A short history of the wheel, that annular enabler of travel, commerce, and posturing:
3500 B.C.: First documented use of wheels on chariots
2000 B.C.: Spoked wheels used on Andronovan chariots
1000 B.C.: Celtic chariots feature iron rims
1887 A.D.: Dunlop develops the first pneumatic tire
1924 A.D.: Ettore Bugatti uses aluminum wheels on the Type 35
2005 A.D.: Human folly manifested in 34-inch chrome wheels
Despite much evidence to the contrary, wheels do more than just collect brake dust. Wheels are highly functional and critical in ensuring a vehicle’s sex appeal, which ultimately sells most of the cars on this list. Sometimes wheel designs can be more iconic than the cars they carry, such as those found on the AMG Hammer from the late 1980s. Consumers look to wheels as a way of personalizing their vehicles, and manufacturers offer an abundance of different wheel styles per vehicle at a premium, as do aftermarket companies that move billions of dollars in wheels every year.
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