The Cal-look Lounge

looks like COSMIC repros with porsche pattern are available soon in germany...

http://www.jj-vintage.de/felgen (http://www.jj-vintage.de/felgen)

(http://www.jj-vintage.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/felge_neu_.jpg)

Well that's just fucking great. >:(

Why those ugly round holes ?

original cosmic has those holes too...

(http://www3.pic-upload.de/16.05.10/kzv7higpscf.jpg) (http://www.pic-upload.de/view-5653314/vw-wallpaper-18.jpg.html)

Looks better like this

(http://www.cosmic-wheels.com/cosmic%20images/cosmic/5x112%20restored.jpg)

Awesome! :)

Nice to see a bit more choice on the wheel front, even though they're not my cup of tea.

Anyone an idea of pricing?

Cosmic! To quote Rodney Trotter...

they say about 1200 euro

 ::)

Fugly.

Expensive?

I've been lusting afer a set of Cosmic's for my car for years but I dont' like repro's.

Good thing I paid good money to have wheels that are hard to get and not to many have!!!!!!! When are split shells going to start being made?!

Unnecessary.

It was a question not a statement!  How much are these compared to original wheels?

porsche pattern  :o :P 8)

Cosmics don't make my dick hard so haven't really followed their prices but the 5x130 ones are ridiculously expensive, so repros are something like 1/3 of the price of originals ???

I have to say that I don't like the Porsche pattern ones, but I do really like the 4 lug VW ones, ever since a friend had a set on her beetle 15 years ago.

My 5 Porsche pattern wheels (plus an extra wheel drilled in MG-C pattern, damaged), Cosmic steering wheel with VW hub, and NOS accelerator pedal are for sale. Not cheap.

I wonder when they'll start to make baby burners... I hope never :D

I'm with you on that one...

  4-stud Cosmics look nice, but the 5-stud ones don't.

      They look really nice on the right kind of Bug.

          Original 4-stud Cosmics are out there and not too silly as yet, so grab some people.. ;)

aesthetically, 5-stud/5-spoke rims look WAY better than 4-stud/4-spoke. & that includes Cosmics.  old cars or new cars.
1200euros sounds slightly more than a third the price of originals to me...?

I love these rims and for that kind of money I'll be having a set thanks  ;D

Not my favorite wheel, but it's nice that there are more and more different models available on the market.

I don't have a set of originals bought as an investment so I don't give a shit about the impact those replicas will have on the market value of vintage VW wheels  ::).
I'm also not the kind of person that will stop or start consider something cool just because it became less or more popular, but I guess there will be some people concidering changing their cosmics to something different just because replicas appeared... funny :)

I just cant see the business model for reproducing a wheel that only twenty people have, and only twenty-five even like.  :D

I'm also not the kind of person that will stop or start consider something cool just because it became less or more popular, but I guess there will be some people concidering changing their cosmics to something different just because replicas appeared... funny

Its not an issue of the wheels being less or more popular, its an issue of them being more or less common.  Some people like to do things a bit different from the herd and search out unusual bits that make their car stand out.  Others enjoy the quest of searching out a really rare piece.  It is disappointing to then find out that this piece is being reproduced.

And for those who will chime in and say "I dont care about being different", I feel you are being disingenuous.  Anyone who is as passionate about old VW's as we are...and not just old VW's, but specific Hot-Rod VW's...enjoy being just a little bit different.  Otherwise you would driving a fast-hatch, ricer or street-rod.  This hobby is all about being just a little bit different.

Would the Tar Babe restoration have been as exciting if there had been 16 perfect replicas at the DKP reunion when Russel pulled in?  Sure, it is the original...but meh... ;) 

Again, if all this energy was put into developing some all-new retro themed wheels..something original, instead of copying someone else's designs, we might have some really cool stuff!  Some reproductions are needed of course, but there are entire companies in our hobby built on copying other peoples work...and I am not sure that is right.

I don't think reproduction wheels effect the price of original wheels and its nice to have the choice to buy original or reproduction   

I don't see original Fuchs, gasburners or torque thrust wheel prices taking a nose dive anytime soon if anything prices have been going up.

