My dad raced for years. We spent a lot of time there as kids, and cars were just part of how our family worked. So when it came time to build my first car, there wasn't much debate. We built a Triumph TR6. British sports car, same flavor as the Bug-Eyed Sprite and the other classic cars we make wheels for today.
I knew early on that I didn't just want to drive cars. I wanted to build them, set them up, understand why a suspension does what it does when you push it hard.
From Porsches to IndyCar
I went to school for Mechanical Engineeringat Cal Poly San luis Obispo. My first job out of school was work for Steve Dine in San Jose. They're a BMW and Porsche tuner, but that undersells it. They ran DTM cars and endurance race cars. About 20 people in a 5,000-square-foot shop with eight bays.
I spent six months there working on the Porsche 911 Turbo SS package. Twin turbos, about 750 horsepower at the wheels. I did suspension and powertrain work. We replaced the factory rubber bushings with Teflon-packed units from a BMW M3. Less compliance, more precision. When you gave the car gas, the rear end stayed planted instead of toeing in.
After Dine, I interned at Honda Performance Development working on IndyCar engines. That was a thrill, technically. But Honda is a big company with big business politics. I spent enough time there to realize I didn't want to spend a career in that kind of environment. I wanted to run something small.
Why VTO
My dad had started VTO years earlier, but the business had been put by the wayside for a while. He was focused on other things. One day he said, "Why don't you take it over?"
So I did.
We moved through a couple of different shops, grew the business, added wheel molds, expanded the fitment catalog. Today we carry over 40 molds and serve classic car owners across the country and around the world.
The guy who picks up the phone
If you've ever called VTO, you've probably talked to me. I handle sales, technical support, inventory, and the website. My dad handles purchasing. It's a family operation.
People ask me what makes VTO different from ordering wheels online from whoever shows up first. You're not just buying a set of wheels. You're buying our experience, and the confidence that what you get will actually work for your car. When you call and ask about fitment for your Porsche 914 or your MGB or your Sunbeam Tiger, I'm not reading off a chart. I've done suspension geometry work. I've set up 750-horsepower Porsches. I know what offset and bolt pattern actually do to how a car drives.
The TR6 I built with my dad? I eventually sold it on Bring a Trailer. The photos from that listing are the ones you see below. It was a good car. But what I'm most proud of is that the same thinking that went into that build goes into every fitment recommendation I make here.
What's next
I've got a project on the bench right now that I'm not ready to share yet. I'll just say this: it involves a 1980 Mini. More on that soon.
If you've got a build going, I'd love to hear about it. Send us a photo. And if you need wheels, give me a call at (866) 855-3473. I'm happy to talk through what'll work for your car.
Alex
