http://casualsociety.co.za/bbs-wheel-fans/
Thought this was interesting.
The BBS wheel was the wheel of choice for the IMSA GTP series in the 80′s. The BBS wheel was the game changer because all manufacturers made wheels that were light weight and high strength but BBS recognized that aesthetics were equally important. Why not sell a wheel that complimented the flowing lines of a sportscar was BBS’ approach. GTP cars – no matter the manufacturer — were usually found on gold BBS wheels. The color was a perfect fit for the various cars they were fitted to.
Wheel fans in the front and standard BBS Golds in the back was the popular choice for many years in the GTP series.
Wheel fans were unique to GTP & were first seen on Porsches and soon requested by the majority of BBS’ clients. Most GTP teams were trying to keep up with each other, asking BBS to sell them what they’d seen on their rivals cars without always understanding if it would help or hinder their own cars.
The wheel fans became really commercial very soon because in some cases, depending on the aerodynamics of the car, the fans did nothing at all. The purpose of the fans really came down to the way the car was setup: they might help cool the brakes, they might help aero wise, they might not do anything, they might even be a negative!
Wheel fans made their way into other series – notably on the fearsome Audi Quattro Trans-Am cars. Audi spent more money developing the cooling cones than they did buying wheels! BBS didn’t develop those cooling cones. They were developed in the wind tunnel, actually through some universities. Audi was trying to evacuate any air underneath the car. It wasn’t about cooling brakes; it was about getting everything out from beneath the car.
Today wheel fans are no longer used in GTP or any other racing for that matter. One-piece gun-metal grey magnesium wheels have become the norm. The fans were nothing more than a trend. & like all trends, they tend to come back. Will they come back? Who knows… Unless aftermarket companies start making them, we don’t see them becoming too popular. Because finding a set of genuine BBS wheels & fans might be harder than finding chickens teeth. We wont even talk about how much they would cost if you found them. Especially imported to South Africa.