Love ‘em or hate ‘em. That often sums up people’s viewpoints on aftermarket wheels, and I’m typically in the latter category. In most circumstances, I think that changing wheels degrades an older car’s appearance and historical context: Like adding vinyl siding to a 1920s bungalow, it just seems a poor excuse at improvement. But occasionally, I see cars that capsize my cherished boat of originality, such as the two examples above.
It’s hard to imagine two more different vehicles – a Jaguar XJC and a Chevrolet Caprice. However, sometimes disparate examples can conjure up a rather compelling case for something. In both of these instances, I found that the non-standard wheels brought out a different side to each car’s personality – in a refreshing sort of way. Of course, your mileage may vary in reaching such a conclusion, but before you dismiss the idea entirely, consider our two featured cars:
Exhibit A is a Jaguar XJC, a rare sight since only about 8,300 of the elegant coupes were produced between 1975 and 1977. This is arguably one of the most beautiful cars ever made, with a poetic grace, proportions ideally suited to its size, and a wonderfully suitable application of a pillarless hardtop design. While the XJC’s hardtop may have been beleaguered by wind and water leaks, it was the linchpin that turned the already-graceful XJ sedan into a magnificent specimen of automotive regality.
When I first saw this car from 100 feet away, I was perplexed. An XJC for sure, but it looked so… different. Among my initial thoughts were:
- Maybe it’s a Daimler Double Six coupe (I’ve never seen one, but assumed they had different wheels. They didn’t, incidentally).
- Maybe it’s a 12-cylinder XJC (I’ve never seen one of those either, but the unusual hood louvers look like something a V-12 would have. But no, actual XJ12C’s didn’t really have hood louvers).
- Maybe it’s a custom-made car – did someone cut apart a Series III XJ6 to make a coupe? (I’ll blame this notion on the aftermarket moonroof).
I’m not usually so flighty when it comes to car identification, so what was going on? Maybe… just maybe… my confusion was due to those wheels alone.
Stock XJCs came with chromed wheel covers over 15” wheels, providing a delicate look in keeping with the car’s genteel image.
These wheel covers can be easily overlooked among the Jaguar’s many other fine details. Casual observers tend to associate earlier Jaguars with wire wheels, and later cars (XJ-S and Series III XJ6 models) with their unique GKN Kent alloys. The chromed wheel covers filled a void in between those two more memorable eras. If there’s any aftermarket wheel one can associate with Jaguar XJCs, it likely would be wire wheels, which continued to look natural on Jaguars decades after having disappeared from the production line.
But what about a wheel from a completely different era?
The wheels on our featured car are in fact from a Jaguar – just one that was made when the XJC was 20 years old. These 17”x8” alloys came standard on the high performance XJR model from 1995 to 1997. Jaguar positioned its mid-1990s sedans to straddle two worlds: both Jaguar’s traditional, lovely heritage, and a more contemporary assertiveness. When first introduced, Jaguar boasted of the XJR’s “uncompromising stance,” made possible in part by the car’s large (for the day) wheels and low-profile tires.
Do 1995 XJR wheels complement a 1975 XJC? After looking at these pictures for a while, I concluded that yes, despite my long-held aversion to aftermarket accessories, these wheels work well here. They bring out an aspect of the XJC that I had never noticed before… a more vigorous and robust persona than I typically associate with the car. To me, the XJC loses none of its grace with these large and modern alloys, but gains a dose of panache. Suddenly I can envision this coupe doing something like barreling down a twisty country road… not just ambling up to a country club.
An impressive feat indeed — to complement (or maybe even improve) one of the all-time classics. Score One for non-standard wheels. Now, for a slightly more mundane curbside classic, on to our next subject…
Exhibit B in this narrative is a quite a different species of car. This 1988 Caprice is boxy where the Jaguar is curvaceous, conservative as opposed to inventive, and wildly popular versus exceedingly rare. Jaguar’s total 3-year production run of XJCs amounted to an average of 2 weeks worth of Caprice production over this generation’s 1977-90 lifespan.
This particular example is a Caprice Classic Brougham LS, a top-of-the-range model that can be thought of as a poor man’s Cadillac. Or a smart man’s Cadillac, considering the LS’s base price was two-thirds that of Cadillac’s equivalent B-body sedan. All Caprice Broughams received goodies such as “lush” cushioned velour seats, simulated rosewood interior trim, and plush carpeting. The LS pushed the Brougham meter up a bit, with a standard Landau-style vinyl roof and B-pillar opera lamps.
