     
| |
 |
|
| |
|
 |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
On 22 April 1922, the Italian
company "Rudge Whitworth Milano" was established in Milan, with
a share capital of 1,200,000 lire. The owner was Carlo Borrani.
The company was located at Via Ugo Bassi 9, and its activity was
the production and commercialisation of "wheels for cars,
motorbikes, cycles and "equivalent" as per notary act at the
Chamber of Commerce. This was the
official beginning of the remarkable Borrani wire wheels story.
Production started with a licence of Rudge Whitworth from
Coventry, Great Britain, which had registered a patent for
mounting a wheel on a hub by an unique splined drum, fixed by
one central lock nut. This enabled an easier and faster mounting
and dismounting of the wheel.
This also aroused interest from the most
important racing car constructors. Just 12 months after Rudge
Whitworth Milano commenced business, Alfa Romeo, Auto Union,
Bianchi and Lancia started to equip their racing and deluxe cars
with Borrani wheels. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
Later in the 1930s, the
company changed its name to "Carlo Borrani SpA". During this
same period, Borrani started to experiment with light, rigid
aluminium rims to replace the usual steel wheels. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
In 1955, the premises in Via
Bassi became inadequate for the rising monthly production
volumes that increased from 1,000 to 1,200 and then to 1,500 in
the next 6 years. The company again changed its name to "CMR -
Construzione Meccaniche Rho SpA" and moved to a new location.
The production of wheels went on under the Ruote Borrani Milano
trademark. Ten per cent of
production was devoted to racing cars. Ferrari was the best
customer of Borrani at that time. This alliance was not
accidental, as in 1924 the young Enzo Ferrari ran and won the
Acerbo Cup in Pescara with a car equipped with Rudge Whitworth
Milano wire wheels.
The collaboration between Ferrari and
Borrani also experienced some disagreements, as in 1952 when
Ascari had to give up the Indianapolis 500 because the hub of
his Ferrari broke. "Drake" pounced into Cesare Borrani's office
(Carlo's son), for a long, hard and sparkling discussion coming
to the conclusion of manufacturing special moulded hubs.
Borrani also became famous in the
motorcycle world as supplier of renowned manufacturers Benelli,
Gilera, Guzzi and MV Agusta. While among car makers, even Ford
purchased the rims for the first version of its mythic GT40 from
Borrani and used them on their Le Mans race cars. Thousands of
national and international victories were achieved on Borrani
wire wheels during this period. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
After a successful period for
wire wheels, the cast aluminium wheel gradually took over the
market as first equipment. Looking for new ways, Borrani started
to mount a pressed steel wheel disc in their existing aluminium
rims. These 'bimetal' wheels, which were already produced as
early as 1954, had their fair share of success and were mounted
on famous brands such as Alfa Romeo, ASA, Abarth, Fiat, Lancia,
Maserati and others. All Borrani
wheels were developed in close collaboration with the relevant
car makers, as a complicated and sophisticated technical
product. Borrani wheels in most cases formed an integral part of
the car's homologation and were also extensively tested as such.
Borrani wheels are unique products for the following
specifications:
- materials used for hubs, rims, spokes
and nipples
- dimensions and tolerances for hubs,
rims, spokes and nipples
- technical specifications as hub
threads rim shapes
All Borrani rims are identified by a
stamped RW-code of four or five digits, the unique Ruote Borrani
Milano stamping (there are several variations) and a stamped
internal production number. The codification also applies to the
hubs. All numerical codes correspond to technical and production
documentation. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
Borrani is now a major brand
in a niche market of great charm. Ruote Milano srl, located in
Rozzano in the southern part of Milan, recently took over the
production of Borrani wheels. This included all the historical
tooling, machines and materials, the specialised workforce and
the complete technical archives which date back to 1922.
All of this is now located in a 3,000 square
metre industrial premises specially renovated for this purpose. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
Even the most sophisticated
robots cannot replace the capable hands of workers who make
Borrani wheels with enthusiasm and skill, with the highest
quality and reliability as final objectives. RuoteMilano's first
goal is to supply the complete historical Borrani product range,
including wheels for competition use and special products.
Ruote Milano produces Borrani wire wheels for
cars manufactured in the past by: Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin,
Austin-Healey, Chevrolet, Cisitalia, Ferrari, Ford, Iso Rivolta,
Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lancia, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes, MG, Osca
and Porsche. It also produces Borrani wheels for formula race
cars, small sports barchettas, and formula Junior such as
Bandini, Ermini, Stanguellini and others.
It is also possible to manufacture Borrani
wire wheels for those cars that were not originally equipped
with them. Typical spare parts - such as hubs, drums, spokes,
nipples, locking nuts, 3 or 2 eared nuts and octagonal nuts -
are also available as spare parts. |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
