Icons: Borrani Wheels: Octane March 2007

Written by Delwyn Mallett, photographs by Ian Dawson. Published in Octane, issue 45, March 2007, Octane Media Ltd.

James Bond is back, and a jolly good romp the new film is too. It's also satisfying to see that, if only for a brief moment, James almost twists the rubber off his Borranis in a 'real' Aston.

In the 1950s, author Ian Fleming almost alone created brand desirability in his Bond novels. Before Bond, cars came with wheels but post-Bond they came with wheels or Borranis, and the small-ads in The Exchange & Mart began boasting 'with Borranis' as a selling point. Those fortunate enough to be able to afford a Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin or Ford GT 40 often got a set of Borranis thrown in, but for the man in the street they remained an exotic accessory well beyond the average pocket.

The Borrani wheel, despite appearing as Italian as Chianti and pizza, is in fact of English origin. In 1922 Carlo Borrani spotted an opportunity to supply racing mad Italians with a go-faster accessory in the shape of the rapidly demountable Rudge-Whitworth wheel and hub, and negotiated with the Coventry-based company to produce its patented device under licence. To this day the Borrani logo remains a replica of that adopted by Rudge-Whitworth in the 1890s. In the days when most roads resembled a rally special stage, punctures were a frequent aggravation for the motorist and anything that eased the exchange of wheels was welcome. Saving time was even more important in racing where, in addition to punctures, tyres were often worn through to the canvas long before the end of a race. In 1908 bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer Rudge-Whitworth introduced a wheel located on a tapered splined hub and held in position by a single, large nut. The advantages were immediately obvious and makers of sporting cars the world over were soon fitting Rudge-Whitworth wheels.

Carlo Borrani opened his little factory, originally called Rudge Whitworth Milano, at 9 Via Ugo Bassi, Milan, and within the year Alfa Romeo and Lancia were using Borrani-built wheels. Significantly, in 1924, a young racer called Enzo Ferrari won the Acerbo Cup in Pescara with his Borrani-shod Alfa and from 1932 to 1934 ran a team of Rudge-Whitworth motorbikes. Enzo would in time of course become Borrani's most famous customer.

In 1935 'Rudge-Whitworth' was dropped and the company name changed to Carlo Borrani SpA. The Borrani reputation for fine racing wheels was further enhanced during the 1930S with the introduction of light alloy rims. Borranis were not restricted to cars and, in a period when Italian motorbikes were second to none, Benelli, Gilera, Moto-Guzzi and MV Agusta stormed the tracks of the world on Borrani alloy rims.

Until the early-'50s Borrani knock-offs were fitted with a two-eared nut but at the 1952 Indianapolis race the Ferrari mechanics were sufficiently impressed by the American-style three-eared lug that Borrani was persuaded to introduce a version of its own. It was at this race that Borrani experienced an embarrassing public failure when a collapsed wheel put Ascari out of the race. Borrani responded by introducing a redesigned and stronger hub. As the 1950s progressed, motor manufacturers began the gradual migration from wire wheels and Borrani responded with a 'bi-metal' wheel, consisting of a pressed steel centre mated to its existing alloy rims. In 1955 Borrani outgrew its premises and its name. They moved out of town, renamed themselves Construzioni Meccaniche Rho SpA but continued to market wheels under the trademark Ruote Borrani Milano.

The wheel of fortune has turned again and Borrani is in new ownership and in a new factory. Fortunately the entyre Borrani archive remains intact, with specifications of every wheel built since 1922.

For more information contact Ruote Borrani, www.borrani.co.uk; tel: +44 (0)1302 711123.