Of course, nearly all Caprice Broughams rode on wire wheel covers – the calling card of traditional American luxury. While actually an option, can anyone remember seeing a Caprice Brougham without them?
Our featured car, conversely, assails the supremacy of wire wheel covers on Broughams. Not only is this car outfitted with alloys, but they’re from a Camaro Z28. It almost seems like the start of a bad joke: “What do you get if you cross a Caprice and a Camaro?”
I think the result is quite nice. Like the Jaguar mentioned above, these unorthodox wheels add a new element to the Caprice’s design. After all, nothing mandates that full-size American cars must be downright baroque… I think the energetic stance furnished by these 15”x7” wheels creates an appealing package.
Maybe I’m just ingrained to think that way, since my own car – a Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport – is a permutation of the same idea. People tend to be surprised that my Crown Vic isn’t a squishy pillow-mobile, and I’ve found that a relatively firm suspension is a great accessory for a full-size rear-drive V-8 sedan.
If equipped with the Caprice’s optional F41 sport suspension package (stiffer springs & shocks, and a rear sway bar), a car such as this would be the 1980s equivalent of my LX Sport – I’d call this one the Z28 Brougham.
No Brougham discussion would be complete without interior shots, and this one seems to be completely original, with the maroon custom cloth upholstery bringing out all the glory of the simulated Brazilian rosewood trim plates. There is no sign of aftermarket modifications in the passenger compartment, which makes me wonder whether the car is a work in progress, or if the owner likes the Z28 Brougham just the way it is.
Regardless, both the Caprice and the Jaguar prompted me to reassess my long-held aversion to car customization. While I’m not quite ready to go buy a set of Cragars for our family’s minivan, these two cars did prompt me to change my viewpoint ever so slightly. Sometimes, change can be good – even if it rides in on a set of non-standard wheels.
Jaguar XJC photographed in Arlington, Virginia in April 2018
Chevrolet Caprice photographed in Fairfax, Virginia in October 2015
Related Reading:
1976 Jaguar XJ-6C/XJ-12C: A Rare (And Splendid) Curbside Appearance Paul N
Jaguar XJC: The British Personal Car JohnH875
1990 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham LS: Embarrassing FWD Cadillacs Since 1987 Tom Klockau
I’ll take the Chevy. I think the wheels improve its looks, and the interior isn’t bad.
The Jag looks wrong to me in all kinds of ways, not least the wheels. The front bumper looks terrible. I think the coupe would have come with vinyl roof as standard, but I always preferred the four door anyway.
What odds on a Caprice engine lurking under the bonnet?
The XJC definitely would have had a vinyl roof originally. The car has been repainted, presumably at the same time as the louvres were added – any engine would benefit from these but particularly the V12 which filled up so much of the engine bay. Wouldn’t bet against a 350 though, when the car already has a TH350/400. Usually there would be badging on the RH side of the rear to say which engine it is/was.
You can see the rubber added in front of the original chrome bumpers for the US market. I wonder how easy it would be to remove them? On the other hand if it is a regular driver I could also make the case for protection against parking lot bumps.
Jaguar in my humble opinion is very beautiful but for a daily driver,i would go for Caprice classic More Reliable and parts are easier to get down here.
But these aren’t aftermarket wheels, they are OE wheels that aren’t correct for the car they are on.
I often change up the wheels on my cars but stick with OE wheels that again are from a different vehicle from the same mfg. My Crown Vic rides on Mustang wheels, the winter tires are on Bullitt 17″ with the 2005 V6 spinners while the summers are on 2012 V6 17″. My daughter’s winter wheels are the 2005 Mustang V6 while my Son’s Grand Marquis summer tires are on Crown Vic LX-sport 17″.
Yes… I think I’ve betrayed my general lack of enthusiasm for car modification by using aftermarket and non-standard interchangeably… I guess I got busted by that! ?
I’ve always liked the way late-’90s CLK wheels look on ’70s-’80s Mercedes.
What a beauty
It gave me the idea to look for similar Wheels for my 1979 Mercedes 280S thank You
You’re welcome! It’s not mine, just a picture I found here: http://ozbenz.net/viewtopic.php?t=11220
Hmmm….one of the VERY few times a newer wheel works on an older car. That actually looks pretty good.
