This very same car was the centerpiece for Advan's 2002 Tokyo Auto Salon booth, and it also graced the pages of the 2003 Yokohama Aluminum Wheels Catalog. Yes, that catalog, the one filled with Japan's sweetest tuner cars. Today you can find Hagiwara-san tearing up the streets of Tokyo with this one-time carpet queen and catalog supermodel. It seems a shame to turn these wheels loose on Japan's nitty gritty highways and byways, but
Hagiwara-san says that's exactly why he built the car. We're really starting to hate this guy. Uh oh, we gotta go; our moms are outside honking.
We Shall Call Him Poppa Wheelie
When we met him at the Advan booth, we clumsily asked Osamu Hagiwara which of the current wheels were his designs. In the most humble manner from someone who designs some of the world's most coveted wheels, Hagiwara-san politely replied, "All of them." And with that our interview was off to a roaring start. A quick glance at the back of any Advan catalog shows only one name under the wheel designer title-his. But we think that whole pre-interview research thing is highly overrated. We prefer our trusted foot-in-the-mouth technique; it's much more spontaneous. Follow along as we manage to offend yet another Japanese tuning icon.
Super Street: How does one go about becoming a wheel designer, because we got mad skills? Do you want to see our collection of cocktail napkin caricatures? In one of them Jonny and Ricky are riding their bikes on the beach.
Osamu Hagiwara: About 10 years ago I started to design the Yokohama wheels. The first wheel I designed was the Super Advan Racing wheel [1995].
SS: How did you become involved with wheel design? Were you formally educated?
OH: I used to be a racing driver. I do not have any special design education.
SS: We know a lot about special education. In which series did you race?
OH: Formula 3 in 1990. I also raced in Formula Mirage and I drove the Group N GT-R until 1993. I began to design wheels for Advan in 1993 and I retired from racing in 1994.
SS: Where do you draw your inspiration from when you design a wheel?
OH: I'm a freak, a big fan of the cars. I always think about what is cool.
SS: We have a saying that form follows function. Upon which do you place a higher priority: looks or performance?
OH: The most import aspect is quality. Light weight is very important. With the TCII, the hollow cavity construction is also very important. Look at the center design. Usually the lug holes are placed in line with the spokes because it is the strongest point, but not on this wheel because of the hollow spokes. Like all of our wheels, it is a mechanical design. We had no choice.
SS: What other plans do you have for future designs? Any bling-bling wheels?
OH: Because tires sizes do not perform well at over 19-inches due to the low aspect ratio, we will not produce anything larger than that. We will not make wheels larger than 18 inches for performance reasons.
SS: Big ups to that, although Jay-Z will be disappointed. Do you look anywhere outside of the automotive market to find inspiration for your designs?
OH: I look to the design of other high-end products such as the Bang & Olufsen home audio systems. They are very functional and yet very attractive as well. I like those kind of high-end products. I don't consider the cost. I don't want price to be an object. I just want people to say, "I must have these wheels no matter what."
SS: We agree completely. So, can you, like, get us some free wheels? Wait, where are you going? [Shouting at Hagiwara-san as he walks away] OK, we'll call you then.