Everyone likes a ‘good news’ story and for
most countries it’s even more important when the development is home-grown –
which is the case for a small Australian company called CARBON REVOLUTION,
which began in Geelong ten years ago.
The goal was high-integrity, one-piece road
wheels made purely from carbon fibre. The process was challenging to pioneer,
but CARBON REVOLUTION says that continuous improvement through innovative engineering
has not only resulted in a successful benchmark product, but two important OEM
contracts with Ford Motor, has brought greater economies of scale.
CARBON REVOLUTION is providing wheels to Ford
for its SHELBY GTR350 Mustang, and its FORD GT supercar program.
The superior
characteristics of carbon fibre wheels over conventional metallic equivalents
include a dramatic decrease in weight, and exceptional stiffness.
CR Porsche wheels on Jay Leno's Garage |
Now that the carbon fibre wheels are
flowing to car manufacturers it won’t be long before wealthy exotic car owners
become customers. Five bolt wheels cost around AUD$11,850 per set; and centre
lock Porsche wheels are AUD$13,850.
Whilst that’s expensive for most people,
when you’re a supercar owner, it’s not that much extra to accessorize your pride’n’joy
with the world’s most unique road wheels.
That’s a great success story for a small Australian
company, surviving the aftermath of the cessation of full-blown car manufacturing.
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