A couple of thoughts:
In both your examples, the owner has chosen an alloy wheel, but NOT an aftermarket wheel. Instead, both went with a factory alloy. I think this subtle distinction helps the look for both these cars- Factory alloys are high quality pieces, they’re not high on the “bling” factor, and their styling DNA meshes with the vehicle style.
I also agree that different wheels don’t typically work on Curbside Classics, UNLESS the wheel is from the same era as the car. I purchased an ’87 El Camino a few months ago, and a previous owner added Cutlass Supreme Rally wheels. I really like the look, and it’s a period correct change that helps my Camino stand out from the crowd.
Those Cutlass Rally wheels wouldn’t look out of place on ANY GM vehicle from the mid ’60s on up to the ’90s…and even from there theyd probably still work on many.
Does the fact that Jaguar still had the same styling in the 1990’s help? I think it does actually, as I don’t mind the look of this XJC.
Not to say that I would necessarily do the same, I would look for a 16″ wheel if seeking a lower profile tyre.
Oh, my, I live in a bungalow built in the late 1920s with vinyl siding….well, aluminum siding and I don’t think it is the only one on this block. I also swapped out the wheels on my 94 Ranger with a set of aftermarket rims. (In my case, the original wheels were aluminum and the aftermarket rims were steel.) My original plan was to “convert” my truck to the race truck look.
I’m a real stickler for wheels, original or optional when new is important to me – aftermarket rims, inappropiately applied, ruin my view of a car.
As always, exceptions apply. Style 32 or 37M wheels invariably improve any suitable BMW, but bundt wheels on a W113 just look wrong, at least to my slightly tired eyes.
I think I know what’s confusing you about the XJC – it’s the painted roof. Every coupe came from the Jaguar factory with a vinyl roof to hide body seams. Over the years, however, some owners have stripped the vinyl off, worked on the roof panels, and painted everything. When done right, they look terrific.
Me too – My eyes were drawn to the distinctive non-vinyl roof on the coupe. That is a very big improvement. The coupe’s owner is obviously very proud of the car, and should be.
The wheels on the Chevy attract me because of the brutal simplicity and, like those on the Crown Victoria, ease of cleaning. They seem more appropriate on a contemporary El Camino but on any car they are a big improvement over wire wheel covers.
Agree on both counts. The only detriment of the Z28 wheels is they are a bit ‘played-out’, I wonder if there is another option that would look better. The Z28 wheels would be easy to find at least, if you needed to replace one.
I agree that the painted roof totally changes the Jag. ( although I’d have passed on the moon roof). Those later OEM wheels look so right on it too….what an absolutely stunning car! Want !!
Those 17 inch Jaguar wheels are specific to the supercharged XJR. The standard XJ6 came with two different available 16 inch alloys. One is called the “dimple’ rim and was used on the sportier variant. The other was used on the more upscale models. The Vanden Plas had another specific wheel. My long wheel base XJ6 has chromed dimple wheels.
Thanks! I had gotten the dimple wheels and the XJR wheels confused with each other… I’ve corrected the text.
Wheels really do make or break the car. For as long as I can remember I have always chafed at wrong wheels or wheelcovers on a car, even when from the same brand. However, I can admit to exceptions and I can see the point being made on these two.
I think that what makes these two examples work is that they move the vehicle a little more sporty than the original wheels. Giving a bit of sporty flair to a car can work, and it might help if the OEM style of tire is getting hard to get.
This is the other standard 16 inch spoked alloy.
I don’t have a pic handy or I’d post one of my ’78 Fairmont with Ford 15″ “Phone dial” 10 holes on it, painted black like the ones used on SSP Mustangs. Get a lot of compliments on them.
Here’s the Vanden Plas wheel. Kind of the broughammy wheel.
On my ’96 Mustang, I’m running 1999 “starfish” 17 inch alloy wheels. These were used on the “new edge” updated models of the SN97 Mustang GT. I think that using updated stock wheels instead of aftermarket wheels gives a more subtle look.
Count me as a fan of non-stock OEM wheels. I believe OEM wheels are designed and built to a high standard (generally, there have certainly been duds) and are appropriate upgrades in many cases.
When I say “upgrades”, I take into account that many older vehicles came with 13″ and 14″ wheels, and in many cases “good” tires are hard or impossible to find in the smaller sizes. That’s certainly a factor.
