Wheels are such a subjective thing. They can totally transform the appearance of a vehicle and, based on your preferences, either ruin it or be the icing on the cake. Wheels can be appreciated for their style, engineering, performance, history, or all of the above. Thankfully, there are plentiful off-the-shelf and custom wheel options to support various goals and tastes. And wheels are so easily installed that it’s relatively easy to transform your vehicle in a short amount of time—assuming you do not have to modify bodywork to achieve that perfect “fitment.”
Decades ago, I remember playing video games like Gran Turismo, where you could modify your in-game car and “upgrade” things like the wheels. Even then, without knowing much about wheel manufacturers, wheel construction, or fitment, I gravitated toward mesh-style multi-piece wheels. Naturally, this led to an obsession with BBS—especially motorsport-style BBS with gold centers and polished or machined lips.
How can you go wrong with gold centers and a polished (or diamond cut) lips?
BBS was founded in 1970 by two amateur racers, Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand, in Schiltach, Germany. (See what I did there? Now you know where the “BBS” name comes from.) In their first few years, BBS worked with driver Martin Braungardt to further develop the wheels on Braungardt’s Ford Capri race car. Later, BBS partnered with Mahle to create wheels for Braungardt’s 1973 3.0 CSL when he moved to the BMW race team. By 1978, BBS had its own production plant and in addition to their association with many successful racing campaigns, they provided optional “upgrade” wheels to manufacturers, namely BMW. Given their innovations and involvement in racing, the BBS motto of “Technology through Motorsports” makes total sense. Currently, BBS has a number of locations around the world, including BBS of America in Braselton, Georgia, BBS Japan, in Takaoka City, Japan, and an HQ, machining plant, and motorsports division located in Germany.
Some wheel upgrades are born in necessity, or perhaps that’s just an excuse we tell ourselves and our significant others to justify buying more car parts. After a few years of owning my 1991 318is (E30) on stock 14×6.5 basketweaves (factory BBS wheels), I wanted to change things up. Finding correctly sized 14″ tires was becoming increasingly difficult, so it only made sense to look for something in the 15″ or 16″ variety. At the time, my friend Lewis Zehmer educated me on multi-piece BBS RS wheels with proper E30 fitment, bolt pattern, hub bore, and offset.
Zehmer’s 325is taking home top honors at the National Capital Chapter Deutsche Marque Concours d’Elegance.
BBS’s RS model was launched in 1983 and is a prime example of technology developed for the race track becoming available for the street. The RS’s forged aluminum three-piece design, consisting of a “lip” and “barrel” sandwiching a “face”, reduces unsprung weight, increases strength, and allows for plentiful fitment customization by exchanging the various components. The BBS RS003s on Zehmer’s 325is are nothing short of spectacular, and every time I see them the scene from Wayne’s World replayed in my head with Michael Myers saying, “It will be mine. Oh, yes. It will be mine.”
Thus began a multi-year search for a budget-friendly set of BBS RS001s (4×100, 57.1 center bore, 15×7 ET25) or RS003s (4×100, 57.1 center bore, 16×7 ET25). Combing through forums and online marketplaces almost daily, it got to the point where I had seen so many BBS RS wheels that I could catch a glimpse of one and know the exact model and whether it was a replica or a genuine article. After a few full-day road trips to look at “cheap” sets, which I determined would cost thousands more to restore, I was nearly going to give up on my search. That was until I came across an ad on Facebook marketplace that simply said “BBS wheels”. There was one photo that didn’t even capture the entire wheel, but I was sure that part of the photo included an E30 fender. Could it be?
After meeting with the seller and chatting about E30s for a bit, we agreed on a price, and I loaded them into my trunk. New tires were in order, as were some Ehrlich Wheel Works 1/3rd-height aluminum hexes (in both polished and black powder-coated varieties), replacement BBS caps, and a couple of replacement gold waffles. These three-piece wheels fill out the wheel wells nicely while weighing two pounds lighter per corner (with tires) than the stock 14s. Just for fun, I bought a set of reproduction BBS turbofans (scanned from a set of originals) for a little extra style. Six years later, I still stare at them every chance I get and hand polish the lips on a regular basis—it’s automotive therapy.
BBS turbofans are in fact the best hubcaps.
When it was time to replace the tires on my 1998 M3 (E36), I decided to go a step further and also change the wheels. This time with a direct throwback to my decades-old video-game days, the BBS LM. Oh, and wouldn’t it be fun if they had gold faces and a machined lip so they’d be all matchy-matchy with my E30? Yes. Yes, it would.
Just over a decade after the RS was released, the LM was introduced in 1994. It consisted of a forged aluminum two-piece design, giving a nod to the Le Mans race wheels of the era. Similar to the RSes, the LMs come in a variety of diameters, widths, offsets, bolt patterns, center bores, and colors. After weeks of research, using online “fitment” calculators, and reaching out to experts in the industry for advice, I settled on the BBS LM089—an LM model produced by BBS Japan with nearly perfect specs for the E36: 5×120 bolt pattern, 17×8, ET40. Gold faces, machined lips, black bolts. Yum.
Instead of potentially spending years trying to find a decent used set like I did for my E30, I opted to buy new. Enter Henry Vo of Supreme Power in Fullerton, California. Henry had the LM089s in stock and shipped them out immediately, making this a no-hassle and positive purchase experience. The LMs and new tires arrived just before Christmas. I popped over to a trusted shop, Mach V Motorsports, in Sterling, Virginia, to have the tires mounted. With great anticipation leading up to this moment, I installed them on my E36 as soon as I got home.
Sorry, kids. No more room under the tree.
Fitment was just as expected. The inner wheel barrels and tires had plenty of up-front clearance from the TC Kline SA coilover perches, and there was just the right amount of fender clearance—both up front and out back—as well. All of this without using spacers. Naturally, a lazy mid-winter driveway shoot with both the E30 and E36 was completely necessary.
A lazy mid-winter driveway shoot.
In addition to enjoying the journey of research and discovery related to these pieces of rolling artwork, they put a smile on my face every time I look at them. Similar to how Zehmer’s E30 inspired me, it’s humbling to see that my E30 has inspired others, like my friend, artist, and National Capital Chapter member Pete Burnes. After a few spirited back roads drives with Burnes, he created actual art and gave me this print, which is now hanging in my office. —Mike Bevels
A Pete Burnes original. Thanks, Pete!