Enkei’s New 15-Inch Dish Wheels Are the Throwbacks We Need
The Japanese company says these are a nod to its 1968 wheels.
Japanese company Enkei has been making custom aftermarket wheels since 1950. I’m partial to the Enkei92 mesh design, but the company released information about the Enkei Dish II this week and they are truly irresistible.
Enkei classifies the Dish II in its “neo classic” series, as it’s a current iteration of its original Dish aluminum wheels. The aftermarket specialist says its manufacturing process harnesses the “miniaturization of the metallographic structure by rapidly cooling the molten aluminum alloy,” improving the tensile strength and elongation as compared to conventional casting systems.
Available in machined silver or machined black, the Enkei Disk II wheel is one size only: 15 inches. The wheels feature five identical kidney-shaped cutouts and a globe motif in the center with the letters “EK” inside, and an old-school version of the Enkei logo is embossed along the edge. The Enkei Disk II looks good on a Toyota Hiace, and I’m betting it would grace the axles of a Honda Civic, Mini Cooper, or Mazda Miata quite well.
Enkei released four new designs in January, as well, promoting five- and eight-spoke options along with an off-road-inspired ten-spoke wheel. Even Sir Lewis Hamilton has raced on Enkei wheels, taking second place at the F1 Korean Grand Prix in 2011.
It’s not a cheapie, either: priced at 46,750 yen per wheel, that’s the equivalent of about $313. Still, that's a lot less than the $2,500 set of rare Enkei 2000s I found on eBay Motors, or the 18-inch Subaru WRX STI wheels for sale for $2,000.
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