We all know that watching tv is a waste of time in most cases, but there are (or were?) some shows where one can easily learn a thing or two. One of those shows was called “How do they make it?” and, well, the title really is self-explanatory.
Luckily, the internet is just as good (if not ten thousand times better) at that, and here you have the perfect example – actually, a video would have been perfect, but this very detailed photo series will do – of how a custom alloy wheel is made.
The subject is the absolutely gorgeous (really, this car gets better and better the more you look at it) Mercedes-AMG GT S whose standard AMG wheels get stripped off after a short ride on the back of a towing truck. Then all it takes is some measurements and the people at Vossen are off to the drawing boards.
The chosen design does not differ that much from the original wheels, but they do appear to be larger (20″ at the front and 21″ at the back) and have a lighter color. The first step is carving out all the wholes and checking to see if the soon-to-be wheel fits. Obviously, everything is done computer assisted, but nowadays even frying an egg involves some electrical current flowing through a few silicone chips.
Next they sculpt the actual layout of the wheel, an elegant 6 Y-spoke design which allows much of the discs and calipers to show. The rough wheel is then dipped into a series of tanks in order to remove any remaining residues before it goes off to the painting shop. Vossen chooses not to actually paint the rims, but use a transparent glossy finish instead and looking at the end product, is seems to have been the right choice.
All that’s left now is the photoshoot. Browse through our gallery to see the whole process, step by step.
