The Shelby GT350R made history as the first application of carbon fiber wheels on a mass-produced car. Both lighter and stronger than a traditional alloy, carbon fiber has been seen as prohibitively expensive to all but the most exclusive supercars and hypercars. But thanks to Ford’s partnership with a company called Carbon Revolution, we’re one step closer to bringing carbon fiber to more cars than ever before.

We came across this video from Carbon Revolution that shows a portion of its patented one-piece carbon fiber wheel construction process. We then reached out to Carbon Revolution itself for more details, and while they couldn’t comment on the specifics of Ford’s carbon fiber Shelby shoes, they did give us some more info on what goes into lightweight Carbon Fiber wheels.

“Compared to OEM wheels we generally are over 40 perecent lighter and maintain stiffness and durability,” says Brett Gass, Executive Director of Carbon Revolution. “Unlike aftermarket lightweight aluminum wheels that have to trade off durability and stiffness for weight, carbon wheels are very stiff which is critical for ride and handling.”

Those advantages don’t come cheap. According to Brett, Carbon Revolution CR-9 wheels cost about $15,000 (U.S.) each if you opt for the titanium bolts. The wheels of the Shelby GT350R are reportedly cheaper, about $4,000 each according to unverified sources we spoke to. Even though, the cost of the wheels alone adds up to a base level Ford Fiesta, so it is hard to imagine these wheels ever becoming commonplace on cars.

Then again, telephones used to be rare and exclusive to the wealthy, and now pretty much everyone carries a smartphone with them everywhere they go. In another 20 years, maybe we’ll all be able to afford a completely carbon fiber car.