La Dolce Veloce

Every car nut knows that lightweight wheels are an important element in vehicle performance. To achieve this, wheels have been designed with lightweight materials (magnesium, and more commonly, aluminum), improved manufacturing methods (forging, to increase the strength per unit weight), and construction techniques (making the wheels from multiple pieces, to optimize material and process for each part). Well, a company called AutoVelocity has taken it a step further, producing what can truly be considered a twenty first century wheel. What makes it special is the use of carbon fiber for the rim (with magnesium for the spokes, though a titanium version is in the works). The result is a wheel that weighs half what a comparably sized one would (like 8lbs!). Inexpensive? Not a chance. Try $1500 and up. PER WHEEL. (Note – their website indicates that they’re not just a wheel company, but rather, are designing a supercar to hit the roads this fall. Quite ambitious, I hope they succeed!).

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