The simple fact is there are not enough original wheels to go round

People who care and can get hold of them will always pay for the real deal the rest wont

My 2 cents

Unfortunately, people rarely think any "new" design is cool and dont buy them. thus said design goes the wayside and not seen again

I know that and I respect that but still I think that trying hard to be "different from the herd" is almost like trying hard to be like everybody else. It's just not trying to be yourself.
It doesn't matter if you decide to walk the same way other people do or in the opposite direction. You still have to observe others and your way depends on theirs. There is nothing wrong in it, but "disappointments" (you did something, but other people changed their habits and you have to adapt) are inevitable. 


I had to look into dictionary and still don't know if I should feel offended or not. Probably yes.
The truth is that I got involved into Beetles because I met people that ware involved in this hobby. So I was kind of following the herd. Should I be ashamed? Come-on. We are talking about Beetles. This is the most popular car in the world!


No, it is not completely right, but I don't think there is point in discussing it. I still have an impression that some companies that are living out of making copies are disapproved and others, doing exactly the same, are prised, just because their owners are well known and liked.

The problem is that new, original designs would probably not sell well. In this hobby, we are trying to be original on the one hand, but on the other, we are looking into past and copying it. And we want staff from the past, or looking like it, not new designs. This is what most topics in this forums are about. I know that there are people that are thinking differently, but not so many of them. And their cars would be often labeled as "customs" not "cal-lookers".

I know your car and I reed your articles. You actually succeed in having a car with is slightly different and yet still "within the look" (IMHO). But most cal-look cars aren't. And they can still look good to me. Buying the most popular car in the world and than modifying it according to style which is described in books (almost manuals) and in the forums and still bragging about originality.... This is what I think can be sometimes described as a little bit disingenuous. Can't it?

I am firmly in this category. I got Cosmics because I wanted my car to stand out from the rest of the Cal Lookers. I like the 70's over the top, busy, almost psychedelic look they have. I sought out my wheels about 7 years ago, had to buy 11 wheels to get 5 cherry ones that didn't have a ding, nick, or scratch in them, as I wanted to keep them in their original finish, not restored. I paid the going rate for them, which is a lot less then they go for now, but still a huge chunk of change for a 22 year old. I made sacrifices to get these things! :D And I see that 1200 euro isn't cheap, but it wont be long until another company comes along and makes a shoddy reproduction at 1/3 of the price of these, then the damn things will be everywhere. For me, the wheels and the stance tell everything about the car. They are without a doubt the most important pieces on a custom vehicle. And I know I'm being a whiny little bitch, but knowing that they soon will be everywhere, really knocks the wind out of my sails on this project, my first car, a 67 that I've had since I was 17. I'm torn on what to do. I still love the things, but now I can't imagine myself using them. So if I can get what I want for them I might as well just let them go. :-\

Cosmics were a sitting duck to be reproduced at some point though, weren't they
original rims (ie BRMs, Gas Burners, Fuchs) that have already been copied seem to have kept good values, but then again what would their price be now if they hadn't been reproduced?

with Cosmics being reproduced, maybe it will actually mean more people getting introduced to Cosmics, & that this may actually increase the value of original rims

'new old' designs - there must be cool new ideas out there. i don't like Speed Masters. DSRs, like Cosmics, are a bit love/hate, and haven't sold in big numbers (maybe because they are expensive too)

i recently bought a set of Porsche-pattern Cosmics. i'm not sure how I feel about the repros. my initial reaction was disappointment - linked to the loss of exclusivity. i'm still glad i bought them though.
there aint no beating original rims! they make the ride they're fitted to x5 cooler

Dude, do you think you're gonna see Cosmics on every cal-look now? I doubt it.

And even if they are... is that enough to scrap your dream?

I'll be the first to admit that my vision for my car has changed over the years but because I have better ideas (sometimes my own, sometimes offered by friends  ;) ) and not because what others have done or if repro parts are available.

Live the dream... don't let the dream live you!  ;)

Thank God for (still) cheap Cookie Cutters, but one day...

Zach, to me the most important thing is to be right, not at all costs to be different!

