So I paid a little visit to see BBS wheels being made.......

[Ciaran Mk1]

I thought some of you might be interested in this so I hope it's OK in putting it up as a separate thread? If not, just fire me a PM

A couple of months ago, I was lucky to get a tour of BBS Motorsport GmbH in Germany to see how their wheels were made, to say it was a cool day out is a big understatement!! Anyway You can read the details of the visit here:

http://www.autolifers.com/insight-bbs-motorsport-gmbh/

I usually write similar stories for the same guys, we release a mixed bag of articles but it is all car and motorsport related:
http://www.autolifers.com


But I thought I would tell you guys a few more things that weren't in the article too


BBS Motorsport GmbH is a separate entity to the BBS as we know it. They are high end/low volume manufacturers who only do motorsport, GT and specialist project wheels. These are the go-to guys when Bugatti needed wheels manufactured for the veyron!
(I was actually told that they're a pain in the arse to make since they have about 21 different designs and have to change tooling with each order.).



Porsche engineers required additional weight savings for the optional “Weissach Package” for the 918, so they approached the BBS enginers and designers for a lightweight solution. Now considering that the rear wheel on the Porsche will be 21″ x 12.5, it’s incredible to think that these wheels weigh similar to 18″ variants of many branded “lightweight” wheels, about 11kg's! Porsche then make the rest of the wheels for the "normal" 918 (if you could call it normal).




The company still repair and restore these classic wheels for customers too (and it's surprisingly cheap at about €50 per mag center!!). Out the back they had rows upon rows of the classic designs, it was ridiculous! When I asked "why", Erich shrugged and said, "what better marketing too do you need then to see 40 year old wheels still taking part in motor racing", the guy has a point!


But it was a brilliant day out, it was meant to be for about 2 hours but I was there for 4 in the end talking with Erich about the business, looking at prototype carbon wheels, talking about the crazy story about the BMW M1 procar (Lamborghini were contracted to build it initially!!) and everything in between!

Hope you like the article and pics!

[Bristecom]

Not to disrespect but BBS did not make the wheels for the Bugatti Veyron, OZ Racing did.

http://www.ozracing.com/italian_company/museum.aspx

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVI_e-rpBqc"]OZ 35° Anniversary - YouTube[/ame]


And another interesting fact about BBS is that, even though it's a German company, their top end forged wheels are mostly made in Japan by a company called Washi Beam, which is why many Japanese manufacturers tend to use them for OEM. :P

[Ciaran Mk1]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

Not to disrespect but BBS did not make the wheels for the Bugatti Veyron, OZ Racing did.

http://www.ozracing.com/italian_company/museum.aspx

And another interesting fact about BBS is that, even though it's a German company, their top end forged wheels are mostly made in Japan by a company called Washi Beam, which is why many Japanese manufacturers tend to use them for OEM. :P

Yes you're right about Bugatti, they had commissioned OZ to manufacture the wheels initially. However BBS now have 22 different designs on Bugatti's books. If you look at the first picture I posted, you will see one of the wheel designs for the veyron.


And yes you're right, when BBS filed for bankruptcy a couple of years ago, they split into BBS automotive (which makes aftermarket wheels) and BBS motorsport. Motorsport have partnered up with a japanese wheel manufacturer for the forged blanks (I have a pic of the blanks in the article). Milling of the blanks and finishing is done in Germany.

[chaoskaze]

Good post! And as for High end forged wheel made mostly in Japan..... that's just because everyone knows ...not many other race can be prefectly anal like them..... while maintain the quality & speed.

[Tuan]

Originally Posted by chaoskaze

Good post! And as for High end forged wheel made mostly in Japan..... that's just because everyone knows ...not many other race can be prefectly anal like them..... while maintain the quality & speed.

Not sure if this is sarcasm, but what a way to perpetuate racist stereotypes.

[Guillaume]

Originally Posted by Tuan

Not sure if this is sarcasm, but what a way to perpetuate racist stereotypes.

I guess it's poorly phrased, but it's true. In a good way. I work in motorsport with suppliers from all around the world (US, UK, Germany, you name it) and the Japs are by far the most reliable and consistent ones.

Thanks @Ciaran Mk1 for this interesting, too. I see you're based in France, don't hesitate to drop by the French message board (http://gt86france.forumpro.fr/).

[Ciaran Mk1]

Originally Posted by Guillaume

I guess it's poorly phrased, but it's true. In a good way. I work in motorsport with suppliers from all around the world (US, UK, Germany, you name it) and the Japs are by far the most reliable and consistent ones.

Thanks @Ciaran Mk1 for this interesting, too. I see you're based in France, don't hesitate to drop by the French message board (http://gt86france.forumpro.fr/).

Thanks Guilliame! I joined the forum and got my confirmation email yesterday so i must add an introduction thread! (Although my french is not the best!). Do you guys have many meets and events?

What suppliers do you work with? Sounds interesting! (plus I am always on the look out for new articles for the Autolifers blog

And as for High end forged wheel made mostly in Japan..... that's just because everyone knows ...not many other race can be prefectly anal like them..... while maintain the quality & speed.

As for the Japanese connection with BBS, this is purely for commercial reasons and definitely nothing to do with racial stereotyping

BBS have gone through two chapter 11's with the most recent around 2010. This ended up splitting up the company into 2 entities. BBS automotive (aftermarket wheels) and "BBS Motorsport". The motorsport wing was bought by a Japanese company so this is where the connection was established.