For most of its time with me, my 1G Scion xB wore MINI Cooper wheels. I could buy almost-new takeoffs for less than a new set of tires would cost on my steel wheels. I also happened to like the way they looked!
XXR wheels makes a knockoff of the Minilites that were common on classic mini coopers and they have a bit of a deep lip. A first gen xB rocking those…NICE!
It helps to have a vehicle who’s bolt pattern and offset match a car or truck that people are likely to customize.
I’m lucky in that the 2003 up Panthers are a match with 2005 up Mustangs. Trucks are also good for having a significant number of people put custom wheels on them and they are even more likely to include the tires that cars.
When my mother in law’s Ranger needed new tires I ended up putting Crown Vic 15″ wheels on it because there was not a lot of selection in the OE 14″ size.
The lack of the vinyl roof, whitewall tires and the addition of the bigger more modern wheels do wonders for this old Jag. It’s owner has an excellent eye for detail. Some Buick factory rally wheels would look more appropriate on the Caprice.
I have not one, but two sets of wheels for my cars. One the factory alloys, the others are steel wheels for hosting the mandatory snow tires we need here in the great white north. Those steelies sure weigh a ton in 17 and 18 inch diameters mine are. So it feels nice to ride on summer tires (and rims) when the opportunity comes along every spring.
This is so right!
I’m all about dialing in the wheels to suit the car. The reality is, as of about the 90s most factory wheels are either boring or horribly ugly. Pretty much anything with that ninja star sawblade look…garbage. As we’re seeing from a few posts here, no one did factory wheels like GM from the mid ’60s up to the late 80s. Personally, I think that Caprice with those Camaro wheels doesn’t work…but that’s more to do with the car itself: After about ’80, that bodystyle got real stodgy looking real quick…the first iteration was far better. On a ’77-80 without the brougham gingerbread, those wheels might just work. A better move would be the Cutlass rallys on it, and those Camaro wheels on a S-10 blazer or pickup as Ive seen a ton of times.
“. Personally, I think that Caprice with those Camaro wheels doesn’t work”
For me, the real issue with the Caprice is the quarter cap vinyl top. Those wheels would look great on a white Caprice with a steel roof.
+1, shed the roof and they suit it perfectly. But then I like the 80 restyle better than the 77-79s, to each their own.
+2
The vinyl roof says the Chevy should be rolling on the OE spoke hubcaps.
+3, that Brougham LS package, available ’86-’90, was an abomination, and a symbol of what was wrong with GM in the 1980s. Flying into the face of endless criticism by many of all things Brougham by the mid ’80s, they went and plopped on this silly vinyl top that was plenty questionable when Chrysler introduced this look in fall 1978. A hopelessly retrograde move.
Bizarrely and conversely, I’m fairly confident that Chevrolet never offered any sort of road wheel on the entire run of the ’77-’90 generation full-size.
I sort of like the Camaro wheel on this car, the creased lines of the wheel work with the creased sheer-look body.
If Chevrolet had instead deleted all vinyl top options from the big cars and started offering these wheels in ’86, instead of the LS package, this would have corrected some of the more minor of GM’s Deadly Sins of the 1980s.
And, I agree with many that the mildly customized Jag (updated wheels, vinyl top removel) looks great, and surprisingly modern.
I think you’re right about the wheels. The whole run was covers only. Probably the sportiest cover was the wire mag pattern cover early in the run.
The weren’t any explicit Chevrolet sport models in that run like the Holiday 88 or the Le Sabre Sport Coupe, tho F41 suspension got some promotion.
My family had a 1978 88 coupe with Super Stock III wheels. There were several coupes on the lot with those wheels when we bought it, including the recently introduced bucket seat Holidays.
It did work in my opinion. My friend Kat had an 85 Caprice. More the standard model. No top on it just a painted (and sun burned) steel roof.
These same type or rims. And it worked.
I was waiting, hoping for somebody else to say this.
To me the wheels on the Chevy carry lots of baggage from being seen on countless Z28s. While the angularity suits the car, there’s a sort of dissonance thing going on between the ‘sporty’ wheels and the ‘broughammy’ top-line Chevy.
The wheels on the Jag are not commonly seen, so have the advantage of unfamiliarity; there is no preconceived expectation on seeing them. The eye just sees the curves of the car, the curves of the wheels – perfect.
Agree.
