I knew pontiac parts were expensive

[redsand]

But Yeash!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PONTIAC-GTO-TRANS-AM-JIM-WANGERS-WHEELS-BY-HRE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a3Q7c66Q3a2Q7c 39Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2e m14QQhashZitem2301f2112aQQitemZ150356496682QQptZMo torsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[muthstryker]

they are cool, but not for 14k. kiss off!

i would love a 18/19 combo though

[shep]

At least 1 to many 0's.

[ls1 nova]

Gota be a typo. I hope??

[critter]

The Co-vention of POCI and GTOAA is in Dayton this week. Wangers will be there. I'm sure we'll hear that this is fact or fiction soon enough.

[hdesign]

I designed those wheels for Big 3 Performance for their special edition GTO, glad to see they made them and retained the design intent. Definitely a niche wheel for the collector crowd. I was not involved with pricing and marketing though so I can't offer any insight. Here's a link to the site for more info on the car.

http://www.big3performance.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=21

[Scott Parkhurst]

Sorry.

That's just silly. If they were race quality (certified or whatever) that'd be one thing. If they were an absolutely killer design, that'd be another (not a knock on you Ben, but it's obvious they were inspired by the factory Pontiac Rallye wheels, which is what they wanted and what you gave them).

It's just odd that they're aimed at Pontiac purists who want that stock look...but aren't those the same guys who swear they'd never put an 18- or 19-inch wheel on anything?

They're neat and all, and worth $300 each. Maybe a little more, but not to me. If I want killer 18s and 19s, we all know there are plenty of ultra-strong hoops out there in mild and wild designs for a lot less than 14K.

Hell...that's half of what I have into my whole damn car...

[jknight16]

The Co-vention of POCI and GTOAA is in Dayton this week. Wangers will be there. I'm sure we'll hear that this is fact or fiction soon enough.

My Dad's there all week. If you see a lowered PT style Carousel Red 69 Judge with an "ALLRISE" NM plate, stop by and say hi to him.

I like the wheels, but they're at least $11,000 too much I'd say.

[hdesign]

Scott, no worries. No offense taken. Jim Wangers had some signature wheels that were sort of the weakest link on the car aesthetically and functionally so Big 3 Performance and I thought that it might make sense to do a heritage inspired wheel built by a proven manufacturer that they already do business with. That's obviously where that design came from but I do have to tell you....going from a design that looks great as a 15" to an 18-19" isn't as easy as stretching some surfaces. I probably did that wheel 5 times and played with proportions for 4 hours. The proportions looked completely screwed up when we blew up the originals.

I never said they were for purists, I said they were geared towards collectors. If you have a chance, please take a look at the website and check out the design of the rest of the car.

As for the price, I've already contacted Big 3 Performance and sent them a link to this thread so they are aware of the initial reactions. My honest opinion is that it's a typo, I've never heard of even one-off wheels being close to that price. Although, I could be wrong...it's happened before once or twice.LOL :slap:

[80proZ]

Billet Vintiques makes a pontiac rallye style rim in 17" and 18".

[69TAPoser]

Billet Vintiques makes a pontiac rallye style rim in 17" and 18".

What he said ^.

$600-$700 ea. depending on size.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

...But they don't have Jim's signature on them. :)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/07/BVmnScgBWkKGrHgoHDQEjlLlu3hQBKTSi8M7qw_1-1.jpg

...$3500 EACH.



Phil

[hdesign]

I just received word back from Big 3 Performance after I sent them a link to this thread. I've attached their response below.

"Finalized pricing on these wheels is:
$1995.00 each 18's
$2095.00 each 19's
$2195.00 each 20's.

We contacted the ebay seller and took care of the problem.

The other [Wheel Vintiqes] billet wheels didn't meet our high expectations in performance and especially aesthetics. That is why we developed our own. Our wheels are based on the 890R billet 3 piece series by HRE
http://www.hrewheels.com/wheels/series.php?q=/890R/890R/) and priced like the less expensive 790R series by HRE.

