American Racing

American Racing was founded in 1956 in San Francisco, California by Romeo Palamides and Jim Ellison, making it one of the oldest aftermarket wheel companies in existence. The founders were racing enthusiasts. Palamides was a noted drag racing innovator and jet-powered car builder, and they recognized that the steel wheels on production cars of the era were heavy, unattractive, and offered no performance benefit. They set out to build lightweight magnesium racing wheels that were lighter, stronger, and looked like they belonged on a racecar.

The Torq Thrust became one of the most iconic wheel designs in American automotive history. Originally a magnesium drag racing wheel first advertised in Hot Rod Magazine in December 1959, it was officially named the Torq Thrust in 1960. Its five-spoke fan blade design was born on the drag strip, not the street. The aluminum street version followed in 1965, making the design accessible to a wider audience and hugely popular on muscle cars, hot rods, and customs throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Hot Rod Magazine named the Torq Thrust one of the top 20 speed parts that changed the world. The design remains in production today, largely unchanged.

American Racing supplied wheels to NASCAR, NHRA drag racing, and USAC oval racing during the brand's peak years, building a motorsport credibility that few wheel companies of the era could match. The brand's wheels appeared on iconic vehicles in films like Bullitt and Two-Lane Blacktop, cementing their place in American car culture.

Today American Racing is part of Hoonigan (formerly Wheel Pros) and continues to produce both its classic heritage designs and a modern catalog of cast and flow formed wheels. The brand has expanded beyond its muscle car roots to cover trucks, SUVs, and modern performance cars while keeping the heritage lines alive for classic restoration builds.