I'm not really sure about cosmics, real or repro, but if they fit your project with the steering wheel you got and the whole plan, why ditch them because some guys will have the same wheels as you. I'm sure most of these repro cosmics will go on cars that are too low, narrowed beam, or maybe with a fugly interior, etc...

On my 68, I have the most common wheels of all, Fuchs. But I chose them because they fit my "porsche theme"...wheels, steering wheel, dash, color, and some other details;)  it's about making a great car where all the details are right, not a different one...

And like qubek said, when everybody is trying to be different, then you're just doing like everybody...

Whether true or false it does not matter ! I realy love these Cosmic !
They have the incredibel ability to delineate people who understood what gave the rims to the look of a car, and the others !
... Often, ego plays aganst the look of the car. :-\

Like Cookies, Cosmic are angular rims that go with the cars with angles. Fit well on a T34 -a good example.
By cons, for me, they do not really go with Beetle curves, Bus or T3. It is an intricate design rim opposed to simple curves of VW.

Morality, all wheels do not necessarily go with all styles and cars ! Cosmic are a good exemple.

They were made in 5 lugs Porsche for the money, they have been reproduced for the same reason !
(It is a rim that should have stayed in four lugs 12" only for Mini's.)

A certain amount of ego is necessary to modify a car, the Cosmic is the final straw in my opinion... and this is just my opinion.

Quebek, never be offended...Its not about personal shots, but rather about an interesting discussion.  :)

(Although I know that Zach must be totally confused.  On one hand I make fun of his wheels, but on the other I take his side in the debate)  ;D

I find it interesting that when I bring up designing new retro themed wheels, the first rebuttal I see is that we all want wheels from back in the day.  But the truth is that Cosmics, Gas Burners and gasp... Americans were never considered to be "traditional" cal-look wheels.  What we have now is revisionist history.  So, why cant a new wheel in an old theme be accepted like these other wheels? 

I totally agree with MacRavens - I never cared for Cosmics until I saw them on that Type III on page 1.  Wow that is one of the coolest T3 Ghias ever!  On an early 911 however.....ick.  :D

Finally, showing that I too can be fickle and argue both sides, I am looking for a cheap pair of 5.5" Fuchs so that I can run paint detailed Fuchs on my Beetle someday.  Sure everybody has them, but they are so sweet!  8)

Is anyone in the US or CA selling these yet? 8)

Hey Zach, run he wheel you want to run, not because everyone else does, because you want to. I'm still runnin my Flat 4 BRM's because that is the wheel that does it for me, I know that BRM's are pretty played out, but back in the day that was wheel I always wanted, could never have, would i like a set of real BRM's, HELL YEAH!!!! Would i put them on a car FUCK NO!!!!

I have to agree with this 100 percent!  This is exactly how I feel!

I think that title belongs to fake BRMs.

I think its time for a poll.

It sucks that nothing is sacred anymore. Wait long enough and your rare part that you've spends years saving/looking for will be reproduced. Like it's been said though, the reason we don't move forward with new designs is because we don't support a market for that. We are all constantly trying to find NOS parts or "traditional" items...not new looks. The look really hasn't evolved much over time (the 80's kind of sucked but luckily we got through that  :D)

I agree with DKK Rick though. Just because there are repro cosmics doesn't mean that every Cal-Looker is gonna have them. They weren't too popular back then which means that most people will still buy repro BRMs because BRMs were popular back-in-the-day.

Zach, run your Cosmics. They'll go great with what you wanna build. Besides, if you don't run your Cosmics, what's left? Cookies?  8)

sometimes we should be thankful that anyboby is making anything for these cars, and then remember that manufacturers are in it for the money. They are gonna make what sells. Then you want to bitch about not having NEW designs, but when someone does, it gets ridiculed as "ugly, wouldn't have that in my car, what was that guy thinking" bullshit. Just look at the "Black Mamba" shifter thread, then take a look at who talked the most shit. :o

I like five-lug Cosmics, and the Mamba shifter is easily the best shifter I have ever used… So there! :-*

The Mamba shifter is very nice... if you never look at it ;)

I'd like to see more things like the Speed Master wheels- a new product with classic looks.

