Alan Faircloth
New Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2002
Just returned from 2.5 days at SEMA in Lost Wages, Nevada. For those who have never been.....YES, it is absolutely HUGE and there's really no way to sum up or describe it. It is definitely something that the full impact is best achieved by experiencing it.
Anyway, while there, we talked to a company that makes rims (or wheels if you prefer that term). We asked them if they could make exact reproductions of the GN wheel, but in polished Aluminum. They said they could, but wanted to know the initial order quantity in order to determine whether there was sufficient interest and sales volumes to justify the project. The wheels would look exactly like the originals, only aluminum and lighter. Its my understanding that the big knock on the factory wheels is the weight. Its my recollection that the originals weigh about 37lbs each.
Please note that these are very early discussions and there are a number of considerations. What we would like to know is what, if any, interest there would be in reproduction GN wheels? Is steel or aluminum preferred? What price would be attractive (Specialty Wheels Ltd and others sell the Buick Rallyes at around $135 to $140 per wheel)? Assuming a price of $125 to $150 per wheel, would there be any interest? Any show of hands so we could pass along some numbers to the company? I know of one wheel refinishing company that will restore the original wheels for around $200 per wheel (OUCH). BTW, the wheel maker at SEMA said they could vary the widths also (7", 8", etc.). Is this of interest?
Responses are obviously what we (actually the potential manufacturer) is looking for. They need information in order to determine whether this is a worthwhile project. My guess is that the wheels would be distributed throughout all the normal channels to maximize sales. However, no one else seems to be asking the question or offering to do some research on it. NO NAMES will be provided, only compiled numerical data. This is not a commitment to purchase, just a request for info/comments.
Thanks,
Alan
Anyway, while there, we talked to a company that makes rims (or wheels if you prefer that term). We asked them if they could make exact reproductions of the GN wheel, but in polished Aluminum. They said they could, but wanted to know the initial order quantity in order to determine whether there was sufficient interest and sales volumes to justify the project. The wheels would look exactly like the originals, only aluminum and lighter. Its my understanding that the big knock on the factory wheels is the weight. Its my recollection that the originals weigh about 37lbs each.
Please note that these are very early discussions and there are a number of considerations. What we would like to know is what, if any, interest there would be in reproduction GN wheels? Is steel or aluminum preferred? What price would be attractive (Specialty Wheels Ltd and others sell the Buick Rallyes at around $135 to $140 per wheel)? Assuming a price of $125 to $150 per wheel, would there be any interest? Any show of hands so we could pass along some numbers to the company? I know of one wheel refinishing company that will restore the original wheels for around $200 per wheel (OUCH). BTW, the wheel maker at SEMA said they could vary the widths also (7", 8", etc.). Is this of interest?
Responses are obviously what we (actually the potential manufacturer) is looking for. They need information in order to determine whether this is a worthwhile project. My guess is that the wheels would be distributed throughout all the normal channels to maximize sales. However, no one else seems to be asking the question or offering to do some research on it. NO NAMES will be provided, only compiled numerical data. This is not a commitment to purchase, just a request for info/comments.
Thanks,
Alan
