Transportation's flashiest accessory is here to stay
SHINY
by Fred A. Davis III
It's 1973 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. A 17-year-old Ronnie Chalmers, future operations director for KU's athletic department, has his car parked in his driveway, and the driveway is on a hill. Chalmers rushes into his house; he's running late for his part-time job at the yarn factory.
When Chalmers returns to the driveway, his 1962 light blue — "a little darker than Carolina blue" — Chevy Impala isn't there. His first car, his three-speed with large chrome wheels on the back to complement the smaller tires up front (sans chrome), is gone. He finds it parked at the bottom of the hill, nestled uncomfortably beneath an oak tree. The emergency brake — set while the car was running — gave out.
The impala wound up with a bent frame after its unsuccessful bout with the oak tree. Chalmers never did fix the frame and eventually sold the car. Yet, one thing from that car would remain with Chalmers for life: a need for chrome.
Seeing chrome on cars today is nothing new. It's hard to turn on MTV, BET or flip through a magazine without seeing chrome -- rims, bling, blades, spinners, spokes or any other euphemism for "fancy wheels." Rappers, athletes and musicians on Cribs or Pimp My Ride all seem to have cars sporting chrome these days.
But chrome is hardly new.
Around before World War II, chrome truly came of age after the war, says Michael Furman, professional photographer and author of Automobiles of the Chrome Age, 1946-1960.
"Chrome changed the
perspective of how we as Americans wanted to be seen — and that was evident in our cars," Furman says. Furman calls 1946-1960 the "Chrome Age" because chrome ornamentation and the basic use of chrome on cars was a prominent
"On a cloudy day, it still gives you a highlight. It also gives a direction and adds attention — you see the bright work."
Furman sees chrome wheels as the last stronghold of bright metal. Although not a huge fan of chrome wheels personally, as a photographer, Furman likes the strength and accent chrome gives. "It's a built-in highlight," he says.
And that's all gravy,but chromes' been around since the 1930s, so are we seeing it more just because
"Chrome changed the perspective of how we as Americans wanted to be seen."
Michael Furman, author of Automobiles of the Chrome Age, 1946-1960
design element during that period. As time wore on, the weight of chrome became a factor as automobile companies began to make lighter cars and sacrificed chrome for polished aluminum.
In recent years, chrome is being integrated into vehicles again, but not to the extent it once enjoyed. Furman says. Street rods and custom cars are all that's left of the "classic chrome" look he says.
it's the thing to get? If Snoop Dogg starts rockin' 26-ich aluminum-foil covered carbon-five stars in his next video, will that be the next new trend?
Hot or not,
chrome is a very
fashionable
accessory, and for
good reason. It
can make a drab
car fabulous.
It can make a fabulous car breathtaking. It's also expensive, so it says that you've got some change in your pocket. It's a symbol of status — for today's generation, a generation generally inept when it comes to the appreciation of automobiles.
Ronnie Chalmers, now 50,
is the product of a generation
that epitomizes what it means
to appreciate a vehicle —
and its accessories. When you
see Chalmers — tall, broad-
shouldered, clean-cut
and deftly laid-back — it's hard not
to be impressed. He's married
to his high-school sweetheart
and he's on the coaching staff
at one of the most storied college basketball programs in America. He served his country and, oh yeah, his son, Mario, is a key member of the Kansas men's basketball team.
And he loves his chrome.
Chalmers speaks reverently about his past cars, whether talking about the Impala, his 1977 T-Bird or the car he owns now - a black 2002 BMW X5 SUV. To Chalmers, it's more than just having rims for their own sake. Sure, they make the car look better, he says. But it's also about taking care of the rims. Chalmers admits he loves taking care of his cars and may parlay that love into a post-KU career by opening his own car washes some day.
Chrome makes Chalmers' car his, and it expresses how he likes to drive and present his wheels.
So, then, what is he representing on his Beeemer? A dazzling set of 22-inch AT Italia five-star chrome wheels, highlighted by a hint of black over the chrome. "It's taken a while to get used to the black, but it's growing on me," Chalmers says.
Though Chalmers has come a long way from the yarn factory in Fayetteville, a piece of his heart still remains tied to that '62 Impala, a car that's still his favorite. To this day, Chalmers keeps his eyes open online and scans automobile ads for a '62 Impala, hoping to rekindle a relationship that a faulty emergency brake and an oak tree cut short.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
12 ⇒ JAYPLAY 02.16.2006
KIT LEFFLER