Cragar Wheels: The Epitome Of Old School

Today, most tuners spend their afternoon’s day dreaming up crazy paint schemes, custom interiors and ground rattling sound systems, but for guys that care about old school muscle cars; there are only a few things necessary to make a car perfect. A nice shiny paint job, original OEM interior, a high compression motor venting through a burly exhaust system and a set of classic wheels wrapped in sticky rubber is enough to bring a tear to a man’s eye.

For hot rod guys that chose to roll with custom wheels, a set of Cragar Wheels is usually a thought in the back of their mind. Their Super Sport model has been a cool wheel for muscle cars since it was introduced in 1964 and they have stuck around ever since. Hot Rod Magazine went so far as to the call the wheels “perfect.”

Creating The Cragar Wheels Legend

In 1930 two “car guys” in California combined parts of their names to create the company that we know as Cragar. Crane Gar and Harlan Fengler created a company to make automotive cylinder heads. Gar had a savvy business mind and Fengler was a racecar driver. Twenty-five years later, Gar and Fengler sold the company to Roy Richter’s Bell Auto Parts Company. Within in a few short years, Cragar became one of the most prominent businesses in the custom wheel industry.

1964: Cragar Introduces the S/S wheel to the public.
1965: The S/S wheel wins the Sports Car Division the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
1969: Cragar opens the doors at its 90,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Compton, California.
1970: Cragar establishes S.A.E. guidelines and specifications for one and two-piece aluminum wheels.
1972: Cragar is voted manufacturer of the year by Car Magazine.
1975: Cragar becomes the wheels of choice for funny car racers.
1996: Cragar Wheels are used on the world’s fasted ¼ mile at 4.5 seconds.

For most enthusiasts, wheels don’t much better than the S/S (Super Sport) wheels. The five spoke, rolled steel rim with a cast aluminum center became popular because of its looks, but it stayed around because of its strength. The original design of the five spoke wheels incorporated reinforcements near the hub. It’s unclear if it was the intention of Cragar for the spokes to be functional or if it was just a happy accident, but the result was a rim that has a load-carry capacity that is far greater than any of its competition.

Cragar Wheels Expands Beyond the S/S

Because of the S/S’s undeniable strength from its five-spoke design, the company has used the wheel as a blue print for most of its catalog today. Nearly all of the designs of Cragar wheels are offered in its classic chrome finish with a polished lip, but what really brings on the spirit of the S/S wheels is the old school flavor on most of their five spoke wheels.

In addition to their spoke designs, Cragar has re-released some other classis models that are sure to get attention from the old school crowd. The Cragar 69 Deluxand the Cragar 323 Vegas are unlike any wheel in their lineup. These two-piece steel wheels have a solid faced front that is inspired from the moon style rims that were popular in the 50s.

If you’re interested in Cragar’s timeless wheels, you can find the latest models at, visit 4WheelOnline.Com.

By Sean Bowes

There are no products available for your selected application. Please clear the filter or choose a new application.