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Carbon fibre wheels are on the increase as customers start to demand the pinnacle material when it comes to wheel manufacturing, with even the likes of Porsche joining the super lightweight wheel party with their introduction of their own light weight carbon fibre wheel. There are a couple of 1-piece after market wheels already on sales, but for our tastes they just don’t quite cut it, sorry but it has to look aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well as doing what it says on the tin … the two piece wheels that have also hit the market recently also lack that certain “Je ne sais quoi” there isn't one wheel design that gives us that “wow factor” and certainly wouldn't invest the large sums of money the manufacturers want for their product, they may have function, but they lack form.

As a company that cut its whiskers on custom manufactured 1, 2 and 3 piece wheels, we are always looking for the perfect wheel, It’s something we strive for year after year, only a few months back we discussed and showcased our first ever magnesium and carbon fibre hybrid forged wheel in 1 piece monoblock form, that we built for our good friends over at Icon F1, these wheel were built or their amazing Mercedes AMG C Class Coupe Edition 1, not just any Edition 1 either, this is a limited run of the Motorsport edition, it’s a beast of a car, larger brakes, better interiors, and a bit more power, we are still aiming to bring you to full installation article over the coming weeks, but we have both had really busy schedules, but something we will report on when the testing happens.

The good thing about using a 1-piece forged magnesium monoblock wheel is the weight, if you get the design right the product is super light whilst being immensely strong, but the applications are extremely limited, we simply cannot offer every fitment as the monoblock forgings have limited widths, which is a little frustrating, it’s the same with our 3 piece forged carbon composite wheel, applications are again limited due to a variety of issues, brakes and offsets are the two problem areas for the 3 Piece composite carbon wheel configuration, but we now have a great light weight solution for most applications.

Carbon Fibre Barrels, Forged Magnesium Centre, 2 piece Hybrid Wheel

We have a 2-piece hybrid wheel and the product is pretty special, the first part is a carbon fibre barrel and the best bit is these carbon fibre barrels have full German TUV approval, so straight way it’s a product that inspires confidence, the second part of the wheel the centres are forged magnesium, fixed with titanium hardware, a combination that is not only stupendously light weight, but incredible strong, with the added bonus, you can pretty much have any design you want. There are already designs in place with all of the current VAD designs available to choose from as well as new designs being added over the next few months. The size and widths of the barrels are as follows, with a huge range of applications available to include centre lock, custom bespoke builds are also available on request.

8.5x19 > 10x19 > 11x19 > 12x19 // 9x20 > 10x20 > 11x20 > 12x20 9.5x21 > 10x21 > 12.5x19 // 10x22 > 12x22

The 19” and 20” wheels are fixed with 32 x M6 Titanium bolt fasteners, the 21” and 22” are fixed with 32 x M8 Titanium bolt fasteners. Any information required on fitments, testing and pricing, get in touch with the VAD sales team

 

Bryce has had a very busy couple of months with his build of late, our last blog post about his GTR he had taken delivery of the super sticky Michelin tyres and it was back to being a daily ride, it was great to his Instagram feed fill up with pictures of the car at various locations, its been great following the progression from start to finish and it seems he has no intention of slowing down.

Ichiban GTR, HOT IMPORT NIGHTS, Denver Mart, Denver 31st March 2018

The last couple of weeks has seen him welcome Brandon Woyshnis, the owner of Woyshnis Media for a real slick photoshoot and if the teasers are anything to go by, we are in for a treat as they look spectacular, we cant wait for the full set of pictures to hit our mail along with the video footage, Christmas is definitely coming early this year.

With the photoshoot locked and loaded and Brandon heading home the next stop for Bryce and the GTR was to hit the Hot Imports Nights show, Denver Mart, Denver, Saturday 31st of March and we must say it seems is was a worthy trip as the Ichiban GTR came away with Hottest Wide Body, which we are super excited about especially that we know this is just the beginning for this GTR's journey.

Ichiban GTR Wide Body

Ichiban GTR, HOT IMPORT NIGHTS, Denver Mart, 31st March 2018, Winner Of Hottest Wide Body

Bryce and Taylor Jenkins

Bryce & Taylor Jenkins "WINNING" surely the first of many Trophies. Winner of Hottest Wide Body

Big congrats to Bryce and Taylor, they really have done the VAD name proud, its a pleasure to have them apart of the VAD family, onwards and upwards #VAD2K18

 

Sunday the 25th of March is a day that will be stored in our memory banks for a long time, it was the day that the very first Old & New Porsche 997 slant nose was launched to the world and it didn't disappoint, we already new the colour scheme and the livery as we had been privy to the render that was produce by the hugely talented KYZA for the RAD team, and although that render got the fires burning, the unveiling of the real thing just blew us away.

The boys at RAD have done an wonderful job, the car is sublime in the flesh, the fit and finish is as we have come to expect from them all, and the fact Jonny had painted on the stripe livery is a testament to his skill set as a painter, we have been saying for a long time with a paint gun in hand, Jonny is one of the best in the country, the stickers just dotted the i's and crossed the t's to the Rothmans livery, and completes the look, especially with the Gold Rotiform mesh design, its a real homage to the old Porsche race cars, especially the 962 & 959 models.

OLD & NEW Porsche 997 Slant Nose Porsche, Reflex Auto Design Open Day

The open day in general went down a storm, with a great turn out of cars and models from most marquees. one particular vehicle which stood out was the Andi Riley's T5 Transporter, fitted with an RS4 V8, with a couple of turbos and full Quattro running gear, we have read a lot about this particular T5, so it was great to see it up close and personal, we love the fact it looks like a factory install, a real credit to Andi, especially as the interior is all kitted out, with a nice sound system, it must be a great place to sit.

A with any of these builds they aren't possible without the help of others, and RAD have teamed up with some real quality companies to make sure this build stands the test of time, a huge thanks you firstly to the Guys at OLD & NEW for entrusting us to look after their brand for the European market, as soon as we met Shuichi Nakagawa at the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon on our visit with our friend Iby from Speedwells, we knew it would be a great partnership, as we have been keen to work with each other.

A big shout out to all the companies that have been involved in this build, Rotiform, Air Lift Company, Toyo Tyres, Forged Motorsport, Recaro -UK, Kenwood Uk, EBC Brakes, EMP Performance, Pancross and of course ourselves. We would personally like to thank the Reflex boys, Jonny, Matt, Christian Leggett, Matt Clifford and the rest of the team for the collaboration, we have known them a long time and we are extremely happy to be associated with this team of craftsmen, this is just the start of our great partnership, we look forward to seeing our BMW GT3 painted in the coming weeks.

REFLEX AUTO DESIGN OPEN DAY 25th March 2018

 
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OFFICE
Unit C20
Rose Hill Industrial Estate
Rose Hill Road 
Market Drayton 
Shropshire 
TF9 2JU


WORKSHOP 

Unit C21
Rose Hill Industrial Estate
Rose Hill Road 
Market Drayton
 
Shropshire
TF9 2JU


Strictly by Appointment  
Art...Some people collect it, We like to build it
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