Bling bling-Cha Ching!
06-01-2004, 01:14 PM
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Bling bling-Cha Ching! From:http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=08841176
(08:30 May 31, 2004)
Strut Grilles: Talk About Really Expensive Trim
By MARK VAUGHN
>> HERE’S A THEORY ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE AUTOMOTIVE aftermarket’s upper reaches: The actual performance stuff is getting less and less important while demand for stuff that simply looks good—but is exclusive—is growing bigger all the time. Inexpensive cars are more likely to get power upgrades like turbos and superchargers while expensive, already powerful cars are more likely to get cosmetics.
“It’s not so much about what’s under the hood anymore,” said Tommy Gaut, vice president of the Corona, California-based Strut company (strutwear.com).
Strut makes grilles, vents and badges—nothing else—for just three vehicles: the Cadillac Escalade, the Hummer H2 and the BMW 7 Series. Strut may add more lines, but it is in no particular hurry to do so. It sells perhaps 100 complete sets of trim parts a month to just 20 high-end aftermarket shops across the country. At that rate, you ask, how do these guys make money? Simple. Each set (excuse us, they don’t call them sets, packages or combos; they are “collections”) costs between $2,500 and $6,800. The Escalade grilles and badges are $2,500 together, the 7 Series $5,000 and the H2 $6,800.
That is monster coin for items most aftermarket outlets can form out of aluminum and sell on the Internet or at swap meets for between $100 and $400. But these are ustomers at the very tiptop of the aftermarket.
“Anybody can buy a $200 grille,” said Strut co-founder Scott Struthers. “But when they can spend $5,000 to truly make their car their own, they’re willing to do that.”
For an added price, Strut will make a personalized badge for your hood—like your Lakers jersey number, for instance. And Strut uses Art Center graduate Sergio Luna for much of its designs.
Still, for the Strut price you would expect the pieces to be crafted of gold or platinum. Strut parts are handmade from 316 stainless steel that is then triple-chromed and hand-polished. It is more durable than most relationships. Triple-chromed stainless laughs at road salt, which means the Strut pieces on your car will last approximately 400 years longer than the car to which they are attached, puzzling the hell out of archeologists in 2404.
ooh-ooh-ooh I want my Lakers Jersey number! 
(08:30 May 31, 2004)
Strut Grilles: Talk About Really Expensive Trim
By MARK VAUGHN
>> HERE’S A THEORY ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE AUTOMOTIVE aftermarket’s upper reaches: The actual performance stuff is getting less and less important while demand for stuff that simply looks good—but is exclusive—is growing bigger all the time. Inexpensive cars are more likely to get power upgrades like turbos and superchargers while expensive, already powerful cars are more likely to get cosmetics.
“It’s not so much about what’s under the hood anymore,” said Tommy Gaut, vice president of the Corona, California-based Strut company (strutwear.com).
Strut makes grilles, vents and badges—nothing else—for just three vehicles: the Cadillac Escalade, the Hummer H2 and the BMW 7 Series. Strut may add more lines, but it is in no particular hurry to do so. It sells perhaps 100 complete sets of trim parts a month to just 20 high-end aftermarket shops across the country. At that rate, you ask, how do these guys make money? Simple. Each set (excuse us, they don’t call them sets, packages or combos; they are “collections”) costs between $2,500 and $6,800. The Escalade grilles and badges are $2,500 together, the 7 Series $5,000 and the H2 $6,800.
That is monster coin for items most aftermarket outlets can form out of aluminum and sell on the Internet or at swap meets for between $100 and $400. But these are ustomers at the very tiptop of the aftermarket.
“Anybody can buy a $200 grille,” said Strut co-founder Scott Struthers. “But when they can spend $5,000 to truly make their car their own, they’re willing to do that.”
For an added price, Strut will make a personalized badge for your hood—like your Lakers jersey number, for instance. And Strut uses Art Center graduate Sergio Luna for much of its designs.
Still, for the Strut price you would expect the pieces to be crafted of gold or platinum. Strut parts are handmade from 316 stainless steel that is then triple-chromed and hand-polished. It is more durable than most relationships. Triple-chromed stainless laughs at road salt, which means the Strut pieces on your car will last approximately 400 years longer than the car to which they are attached, puzzling the hell out of archeologists in 2404.
