[MikeNoun]

Originally Posted by GTOnly70

IMO, there are only two cars that look good with black wheels - the '69 1/2 440+6 Super Bees and Roadrunners. On every other car, it's a detraction, including the Sheby Stangs (which I love). Especially hideous were those yellow '90's Trans Ams with the black wheels.

The whole "black wheels" look has really exploded, and I'm not sure why. They were (and still are) popular on modified imports (a.k.a. "ricers").

The whole autocross thing, along with pro touring, seems to have brought black wheels to the forefront. I know in the 70's, some SCCA racers began using black wheels (not the rim, just the center) to dissipate heat from the brakes (every little bit helps).

On more modern production cars, it's supposed to give it a "junkyard dog" look (like the 69-1/2 Super Bee), but many of these cars today are too classy and elegant to have black wheels (in my opinion). Corvettes, Ferraris, they just don't look right. They look like someone stole the nice wheels, and the owner got some temporary rims.

But on modern cars, they sure hide brake dust, I just don't like the look. They need some sort of satin or chrome dish to the black center, like the 87 GNX wheel.

I think the first car I saw with all black wheels was the 96 Corvette Grand Sport. And like many people, my first question was, "What's with the wheels?".




And I agree, the 2002 Trans Am (yellow) does not appear to have been designed with ANY traditional Pontiac styling cues in mind, which was a shame considering it was the last year produced, and the final farewell to the Trans Am legacy.