Yep, the wheels don’t work for me on the Caprice. The white paint, roof cap, and brougham trim (inc the wide chrome rockers) don’t go with the wheels. Generally, I think the 77-79 is prettier and sportier, so a sport wheel goes nicely. The 1980 restyle with its straight barrel sides and high, straight deck takes away the athletic tension of the previous cars.
The Jaguar is okay. I would prefer a wheel with the spokes more deeply recessed where they meet the rim instead of the modern flat, flush wheel face.
Here’s the question I will posit, what goes worse with the with the basic design of the body, the Camaro wheels, or the roof cap/brougham trim? My answer would be the latter.
I prefer the 80 restyle personally, the 77-79s look droopy and heavy, and the front and rear end treatments I find lacking to the later ones as well.
A police-type exterior would look okay with Camaro wheels, esp in a dark color.
My favorite front and rear is the 77 Caprice.
Like many have said, I’m a stickler for wheels matching the “personality” of the vehicle they’re on. The yesterday while perusing Ebay I cam across the pic below. I was strangely drawn to this Mark VI in a way I never thought in a million years I would be. You just never know until you see it sometimes.
Hot rod Lincoln.
I like it too. This might be the only instance where the odd proportions the Panther had for the Mark VI work in its favor, it kind of has that same effect of being a midsize muscle car whose styling emulated the full size line, and by the same token I don’t feel a Mark V would look as good. Despite the exact same styling the larger footprint would overwhealm those wheels visually. Full vinyl top helps as well, that’s much more acceptable on a muscleish car than the optional landau top.
Ford had some good-looking optional deep-dish aluminum for its bigger cars in the late 1970s. My dad had a set on his ’77 Grand Marquis.
I would take the Caprice………….now if you put a Chevy engine in the Jag…………..I’ll take both!!!
I used to be critical of wheels that I didn’t like, but now I compare them to hair styles on teenagers. It’s just wheels/hair and easily changed.
One of my favorite features of the 1970 XJ6 that I owned for 18 years,was the chrome wheels shown in the sales material. I always considered them to be similar to the wheels on a 1979 Buick Riviera.
I have an 88 Deville with regular Caddy hub caps. not the spoke type. I’m considering changing the rims for true spokes or something to bring out the Caddy in it.
My old car features non standard rims, the originals are 4” and tyres to suit are hard to get so it runs on 14″ Michelin steelies ex Citroen, the rollout suits the lowered rear axle ratio better and the car drives better, I like how it looks, you dont have to,
Love it! Greatly improved stance and they remind me of Dunlop wheels, one of my favourite wheels (after 2CV 3 stud wheels but that’s another story).
What is that, a Hillman?
I think it looks fine. A little restomod-ish.
I live and die by this practice. 19″ 2014 Mustang track packs on a 1994 Cougar, and before that it had 17″ 2003 10th anniversary Cobra wheels. I picked the former because they kind of resembled, in a racier way, the 89-91 XR7 7-spoke wheels, and picked the current ones because the oval spokes sort of compliment the oval side moldings.
From my perspective, since automakers offer limited options and position models as a segment, rather than the ala carte model they used to use where you could “build” your car, such as optioning a B body Chevy to be a stripper bel air, or near supercar big block SS , or a plush Caprice and anywhere in between. At some point it was decided “full size is for the elderly and police, period” and all you could get were variations of the basic brougham themed wheels and wheel covers on your 80s Impala/Caprice. If this were 60s GM rather than Roger Smith GM, guaranteed those Camaro wheels would have been an option on this body, just as the Rally wheels found on Camaros and Corvettes were optional on the 60s ones.
Nice choice of rims for your car. I really like how the wheel design follows the style of the car.
I don’t mind after market stuff unless it’s “bling” for the sake of “bling”
Thanks! And I agree, the problem with modern aftermarket wheels is there’s almost no design and finish restraint, while OEM has to “play it safe”, and not let the wheel designs overwhelm the looks of cars themselves, with their role more about being functionally attractive than about making a statement.
The wheels used on Donks with their intricate spoke shapes, and decorative faux diamond encrusted accents and chrome finishes always seemed to me the car equivalent of disco era neck medallions.
A: it’s getting harder to find tires in the tall, narrow sizes of yore (compared to current ones, anyway) so perhaps that’s why these cars got so equipped. And they look good, compared to the ridiculous 20+ inch wheels you usually see when older cars get “updated”.
