A “new” Volk Racing 21A is here. About two years ago, RAYS released the Volk Racing 21A, framed as a Gr.A. for the 21st century. The Gr.A. itself inherited the cross-spoke mesh aesthetic of the Volk Mesh, RAYS’ original 1975 wheel — the one that started the company.
The 21A isn’t a throwback by any means. Its spoke angles make it look more muscular than a Work Meister M1 or VS-XX as does the cutout where the spoke meets the hub. Far more squared off than a BBS LM. The design philosophy creates a modern-looking forged monoblock with an overwhelmingly deep rim. The “it” colorway for the 18” 21A was the Spec-SR, featuring a signature “Shining Bronze Metal” face with Forged Diamond Mirror Cut rim. The 21A launched only in 18-inch fitments aimed at the classic 5x114.3 crowd, 5x100s for the BRZ, GR86, FR-S, and 5x120 BMW applications like the E9X and F8X M-series.
The newly released 19-inch size chart covers three bolt patterns: 5x112, 5x114.3, and 5x120. Widths run from 8.5J to 12J with offsets spanning deep negative territory (-30!) out to a conservative +45. RAYS published specific verified fitments for each size, including the G8X BMW M-series, the F87 M2 Competition, the A90/A91 Supra, the FL5 and FK8 Civic and DE5 Integra Type S, and E9X and F8X BMW M-series applications. Retail for the 19” runs about $790 for the 8.5J to $860 for the 12J.
The highlighted finish for the 19” is Spec-PW: Pressed Double Black. The 21A’s monoblock construction allows for concavity that a multi-piece wheel achieves by manipulating barrel depth separately. RAYS is doing it in one piece, which requires the forging process to accommodate the geometry rather than assembling it from components, which gives it that strong monoblock presence. I will probably get in trouble for saying this, but the 19x8.5 in 5x112 ET35 fits my wife’s CLA45. Volk’s IG announcement also had Porsche owners begging for 20” sizes. Let’s see if they come through.