Thanks for all the input, guys. I didn't mean to turn this into a group hug thread ;) I remember people talking about reproducing these wheels right after I got mine, which of course was always followed by swearing and death threats on my part. So I can't say I'm surprised, it was inevitable. I suppose I'll hang on to them for now. Like I said, I love the wheels, and I really can't imagine anything else on the car. So if I sold them, I would have to sell everything I have saved for the car. Even if I got 10x what I paid for the stuff, that would be a tough trigger to pull. Hopefully I will become inspired once again, and get the motivation back to build something really nice around them.

I agree with that, and Zack you'll have the real thing on your car 8)

 :D ;D ...what a statement! I love it! And damn you´re right!

Yep, I'm sure midlands wheels will be knocking them out just as soon as they can get their grubby mits on a back door entrance...

Who cares about the others? What matters is having FUN and that everybody is pleased with his/ her car, period. Ilove the looks of BRMs, don't have the money to buy original ones and would be scared to use them as they're pretty brittle anyway. So I got a set of replica ones, got the look I want and use them. i don't like unpainted BRMs or seeing them on narrowed beamed hood rides but I'm not ditching the ones I have just for that. I love their look, I think they look great on my car and I don't care about the rest...

Dim, whit those words, I think you are ready to go to the dark side of the force... Wild... Custom ! :D

I believe more and more that these cosmic wheels are wheels for the German Look style !

 ::)

(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/683918.jpg)

(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/683918.jpg)
[/quote]

Is that Kempston???

are you slating the photo, or the German Look comment?

yes, just off Ampthill Road, Bedford. you must be local! cool name for a road. i didn't leave the rims there long lol
(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/683917.jpg)

Yes, just off Ampthill Road, Bedford. you must be local! Cool name for a road. I didn't leave the rims there long lol...


I bought a Variant from around there, many years back. I remembered the name of the Road......   :)

The repros vs real ones on the pic. I like your "gasburners" avatar by the way. ;D

thanks. it's my neighbour's cooker
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/RockStock/Rims/cooker.jpg)

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/RockStock/Rims/cooker1.jpg)

Here it is!!...
(http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu14/jheath16407/cosmicpolishedR_2.jpg)

I think the value of my wheels will hold up just fine now :) :) :)

They are not 100% te same as the original ones  :(

That is a GOOD thing!

If we look back, I think we can see that any time that a "repro" wheel has come out, it only seems to make the originals worth more. At least with wheels that have limited availability.

bargain version from midland wheels available now...

http://www.midlandwheels.com/Shop/P-3023-5.5-x-15-JBW-COSMIC-Black---5x130.html

(http://static.skynetblogs.be/media/152958/277769519.2.jpg)

or from Jon abbot and Joe Gallagher

http://www.vwjava.webeden.co.uk/#/jge-wheels/4532880156

And again quality shows!

I have been looking at the new cosmics at DDD. They are nice, but not nice enough to buy them. They have a very machined look, spokes seem a bit to wide and the angles from center to spokes to outer rim are ... well, angles. I guess they were the german versions and judging from the pictures above the MWS ones could well be exactly the same one, their Chinese factory probably used the same molds as always.

When looking at the single picture of the JGE ones it seems they look quite a bit nicer. gone is the machined look (on image!) and the spokes seem to be more accurate. Congratulations!

Don't know how much they weight, but they look very heavy.

i am waiting for the day they do repro chromies.

The originals are really heavy too.

So Cal Imports has them. They look like shit compared to Mangels and that is saying a lot.

http://www.socalautoparts.com/product_info.php?cPath=1206_1254&products_id=13641&osCsid=3525656ba6eee7e3dd565427a086f9a2

Quote from Clint Eastwood movie Rookie, "everyone that does that for classic car should have his ass removed", applies to those Fuchs repros  :D

My originals are sold :)

i have always liked cosmics and have had hundreds of sets, i dont buy too many these days
i used to buy every cosmic i could find in any pcd then when someone found my site loooking to buy cosmics i could provide them with the wheels they wanted, normally at the same money i paid + the shipping
i have tracked down odd wheels to make up sets, tracked down wheels for insurance jobs to replace damaged ones in an RTA
i have sold them to canada, usa, japan, australia, france........

www.cosmic-wheels.com

Nice website  8)