B: I remember seeing an article about too many older GM cars getting “Rally wheels” that didn’t come with them originally (I hope that article was here, and I’m not just mis-remembering something else…) Anyway I’m gonna vote that putting IROC wheels on 70’s or 80’s GM cars is this same phenomenon, just with newer wheels and cars…
C: I’ve bought sets of wheels with tires already mounted from the junkyard, sometimes you can get a deal that ends up costing less than a pair of new tires for your existing wheels. That and here in the rust belt, if your stock steel wheels are all rusty, why put nice, new tires on old corroded wheels when you can pick up a set of alloy wheels for relatively cheap…
D: I had a recent Nissan that kept losing its hubcaps. The only place I could find replacement ones was the dealer, at $80 a piece… for plastic hubcaps! I ended up getting other Nissan alloy wheels for less than that, instead of paying exorbitant $ for plastic caps, to go on my rusty wheels.
E: those Jag copies are gorgeous! A guy who lived near me a few years ago, had one in pale yellow. It was super rusty, though, and spent more time sitting than driving. I remember talking to the owner once, he said it overheated every time he drove it, and his mechanic couldn’t get it to stay fixed. He got rid of it when the rust got too bad and the doors wouldn’t close anymore… sad end for a once-beautiful car,
I think the issue with wheels is how often they don’t match the car. This is particularly true of gigantic billet wheels on 80s and early 90s cars which look totally out of place. On the other hand the right wheel as in the examples above can fit the car better than stock. I also like period appropriate aftermarket wheels so a 70s car might sport BBS spiderweb wheels or Minilites and look right where some gigantic Enkei abomination will look wrong.
A good example of cross brand wheel swaps is the Ronal R8 turbine spoke wheel on a 70s or 80s VW, the wheel was an Audi part but suited the similar styling of period VW and often looked better than the stock VW wheel. On the other hand the Rostyle wheels that were factory equipment on the later Rover P5B looked totally out of place.
Great post Eric. I looked up the CV LX Sport to see if the wheels on your car were standard (assumed so!) and found a page saying there were one type for the older chassis 01-02 years and then one for 03-07. For the model-year-change US market this lack of change is pretty extraordinary and says a lot about the Crown Vic at the time.
Wheel changes are an interesting thing. My father had his 1968 Falcon GT on show and a guy was saying how bad the later model factory Ford 16″ alloys looked and he didn’t like the car. I told him they were there because we were in the middle of a Power Tour type event, and the standard wheels with the chrome hubcaps were at home, he completely changed his tune! The originality point is because Ford only made 1700-odd of the GT’s and they have been collectible for 30 years.
I really like the XJC. The removal of the vinyl covering shows an unlikely kinship with the window kink/C-pillar of the original Lexus LS400, perhaps. The color of the Jag (“Bronzit?”) may be pushing that point. It’s impressive, about the Jag’s design, that it looks good in the primrose color that was old-fashioned when these were new, and it looks good in this contemporary or recent color.
On the wheels, going to a later OEM wheel very often gives good results. Sometimes it’s essential: many of the BMW E24s had TRX wheels, so almost all of them that are driven have later BMW wheels. Same with some of the Fox Mustangs.
The Jag wheels look ok because they are from another Jag. The Caprice? Nope. The LS Brougham needs wires, no sporty BS.
Not everything needs to be sporty. Not everything needs to be sporty. Not everything needs to be sporty…
I have a 2014 300c. You know what would make that car great? Sports suspension? Nope! Paddle shifters or even a true manual? Ha! No. A spoiler? Oh good gawd nah! About three more feet somewhere between the front seat and the ass end and a much softer suspension/smaller rims.
Folks can take that sport crap and shove it already!
Not everything needs to be luxury. Not everything needs to be luxury. Not everything needs to be luxury…
The 77+ B body was the “sportiest” looking B since the 1968s, even after the 80 restyle. Look at what was done to the Buick Regal to create the T-type(and Grand National) packages and the same effort would have worked just as well, if not better on these. They did an admirable job doing just that with the later Impala SS, yet this bodystyle was so much more attractive to start with than the whale Caprice.
Point is this is a full size Chevrolet, not a Cadillac Deville. You may not like the sport creep in luxury cars, but Luxury creep has been just as egregious over the years making sporty cars fat and numb. I don’t want it to be that all cars should be sporty, but I intrinsically feel all cars could be.
Jag: original. Cheb: newbies better than fake wires. great piece.
