Color-Matched Wheels Are So Much Better Than Boring Silver Or Black

While thumbing through the upcoming auctions at Broad Arrow's all-Porsche Air|Water sale I was taken aback by the beauty of this magnificent 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster. It isn't so much the car itself, the Speedster doesn't really appeal to me in that it was mostly a style-over-substance special edition. What really struck me, however, was the Fuchs wheels factory optioned as color-matched to the custom-order Light Yellow bodywork. I am nothing if not a sucker for color-matched wheels, and this is no exception. I'm not even a fan of Fuchs, even going so far as to replace them on my own 912E, but I think I've been convinced that they work when they're color-matched. Is it possible that all wheels look better when they're matched to the color of the car they're on?

I'm somewhat of an oddity when it comes to wheels. I almost never keep the factory fitment wheels on my cars, and I am quite adamant that my cars have a wheel color other than silver or black. While most people are perfectly fine with stock silver wheels, I'm here to let you know there's another way. A better and more colorful way that will almost assuredly make your life appreciably better. The color-matched wheel, when done right, is the pure peak of automotive styling.

There are many instances of great wheel colors, but you really have to do it right. Since the vast majority of cars out there on the road are already some dreadful greyscale shade, it doesn't do much of anything good to color-match a wheel to an already boring color. You have to pick something with verve and vibrance. When I settled on Ocean Jade Metallic for my Porsche 911 (above) I knew that I had to get the wheels color-matched, but I had to make sure it was done right. I don't think this particular look would be as effective without the polished aluminum barrels, something shared with the Fuchs on the yellow Speedster. In my case, I also retained the Fikse center caps grey instead of continuing the paint across the middle. There are some cars that can pull off a full-face wheel full of color-matched, but most look best with a lip or center cap (or both) to break up the single tone. 

Ultimately it's down to what you like best, but if you have a car with a bright or unique color, it would probably look great with a color-matched wheel. I've seen this work to great effect even on a tan car. Try it out, you just might like what you see. In a boring world of grey, silver, white, and black cars, be a vibrant color.