[Anonymous]

I had this passed down to me when I moved house, so I’m trying to figure out what kind of car it might have belonged to.

Its BBS, with BAR written on the dish part of the rim. Along with RE883 and 69 on the outside edge. I have a glass top with it too so its like a coffee table. It also weighs virtually nothing so I’m fairly sure its genuine magnesium.

Looks exactly like this – https://picasaweb.google.com/105109715262234814963/BBSWheelRim?feat=directlink#5507529141765044210

Any ideas?

Thanks

Sam

[DavidS]

Having B.A.R written on it suggests that it comes off a British American Racing car from the early 2000s

A search on the serial number RE883 158 found an auction listing at Bonhams.

http://www.bonhams.com/eur/auction/18214/lot/92/

It apparently belongs to BAR’s 2004 car (BAR 006)

However, this doesn’t appear to be from the 2004 car, because if you look near the hole for the air valve, they have stuck a little logo down. This is done by all teams, so that everyone (particularly tyre suppliers) know who the owner of the rim is. Your rim has a rather plain sticker, which would suggest it’s from an earlier car.

The only other year of BAR car to have that colour rim is the 2003 BAR 005. Other years had either black or red (1999) or OZ wheels.

RE883 is the rim design type, 69 is the serial number of that particular rim. It would make sense that the 2004 rim has a higher serial number than the 2003 one.

It should be pretty obvious that it’s a front rim.

As for value, that auction listing says it sold for £161. The thing is that they aren’t rare. An F1 car has four wheels, a team has two cars, the teams each several sets of rims they use in any given race. Back then, there was usually a test team which would need a full complement of rims. Then there’s rims which have passed their life span (the rims are under a lot of stress, which gradually fatigues the metal) so they are rotated out of action. At the start of the season, they most likely start with a completely new stock of wheels. There’s ten teams on the grid, and there’s many many seasons of F1. As evidenced by the serial number, there’s been at least 99 rims of that type manufactured in a year, and another 68 before it.

There’s also the fact that it’s from a BAR, not exactly Schumacher’s Ferrari.

With that said, it’s a cool thing to have, even if it’s not worth that much. Pretty much everyone reading this would want to have one.

[Anonymous]

Great analysis DavidS! You’re right, I’d like to have it (maybe from Schumacher’s Ferrari)!

[Anonymous]

What an epic post. Mega interesting. I’m not fussed about the value, just keen to know a bit more about the history!

Thanks loads!

[Joey-Poey]

Yeah, I was gonna say. It’s all about finding the right people to sell it to. Any hardcore F1 community such as this one would be a great place to advertise it if you put it on something like Ebay or the like.

[matt90]

Very interesting. And it may ‘only’ be from a BAR, but if it is from 2004 then that year they came 2nd in the constructors and Button took many podiums on the way to 3rd in the drivers. Anybody who believed Button lucked into his championship in 09 had forgotten the great job he’d done the last time he’d had a consistently good car.

[Author]

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