Porsche Gives Center-Locking Wheels to the Masses

There is a reason Porsche seems to rise continuously on the market and always be a step ahead of the competition. It seems to know exactly what people need and it's always there to provide, even if sometimes at hefty prices.

The latest example is the Porsche-exclusive RS Spyder 19-inch wheels with a innovative central-locking system – kinda like the one they use in Formula One. These are only meant to be used on the 911 Turbo which already offers a hoard of customization options, but guess that Porsche didn't think they were enough.

The rims are made of forged super-light aluminum and they feature a 7 U-shaped double spokes design. The way they fit to the wheel bearing is via an innovative wheel bolt system with a security mechanism made up of a cartridge fitted in the wheel hub with spring-mounted security bolts. These bolts are plated in titanium color which makes them stand out from the silver-colored rim.

As you might have guessed already, the design is taken from Porsche's racing experience, which means that they were thoroughly tested on the track before being made available to customers. Specifically, the new system was tested on the most grueling and demanding race circuit out there – 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The new model will become available for purchase starting with January 2009 and the announced base price is 2,950 euros. The price including VAT for the 19-inch model is somewhere around 3,500 euro. The press release spoke only of Germany and Europe, so there's no word on whether the Americans will be able to get their hands on these rims just yet. Dammit, we feel generous, we'll take 4!