Did BBS wheels come on Infiniti M30s?
Jim P brought this up to me. It had fallen off my radar, but since it is unsolved, I want to give my theory.
In the mid to late 2000s, I was doing exhaustive research into the M30s (along with others on F31club forums). BBS wheels were seen on many of the Zenki (1st generation) F31 Leopards and so many of us thought it was an OEM option.
In 2017, I asked many of the Leopard owners about it and I was told it is NOT an OEM option. I was told that the Japanese love BBS because of the design and quality.
UPDATE 7/3/2018
In 2004/5, I don’t think anyone was an original owner of any of the M30s (owners that came to F31club or was in contact with me). Even though the M30 was 10 years old (rounding) at the time, much of the information and parts availability had already been gone or started to disappear. Nobody had the options brochure or even seen it.
Here was my theory back then.
I felt that BBS wheels were a dealer option. There was one distinctive design:
Now the theory had some valid reasoning, but no conclusive evidence (like in a brochure).
I came to the conclusion that BBS wheels were offered to the last year Infiniti M30 convertible based on observation (this was an old theory).
- Based on that many of the Leopard owners had BBS wheels, we naturally thought it as an option for the M30. When I did some research and picture searching, I noticed for the most part, M30 convertibles had BBS wheels (again, this was in the mid 2000s).
- 1992 was the last year of the M30. At this time, the Q45 and possibly the G20, also came factory with BBS wheels. This might have something to do with the “t” or touring trim level. Subsequent models also had BBS wheels. Maybe Infiniti worked with BBS? Remember, Infiniti was an up and coming Luxury brand and BMW used BBS wheels. What we do know is that the M30 has a 4×114 pattern, so the Q45 BBS wheels would not fit based on it being a 5×114 pattern.
Q45 with BBS wheels
- This bit of info was passed on from one of the convertible owners in 2005. Since the M30 convertible was making the sales, It was marketed as a “sportier version M30” due to the convertible top. The options to make the M30 convertible look sportier included the spoiler, a front lip (as seen in this brochure), and possibly BBS wheels.
Infiniti M30 with front lip. As seen in the Brochure.
- Dealers would offer accessories and upgrades. While the M30 did have limited options, wheels could have been a common upgrade. Even if you go to the dealership nowadays and buy a car, there are options that you can add or upgrade. Wheels are one of those options. As aforementioned above, maybe BBS and Infiniti had a deal from after 1992 as many Infiniti models did come with BBS wheels. Maybe the dealer offered through 3rd party option? I am also wondering during that time, how many aftermarket wheel manufactures were available? Car tuning for Imports might have been limited, but I think Import car wheels started to get steam until the mid or late 90’s.
Conclusion – The BBS wheel is something that needs to be verified. The further away we get from 1992, the undiscovered/unverified/undisclosed information will be difficult if not lost to time.