Two things bring people to Carlsson: they own a set and cannot work out what the model number means, or they have heard the company closed and want to know what that does to their wheels.
Here are both answers.
The Short Version
- The model number is pieces over spokes. A 1/6 is a one-piece six-spoke. A 2/6 is a two-piece six-spoke. A 1/16 is a one-piece sixteen-spoke.
- Founded 1989 at a restored manor estate in Merzig, Saarland, by the Hartge brothers.
- Named after Ingvar Carlsson, the Swedish rally driver and former Mercedes works driver, who advised the company.
- Business operations ceased in October 2023. Stock and showroom cars were sold off.
- Some Carlsson wheels were made by OZ Racing, in Germany.
The Model Numbers, Finally Explained
This is the practical part, and it is simpler than it looks once you see it.
The digit before the slash is the construction. The digit after is the spoke count.
| Model | Means |
|---|---|
| 1/5 | One-piece, five spokes |
| 1/6 | One-piece, six spokes |
| 1/16 | One-piece, sixteen spokes |
| 2/6 | Two-piece, six spokes |
We were able to confirm this by finding a 1/6 and a genuine 2/6 offered side by side, with the 2/6 seller explaining that the “2-piece” refers to a separate centre and barrel. The two wheels look closely related and are constructed differently.
That matters commercially. A two-piece wheel with a replaceable barrel and a one-piece wheel are not the same product, and on a discontinued brand the difference decides whether a kerbed rim is repairable.
Construction and Weight
The range spanned genuinely light forged wheels to heavier bolted multi-piece designs.
The lightest we could document is the 1/5 Evo Ultra Light — forged, 10.8 kg in 21×9 and 21×10.5, which Carlsson’s own 2009 material described as 40% lighter than any cast 21-inch wheel.
You will also see Carlsson wheels described as weighing around 40 lb. We could not verify that figure for any named model. The one hard number we found runs strongly the other way. Heavier multi-piece models may well reach it — but we have no source, and we are not going to repeat a number we cannot stand behind.
At least one two-piece model — a 2/6 in 18×8.5 +35 front and 18×10 +30 rear, 5×112 — was made by OZ Racing in Germany. Carlsson was a design and engineering house that had wheels manufactured; it was not a foundry.
What Happened to the Company
Carlsson changed hands repeatedly, and the ownership history is the story.
| 1989 | Founded as Carlsson Automobiltechnik GmbH at Gut Wiesenhof, Merzig, Saarland, by Rolf and Andreas Hartge |
| 2007 | Hartge brothers sell to Mathias R. Albert |
| May 2012 | Zhongsheng Holding of Hong Kong takes 70% |
| May 2015 | Insolvency |
| December 2015 | Sambo Motors of Korea acquires the company, renames it Carlsson Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH |
| April 2016 | Headquarters moves to Saarlouis |
| October 2023 | Business operations cease. Wheel and aero stock and showroom cars, including a rare C25, are sold off |
The October 2023 report describes a wind-down and sell-off rather than a fresh insolvency filing. Sambo Motors retained the trademark rights and was reported to be in talks with potential buyers.
We could find no source confirming a revival since. The carlsson.de site currently shows a holding page seeking distribution partners, which is suggestive of intent and is not confirmation that anything is being manufactured.
What This Means If You Own a Set
There is no official parts channel. We could find no source addressing whether replacement centre caps, bolts or barrels are obtainable through any official route after the closure. Assume not.
Check whether yours is one-piece or two-piece before you need to know. If it is a 2/x, the barrel is at least theoretically a serviceable part, and some Carlsson wheels were made by OZ Racing and Ronal — companies that still exist. That is not a guarantee of anything, but it is a better starting point than a discontinued one-piece.
Buy complete sets. On a brand that stopped trading, a set of four with all four caps and the correct bolts is worth disproportionately more than three wheels and a story. There is no replacing the missing one.
Photograph everything before you buy. Model number, back face, cap, and the bolts if it is multi-piece.
What We Could Not Verify
- The ~40 lb weight figure for any named model.
- Whether the brand has been revived since October 2023. The holding page is ambiguous.
- Whether replacement caps or bolts are obtainable through any official channel.
- Which manufacturer built which model. OZ Racing is confirmed for at least one two-piece; Ronal appears in historical descriptions.
Related Guides
- Mercedes W124 & 190E — the cars this brand was built around
- Mercedes-AMG
- OZ Racing — who made at least one Carlsson wheel
- WALD International — the Japanese equivalent of the same idea
Finding Carlsson Wheels
Japan imported a great many Mercedes and the tuning parts that went with them, so Carlsson sets turn up here more often than the brand’s German footprint would suggest. Tell us the model number — with the slash — and the size, through the Request page.