D-lng Designs in Belgium is custom-crafting brand new sets of custom one-off wheel fans, and I could not be more hyped for it. This is the kind of throwback style that automotive enthusiasts are clamoring for right now, and I absolutely need a set for every car I own. I’ve long believed that the right set of wheels can truly make any car look great, and given the right car, a set of these fans can really set it off. These wheel covers can be built in every fashion from mild to wild. The company’s motto is “CUSTOM FUCKING EVERYTHING”, and they really mean it.
Wheel fans were originally built for motorsport applications primarily in the 1970s and 80s, and were allegedly an aerodynamic aide with the dual power to extract air from under the car (increasing downforce), and draw that air across the brake rotors for a cooling effect. These “turbofans” were installed on the wheels of nearly everything that raced in the era, from Porsche’s wild Can Am 917/30 to the lowest level touring cars. As Le Mans prototypes developed ground effects downforce, that air extraction became all the more important, and they became the norm.
While they’d been perfected in the wind tunnel for motorsport applications, a few motorsport-inspired enthusiasts began putting turbofan wheels on their street driven cars. Do you really need air extraction and brake cooling of that magnitude for a summer drive? Hell no. Do they look boss as hell and you want your car to look rad rolling in to the pool hall on Friday night? You bet your sweet ass you do. The fad was as short lived as it was polarizing. But now, as with everything 80s nostalgia, it’s coming back with a vengeance (and a modern twist).
If your car needs a bit of throwback motorsport flare, a set of these D-lng Designs wheel fans are just what the doctor ordered. If you’ve meticulously crafted a set of custom box flares for your vintage weekend car, you need a set of wheel fans. If you’ve got a Porsche 935 vintage racer, and you want to preserve the original BBS wheel fans, you need a replica set from D-lng. If you’re building a car to “win” at the next Radwood show, you need a set of these bad boys.
According to comments on their social media pages, D-ling wheel fan sets will usually cost somewhere between 800 and 900 Euro. That may seem a pretty hefty price if you’re used to buying your wheels as takeoffs on Craigslist like I am, but if you’re serious about wheels, it’s a drop in the proverbial bucket.
D-lng Designs does not have a website, though they do accept commissions via direct message on their Facebook page or their Instagram account. It’s perhaps an unorthodox method of running your business, but it seems to be working well for them, as they’re going gangbusters and continually pumping out rad product. They’ll work with you for custom designs, dimensions, and colors, so these could really give your car the pop it needs.