Lorinser is older than most people assume. It predates the Second World War, it has been selling Mercedes since 1935, and it is one of the few tuning names that began as an actual franchised dealer rather than as a workshop that grew into one.
It has also just changed hands in a way that anyone buying its wheels should know about.
The Short Version
- Founded 1 March 1930 in Waiblingen near Stuttgart by master mechanic Erwin Lorinser, as an independent garage.
- An official Daimler-Benz reseller from 15 November 1935.
- Sportservice Lorinser, the tuning arm, was set up in 1976 and formally registered in 1981.
- Independent of Mercedes today. The 1935 dealership is history, not a current relationship.
- Ownership passed to a Chinese private investor during 2025, following a joint venture and a plant in Suzhou.
Ninety-Odd Years
Erwin Lorinser opened a garage in Waiblingen on 1 March 1930. Five years later, on 15 November 1935, it became an official Daimler-Benz reseller and service point for passenger and commercial vehicles.
His son Manfred took over management in 1974. Two years later, in 1976, the tuning operation — Sportservice Lorinser — was established at the Winnenden branch, and it was formally registered as a company in 1981.
That sequence is the whole identity of the brand. Lorinser did not arrive at Mercedes tuning from outside; it grew out of forty-five years of selling and servicing the cars.
It is not part of Mercedes. Lorinser’s own North American operation states plainly that it is not affiliated with Mercedes-Benz in any way. The historical dealership does not make the tuning business an official partner, and buyers should not read it that way.
What Changed in 2024 and 2025
This is recent enough that most write-ups about Lorinser do not mention it.
A joint venture with the Chinese company Waller Auto created Lorinser China, with a plant at Suzhou opening in 2024. In January 2025 a private investor acquired the Waller stake and a majority of Lorinser China; in March 2025 the remaining shares; and by June 2025 the rest of the Lorinser marque including the German Sportservice department.
Sportservice Lorinser is stated to continue operating as its own entity, independent of Lorinser China. But the ownership of the brand as a whole has moved.
The practical consequence is one we cannot resolve for you. “Made in Germany” was historically true of Lorinser wheels — some were manufactured by Borbet and by Ronal, both German. Whether that remains true of anything produced after 2025 we do not know, and we are not going to assert it either way. For a used wheel from before 2024 the question does not arise. For anything new, ask.
The Wheel Lines
| Line | Models | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| RS | RS8, RS9, RS10, RS11, RSK6, RSK8 | The main line. One-piece forged and multi-piece depending on model — the RS11 for the S-Class is described as one-piece forged |
| LO | — | A classic line: newly manufactured wheels in deliberately period designs, for W107, W114/115, W116, W123, W124, W126 and W201 |
The LO series is the interesting one, and it is unusual. Rather than reproducing old wheels, Lorinser makes new wheels in an old idiom, sized and offset for chassis that stopped production decades ago. If you have a W123 or a W124 and want a period-correct tuned look without hunting 1980s stock, that line exists for exactly that reason.
It also means a “classic-looking” Lorinser wheel is not necessarily an old wheel. That is worth knowing when you are assessing condition and age from photographs.
Checking a Used Set
Lorinser is a distinctive-looking brand, which means it is replicated. Owner and retailer consensus converges on:
- “LORINSER” and “MADE IN GERMANY” stamped on the rear face.
- Correct centre caps. Replicas frequently get these wrong or omit them.
- Crisp, aligned logo etching.
- A serial number.
Those are general counterfeit-detection points from forums and retailers rather than a manufacturer’s authentication guide, and we have not seen an official Lorinser statement on the subject.
Note that the “MADE IN GERMANY” stamp is itself a dating clue given the 2024–25 manufacturing changes.
What We Could Not Verify
- The official company history page. Both lorinser.com and the North American site failed to load for us. The 1930 and 1935 dates are corroborated by multiple independent sources, but we did not see the company’s own page render.
- Where wheels are made after the 2025 ownership change. Genuinely unclear.
- Current sizes and offsets for each RS model. We saw fragments, not a master sheet.
- Which manufacturer built which wheel. Borbet and Ronal appear in historical descriptions; neither is an official statement.
Related Guides
- Mercedes W124 & 190E — the chassis the LO line was drawn for
- Carlsson — the other German Mercedes house, and what happened to it
- Mercedes-AMG
- WALD International
Finding Lorinser Wheels
Japan was a serious market for German tuning parts through the 1990s and 2000s, and Lorinser sets turn up here in good condition. Tell us the Mercedes and the size through the Request page — and if provenance matters to you, say so, because on this brand the manufacturing question is now genuinely open.