Melber Giugiaro Scacchiera SRG

The Scacchiera wheel debuted in 1976 at the Torino Motor Show, on the Karmann Asso Di Quadri concept from Italian designer Giugiaro.  The Asso Di Quadri never turned into reality, but the wheel went into production through the power of the Japanese Wheel League and the Melber brand.

Produced by the Easy Riders Corporation, the Scacchiera came in two models: SFF with a high offset, and SRG with a lower, more RWD friendly offset.  The SRG came in both 13 and 14″ diameters, although width offerings were still quite mild.  6J maximum.  Available colours were black in gold, with gold being much more rare.

Catalog references suggest that sizing choices decreased in later years of production.  Only two sizes: 13 5.5J +20 and 13 5.5J +16 were available in 1983… making the 14″ diameters a rarer find as well.

One of Giugiaro’s objectives was to disguise the wheel mounting bolt holes within the checkerboard pattern.  This proved challenging when the wheel was made to suit a variety of 4H PCD’s.  The Scaccheira II would use a full cover centercap to meet Giugiaro’s design goals.