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Borrani Americas |
History of Borrani Wire Wheels
In April 1922, a new company called ‘Rudge Whitworth Milano’ was established in Milan, Italy. The owner of the company was Carlo Borrani. Rudge Whitworth Borrani specialized in the production and sale of wire wheels for automobiles and motorcycles. This was the beginning of the remarkable Borrani wire wheel story.
Production started with a license from Rudge Whitworth in Coventry, England, an engineering company who owned a patent for mounting a wire wheel on a hub using a unique splined drum, fixed by one central locking nut. The invention of the ‘splined hub’, as we know it today, allowed more efficient installation and removal of the wheel. This revolutionary wheel design quickly attracted interest from the most important racing and sports car constructors of the day. After just 12 months in business, Alfa Romeo, Auto Union, Bianchi and Lancia began equipping their racing and luxury cars with Borrani wire wheels. In the 1930’s Borrani began experimenting with a lightweight, ultra strong aluminium rim, which eventually replaced the much heavier pressed steel rims of the past.
By 1955, ten percent of Borrani wire wheel production was devoted to racing cars. Ferrari was Borrani’s biggest customer at that time, and the alliance dated back to 1924 when a young Enzo Ferrari competed in (and won) the Acerbo Cup in Pescara, Italy, in an Alfa Romeo equipped with Rudge Whitworth Milano wire wheels. The Ferrari/Borrani collaboration was a relationship that was to last for more than six decades. Borrani wire wheels were either standard equipment, or installed as an optional upgrade, on some of the world’s greatest cars, including Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, and of course many others.
The Present Day
The company, now called Ruote Borrani, still manufactures the world’s finest wire wheels in their factory on the outskirts of Milan. The wheels are hand built by some of the most experienced and talented artisans in the automotive world. The factory is a delightful mix of ancient and state of the art machinery, and the entire manufacturing process is a joy to behold. Every wheel is made to order and is identifiable and traceable by serial number and certification of authenticity.
Borrani wire wheels combine stunning looks and ultimate construction quality with significant weight reduction and advanced technical features, for dramatically improved handling and longevity. The unique aluminium rims are spun from a single piece of high grade alloy, requiring no welded seams. Unsprung mass is reduced by 25% when compared to a steel wheel, and the tangential arrangement of Borrani spokes allows the wheel to absorb the huge forces acting upon it, without ever getting out of tune. Borrani wire wheels are not just beautiful – they will outlast and outperform any other wire wheel option on the market.
Ruote Borrani holds almost 8,500 original wheel design drawings. Furthermore, with custom wheel design being a hallmark of the Borrani service, that number is growing all the time. Borrani would be pleased to design and construct a custom, one-off wheel, just for you.
Borrani Americas
Classic Jaguar (Team CJ) is extremely proud to have been appointed as an authorized Borrani distributor for North, Central and South America. With a deep appreciation for almost a century of Borrani quality, success and tradition, we are delighted to represent Ruote Borrani here in the Americas. We can supply any existing Borrani part number, for any make of vehicle, and we are also happy to assist with custom requests, at no additional charge.
The table below lists some of the more popular choices for Jaguar and Aston Martin, although please note that we have literally hundreds of other design options available. If you do not see the Borrani wire wheel that you are looking for listed below, please don’t hesitate to contact us for additional information and options.
All Borrani wheels are made to order. Please allow 6 weeks for delivery.