ICON. The Story.
The seed of what was to become ICON Forged Wheels was planted during a phone call on a warm summer afternoon in 2012. Greg Jones (rabid auto enthusiast, owner of Jones Mechanical) had been on a quest to find the perfect wheels for his lovingly and extensively modified 1999 BMW M-Coupe. He appreciated the iconic style of the OEM BMW Roadstar wheels that came on the car. They just looked right, but he wanted a larger diameter/width solution to attain performance and style goals he envisioned for his pet project.
After buying and installing several off-the-shelf aftermarket wheels and not quite being satisfied with the look, he decided that the only option left was to build his own wheels. Greg had a very clear idea of what he wanted. This started a 3-year journey of research into the processes, methods, materials and suppliers that would be required to make it happen.
Superstar sketch
Eventually, this search led to a serendipitous phone call to Kevin Scheidle (fellow rabid auto enthusiast, designer, and owner of Meshwerks). Shortly after the call, Kevin was 3D scanning one of Greg's Roadstar wheels. Then the process began of modifying the shape to fit within the envelope of an existing forged aluminum blank profile selected for the project. The trick was to maintain the integrity of the original styling while transforming it to fit the new forging profile. There was some sketching, many days spent modeling and rendering in 3D, structural analysis and several revisions later it was time to start the first wheel build.
Various wheel machinists were evaluated, parts and materials were gathered. Several months later Kevin and Greg bolted together the first set of "Superstars". They were happy. It turned out other people liked them too, so Kevin and Greg decided to form ICON Forged Wheels and to begin sending them all over the world.
Why the name ICON? There are certain OEM wheels that have achieved "iconic" status and are easily recognized and associated with a particular marque/model of car. Kevin and Greg had long ago realized there was a niche of like minded enthusiasts who wanted to modify their vehicles but at the same time would like to retain the original design aesthetics as intended by the OEM styling studios. The intent of ICON is to provide a source of uncompromising, highest quality wheels to fill this need.
The Superstar is just the first in an open-ended list of wheels we would like to do. And not just BMWs, but anything out there! Classics, Musclecars, Imports, whatever - we love them all! We know we're not the first to go down this road, but we are taking the concept to an entirely new level by utilizing the latest technologies, techniques and materials, while staying as true to the OEM design DNA as possible. We invite you to contact us and let us know what wheels you would like to see brought into the 3-piece modular realm. Custom, one-off, bespoke wheel design/build consultation services are available for extremely special and unique projects as well.
ICON. The Fanatics.
“The main challenge of fitting wheels to the Z3 M Coupes and Roadsters is finding something that honors the iconic design of the car and doesn’t distract from it”
Greg Jones. HVAC Contractor. Car Guy.
Born in San Diego in 1973 to a dad who owned his own HVAC company (and also a new Datsun 510), Greg was destined to be a "tinner" and a car nut.
Shortly after moving to Utah to attend BYU (earning a B.S. in Construction Management) he started the successful HVAC sub-contracting company "Jones Mechanical" that has steadily grown by word of mouth, specializing in Climate Conditioning for estate homes.
Greg's first car was a 1970 510, and from there has owned several 510s, RX7s and his favorite car the BMW M Coupe. Greg has owned four different M Coupes, all highly modified, but not in the typical ways most are modified. He prefers a more subdued approach, liking his cars to look and drive as if they were built by the original manufacturer while pushing their performance envelope to the extreme.
Ownership of his M Coupes led him to the online community bimmerforums.com where he grew to become the leading authority on wheel and tire fitments for the BMW M Coupe and Roadster. His expertise in fitting extreme widths to the Z3M has become sought after by a veritable who's who list of aftermarket wheel companies.
Greg notes that "the wheel dimensions on the Z3M are very unusual, unlike any other BMW, making it even more of a challenge. Many who have extreme levels of power in their Z3Ms have upgraded their brakes which adds to the difficulty of finding proper wheels."
The formation of Icon Forged Wheels is the extension of Greg's dream of having wheels for his favorite cars that honor the originality of their design while offering every performance advantage of any wheel available in the aftermarket.
Kevin Scheidle. Designer. Car Guy.
Ever since he can remember, Kevin has been obsessed with all things automotive. Some of his earliest childhood memories are of his dad taking him along in his 1965 Mustang to compete in local drag races near his birthplace in San Diego, CA. Not too long after that, in 1969, Kevin's new Big Wheel gave up its rear tires and axle assembly which he then installed on the back of his '65 Mustang pedal car. All through elementary, middle and high-school, Kevin annoyed his teachers with his incessant car doodling during class. Later, he was able to hone this passion further at the renowned Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.
