Re-inventing the Wheel. American Racing traces their roots back more than 50 years, and continue to reinvent themselves and, quite literally, the wheel. Today's American Racing still prides themselves on the mission that began when drag racing innovator Romeo Palamides teamed up with J.O. Ellison, a San Francisco machine shop owner, to design and craft high strength-to-weight ratio racing wheels for his dragster. Palamides and Ellison, along with engineering innovator Tom Griffith formed the pioneering company in aftermarket wheels. From the golden age of hot rodding to today's street enthusiast, American Racing is reinventing the way wheels are viewed from the classics to new trend-setting styles.
The Wheel that Started a Craze. In the late 50s, when European racing wheel companies were focused on semi-solid modular designs, designer Tom Griffith conceived the tapered parabolic contour spoked American Racing "Torq Thrust®" which reduced wheel weight and promoted brake cooling. Considered by many to be the most famous wheel of all time, the Torq Thrust® started the custom wheel craze, making the conversion from strip to street. Today authentic "old school" Torq Thrusts are highly collectible and sold around the world. Often imitated, never duplicated, the Torq Thrust® is the signature wheel for performance and custom purists.
General Lee's Landing Gear. During the seven seasons (147 episodes & 2 made-for-TV reunion movies) of the hit television series "Dukes of Hazzard", the Warner Brothers studio built a total of 340 "General Lee" 1969 Dodge Chargers. All "General Lees" were equipped with American Racing "Vector" wheels. Of the 340 General Lees built for the series, 321 were destroyed as a result of stunt car jumps. Of the 1360 American Racing Vectors jumped and stunt driven for the series, only one wheel failed by breaking and it is a collector item in a private collection in Sylmar, California. Beyond Hazzard County, American Racing wheels have had cameo appearances in some of Hollywood's most famous films including The Game, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Transformers, 2Fast 2Furious, and perhaps the most important Ford Mustang film of all time, Bullit.
Hot Rods. What do you get when you combine the world's most respected wheel company with the world's most respected hot rod designer? In 2005, American Racing acquired Boyd Coddington specialty wheels combining two of the top names in wheel design. Coddington, a nationally-recognized auto enthusiast specializing in automotive restoration and customization, continues to work on wheel designs, sales efforts, marketing and events. In addition to his exploits in the automotive industry, Coddington became a national figure when the Discovery Channel launched the popular hit television show "American Hot Rod."
Trend Setters. Twenty Inches Strong, American Racing TIS Modular and American Racing Dropstars wheels are at the forefront of design. In fact, they continually stretch the imagination of what is possible when it comes to turning a wheel into a rolling piece of art. American Racing and DUB co-founder Myles Kovacs continue the rich tradition of trend-setting designs and sizes through the TIS, TISm and Dropstars wheel lines, including the first production 30 inch wheel. Known for their 20-plus inch wheels, these unique wheels are popular among celebrities including today's hottest hip hop stars, top athletes and movie stars. If you have a ride and want to stand out, these wheels are a must have.
American Racing - Who the Pros Come To. When people who know cars want to put their name on a wheel, they come to American Racing. Both Carroll Shelby and Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to give their fans a way to display their affection for these racing legends, but wanted to make sure that only the highest quality wheels would display their names. Through the Carroll Shelby® Legend Series and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Signature Series lines of wheels for cars, trucks, and SUV's, Ford and Chevy fans alike agree that legendary performance is attainable. However American Racing does not recommend that you try to drive like either of them on your local highways.
American Racing - The Leaders in Forged Technology. When it was time to expand the manufacturing capabilities into forged designs, it was a natural to join forces with the industry leading brand with over 40 years of experience in forged wheel production. In acquiring the Weld Racing, American Racing added one of the industry's best brands for forged motorcycle, motorsports and aftermarket wheels. Whether it is John Force on a drag strip, Tony Stewart on a dirt track, street strip or off road racers, Weld Racing wins. Along with the brand, American Racing added state of the art forged manufacturing capabilities based in Kansas City, MO., where American Racing continues to produce the best in one-piece and multi-piece forged wheels.
Not Just American Racing. American Racing has evolved with the changing landscape of the automotive market into a company with over a dozen brands, all developed with the purpose of providing high quality, cutting edge design wheels for the automotive aftermarket. From Hot Rods to Muscle Cars, Tuners to Trucks, Street Strip to Urban Cruising, on the road, off the road or on the track, American Racing Equipment, Inc. has a wheel that meets your needs under one of these industry leading brands: American Racing, American Racing Pro Series, ATX Series All Terrain Wheels, Boyd Coddington Wheels, Carroll Shelby® Legend Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr.® Signature Series, Dropstars, Imola, Motegi Racing, TIS – Twenty Inches Strong, TISModular, and Weld Racing.
All In. American Racing Equipment, Inc. is the largest wheel company in the world, distributing more than 1.5 million wheels annually through manufacturing facilities, company-owned, satellite-connected warehouses, an independent distributor system in the United States and through international distributors in more than 20 countries on four continents.
In Thrust We Trust. - American Racing®