The Caprice needs either bigger wheels, 16s maybe 17s, or the 70-75 profile tyres they used to wear. A set of Pontiac BBS style wheels would also work here.
The Jag needs the Euro chrome bumpers to round up the look.
I’m not sure if it’s because of the colour or tire size, but these trans am wheels do not work for me much.
Best combination I found so far. 90s nets style wheels, but require waggon or police wheel pattern 5×5 . This particular Caprice was GM factory workhouse for BMW V12 trial. Something I could live with 🙂
I would assume a 5×5 PCD is shared between the box and whale Caprices.
Commodores down here use a 5×120 PCD, which effectively lock us out of using rallye wheels in our cars 🙁
If they are 15″ there is still need for taller tyres. Caprices from that vintage used to roll in 15″ steelies with the profiles I mentioned above. I like these better than the Camaro ones.
Most box caprice have 5×4.75 (5x 120,6) except police and wagon versions. But it open BMW pattern at least, but it’s problem finding one with close enough ET which is very unusual ET0.
The tire height and the lowered ride height hurt it the most, it looks beached. But I don’t think the style is well suited to it either, the mesh gold BBS style wheel on everything is a trend I don’t miss.
Ah, the Case of The Wrong Wheels!
How often have I mused upon the thoughts expressed in this post, which is a great one.
Eric, what an observation you make – I thought without pause that that Jag was 40mph faster and a whole minute quicker round the circuit before I’d even read the heading. Funny too, because as V12’s at least, they were fast and excellent handling vehicles, but I too never think of them that way. Rather as exquisite dainties to be driven gently and kept ultra clean.
The roof is of interest. Jag fitted them with vinyl to hide weld seams, but carefully re-done without the vinyl, I have consistently noticed that the roof seems taller, ever so slightly too much so. And it may technically be correct to think this, as Jag were hardly going to engineer new front and rear screens for the slightly lower roof a pillarless two-door should have. It’s the same height as the sedan. The black roof visually seems to lower it a bit.
On balance, I don’t applaud what’s been done to this cat. The nondescript colour is too modern, and quite why someone would go to the bother of a repaint only to put back those railway buffer US bumpers is beyond me. It’s too tall now, and the wheels could be said to resemble a besuited middle aged man wearing bold hi-top sneakers. I suppose if taken as restomod generally, as it the louvres suggest it may well be, it’s a tasteful one. A case of not loving it but not hating it, for once.
To all those saying that if wheels are to be swapped, you must at least use same manufacturer wheels, I say amen. Exceptions are rare.
As for the Chev, I’m really happy other people here see the idea that the “wrong” wheels on a car can be ruinous not because of the wheels themselves but because they are so at-odds with the style and image of the recipient. They jar.
But then, I have been awfully prejudiced towards ultra-conservatism on this topic since I was a kid, probably because every teen bonehead in my area put the same ugly fat non-OEM wheels on their otherwise pretty Fords or Holdens. It’s likely I equate their blank-headed attitudes with The Wrong Wheels, and still make the same connection even now.
I agree that wheels (or wheel covers) can markedly change a car. I put 1969 (Buick OEM of course) hubcaps on my 92 Roadmaster, and think it gives an often-disparaged car some low-key flash (in keeping with the Buick character), and some link to the B-Body heritage.
Original:
With 69 Lesabre hubcaps:
I like it!
One of my biggest issues with 80s-90s GM is their wheel covers often look flat or convex and the outer rim of the cover sits on top of the wheel lip, literally making them look tacked on. Your “new” 69 covers have a nice concave depth to them and look fully integrated into the actual wheel, plus the turbine design is far more attractive than wires.
They were making their alloy wheels flush-looking as well, even on the trucks with a low positive or neutral offset.
The XJ series Jaguar has had problems with wheels over the years.
The blue XJ are simply not representative of the marque.
The red XJ are simply.
I actually like the wheels on the blue one better, I kind of love the weird and crazy looking wheel designs many European manufactures came up with in the 70s. Although I do prefer them on the XJ/S.
Cannot get too worked up about non original wheels, some are better than original, but if you don’t like them undo 20 bolts and they are off so no harm done, but I am not a fan of very low profile tyres on older vehicles, to my eyes they all look wrong
I like to stay in the “family” whenever possible, my ’93 S-10, using later model wheels, and larger tires to fill up the wheelwells. 🙂