- [Alex] BBS. The name that embodies like, what it
means to be a race wheel, and if you didn't know; BBS
is just really, difficult, to just, to.
We might not
see them as the fun guys, they're just difficult to,
to work around. And BBS is a name that a lot of people
know as kinda being like the OG.
They're the OG race wheel when it comes to the scene.
They're the OG, just wheels, like company,
when it comes to certain people in general.
But a lot of people have started to question
whether BBS is truly still an iconic race wheel because,
as you know, they really aren't involved in the normal
community anymore; they only do like racing stuff. They
really don't care about people like you and me, and
that's, you know; we're not putting words in their mouth.
We're just saying that, when it comes down to it, their
focus, ever since 2010, has really all been about racing.
So, is BBS the iconic racing wheel?
We're gonna delve into it in today's episode.
And by the way, we are doing a SEMA meet and greet,
if you guys are interested; Tuesday four o'clock, and we're
probably gonna be doing it at the Acura booth. Acura might
be watching this and they're like,
"wait a minute, we haven't agreed to that yet." But,
we're, we're pretty sure that that's where
we're gonna be meeting. So, if you guys are going to SEMA,
drop a comment below and let us know. We need uh,
we need friends.
BBS was founded in 1970, by Heinrich Baumgartner and
Klaus Brand, and it was actually formed in
Shiltach, Germany; which is what the acronym of
BBS stands for; which is their last names and the founding
city. And really, ever since they got out of the
auto plastics industry, a few short years later; BBS got
involved in the racing motor sport pedigree, thing.
They started making wheels, most notably; they
started making three-piece forged wheels especially
for the motor sport era. And it didn't take long for BBS
to start to figure out what they actually wanted to do
with their life, and just like any kid that gets their
dream job, they figured out how everything was gonna
align for the rest of their life and,
they were just going to do that.
BBS started to get involved in anything they possibly could.
They celebrated you know, different championships with
Michael Shumacher, with Formula 1, with WRC,
with hill climbs, and everything in between; because BBS
was just really involved in the motor sports scene.
But as they grew, BBS was also trying to get involved
in like, the normal, like scene.
Like the, the, the, the Hondas and the Acuras scene.
Like that sort of aftermarket scene, because there was
money that was booming in the industry. The automotive
market was absolutely exploding when it came down to
people buying aftermarket wheels and tires, and different
things for their cars; because that's just
what people wanted to do.
And BBS tried their hand at that. They tried their hand at
the aftermarket, the racing market, and of course,
the OE+ market. Over time though, what they realized, is
that that just weren't, they just didn't really
wanna, do it; and we're not gonna dive into the specifics
because we did a whole wheel history on it, which you can
actually check out up here.
But what you do need to know is that, at the end of the
day, BBS realized that that was really just not,
their cup of tea.
Instead, their cup of tea was doing OEM wheels and
racing wheels, and over time they really just got involved
in what they wanted to do; and that was making wheels
for Porsche, and Audi, and BMW, and Land Rover, and things
like that, because that's what BBS chose to do.
In fact, you can pick up a new 2019 Mazda Miata on
some BBS wheels. What Volk was for the Japanese market,
BBS was for the German market.
And really, as they started to get more involved in
racing motor sports, they began to realize how much value
that whole market gave them; because if you didn't know,
that's where most of the money sits in the current scene;
it's not really in like, us.
Like people, you know, that;
you know what I'm talking about.
It was more for people that were in the racing scene because
there's a lot of money behind it, and in terms of like,
technology, and style, and different designs, and
things like that; if there's anywhere where BBS wanted
to get that from, it was from the track;
because that's just how you make a good wheel.
And, you know, I mean, anything coming out of Germany,
is pretty much raised to perfection;
and BBS was no exception when it came down to the brand
and quality of wheels that they were making.
But, just like Eminem in Revival, there's been people
that just don't really like BBS as of late.
They don't have wheels in the designs that they want,
styles that they want, color that they want; they're
not coming out with anything new and insane, or crazy or
different, and the community has started to like, ask, and
just been like; "what is BBS?
"Why is BBS? Is it over-hyped?"
Which is what a lot of people are starting to say.
And it made us actually really, I mean, make the video
while we talk about it.
Because, just like Kamikaze a short year later, BBS is
still just absolutely crushing it when it comes down
to different wheels and things that they're doing,
especially in the motor sports scene.
But, just like we've discussed before,
BBS doesn't like, do;
our scene anymore.
They do motor sports. So in terms of people not
knowing what BBS is up to, that's pretty much what
BBS wants. They don't really want to be involved in like,
the scene that we're talking about with,
you know, Envy forged and BC forged, and multi-piece
wheels, and Concept One, and ESR, and XO; that's not
really their play. Their play is more about the motor sports
scene, and getting involved in Formula 1 competitions,
and getting involved with different teams and departments,
and things like that. For hill climbs,
and partnering with the big boys,
because that is what BBS wants to do.
And in the past ten years, BBS has really changed
the company to be directed towards that market.
They've shifted, they've changed focus, they've been
purchased; they've been invested and partnered, and changed,
and this and that; all the boring stuff within a corporate
company, to essentially just make it so that they can sell
those wheels to the needed markets that they want.
Because that's what they want to do.
But that doesn't mean that they're essentially not iconic
anymore, they are the iconic racing wheel.
BBS continues to be just that wheel.
If you have like a, you know, mark one or mark two; BBS's
are the things that you are gonna get.
So many people re-barrel BBS wheels and multi-piece wheels,
and it's just, I mean like that's cool.
But BBS isn't really about that. They're more about
the racing motor sports scene.
So, if you have deep pockets, and you have something that
you want to put a center lock BBS on;
they'll do that for you, because that's what
they choose to do. They're still an iconic racing wheel,
they're just not an iconic racing wheel in our
scene anymore, because that's just not really what
they wanna do. So, if you have a set of BBS's, or you don't;
or if you like em' or don't like em',
be sure to drop a comment if you, you know,
wanna talk about BBS.
But I'm Alex from Fitment Industries,
and don't forget to subscribe, we're trying to
get to a hundred-thousand before SEMA;
which is actually coming up relatively quick, and;
just like I said before, we're hosting a meet and greet
Tuesday at four o'clock, I think, at like the
outdoor Acura booth. So, drop a comment, let us know if
you're gonna be there as well; otherwise we will just
hang out by ourselves, and do nothing.
And shoot videos. Which sounds really lame.
So, it would be really cool if you guys could come out,
because that would just make us feel better.
I'm Alex, from Fitment Industries;
and we will see you later. Peace.