If a prospective buyer called HRE and asked for a 790R series wheel they would see that our wheels are priced exactly the same even though it was not intended as a high volume wheel. There is no markup for styling by [Hermance Design] or CAD/engineering by HRE. That cost is rolled into the price, we also decided not to upcharge for the DOT testing that is mandatory to make these wheels street legal. With that said, buyers are paying for a premium level wheel and can expect that cost will reflect that.

P.S. I typically avoid the forums because often times, people tend shoot off the hip without ever doing any research and it snowballs from there. We can do our best to clear up any further questions and/or concerns anyone may have via our website contact info. There will be a press release at the end of the month."


I hope this helps clarify concerns.
Contact Anthony Stephenson at Big 3 Performance

[fantasygoat]

P.S. I typically avoid the forums because often times, people tend shoot off the hip without ever doing any research and it snowballs from there.

What a crock. More often than not, companies dealing with forums directly will solve these problems much quicker, easier, and in a *web searchable* format over some email link on a website. Why answer the same question 50 times when you can do it once and get bonus points for being an active member of the community you're trying to sell to?

That holier-than-thou attitude is really irritating in a vendor.

[hdesign]

I don't doubt that there's a lot of people that'll agree with you. Just don't kill the messenger!:fingersx:

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

and i was just talking about i would run the fack outta these wheels on my GTO if i still had her..

would i pay 9K for those?.......





https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/07/1gof7o-1.gif

[redsand]

I really was not shooting at the hip man, as a pontiac guy myself, it just seemed really off even for pontiac parts just becuase it has jims name on it....A little shelbyish..... Even at 2k a piece this is nuts. Sorry just my opinion.

[wmhjr]

I have to say I also think it's a little more like Shelby than I'm comfortable with as a Pontiac guy. Wangers disappointed me a little with these. No way those wheels are worth anything near that to me. But to each his own, and they have the right to do what they want. No big deal.

[shmoov69]

Dayum crackheads!!

[Roadrage David]

I have to say I also think it's a little more like Shelby than I'm comfortable with as a Pontiac guy. Wangers disappointed me a little with these. No way those wheels are worth anything near that to me. But to each his own, and they have the right to do what they want. No big deal.

Damm right!! He should know we have paid enoughf and more then that over the years to keep the traditional pontiac alive. we paid mutch more for our Poncho,s to keep them running. the last couple of years where good to us more aftermarket parts and engine blocks and heads. the prices are finnaly coming douwn and now this !!!!
he ore THEY should give us a break . nobody will pay that price for those rims. i wouldend pay more then a 1000 usd eatch and then mabey!!!!!!!!!!!!. 4000usd wil bij me a aluminium block for crijing out loud............. put another 4000 on top and i have a all aluminu race engine with 600 ore 700 hp . who who will fafoure these rims over that

[Ishmael]

Hey Ben,
I like the rims. You got the proportions right as opposed to the vintiques where the holes just aren't right. Good job.
If rims that looked liked that were available for a realistic price without Wangers' name on them I would have put a set of 18s on my 68.
You should set to work on honeycombs. I know year one has some but, again, they don't look right.

[hdesign]

Thanks Scott! I was very happy with the final look of the wheels, HRE did a great job I thought. They're highly recognizable as a Pontiac wheel with a modern twist which is what my client was looking for.

I actually have about 60 wheel concept renderings sitting in my file cabinet that I would love to have the opportunity to market in the future...(there are some snowflake-ish and honeycomb-ish concepts in there too.) It's amazing how challenging it is to come up with something truly innovative, the wheel industry is so saturated with choices.

[kneebeau]

Just my photo retouching dream


31568

31569

[kneebeau]

The first one on the front has larger slots, on the rear in the second photo I kept them slimmer. Somewhere in between might be better but the proportions are all off when you start stretching 'em out.

-J