what I would consider sub-standard condition are often listed for more than 35000円, that’s well over $400CDN.  The other wheels in the Italvolanti line offer a similar look though, for some cheaper costs.

These wheels appeal to me because they offer a somewhat OEM like look.  Some of you will hate that…  Some of you will hate that they have no dish.  I kind of get that… but… I’m also kind of sick of being a clone.  That’s why I bought two wheels.  Ha.  I’ll compare and chose when they arrive.