American
Racing—A
Company With
Roots.
In
1954, Romeo
Palamides,
an early drag
racing innovator,
designed and
crafted leading
edge, high
strength-to-weight
magnesium
drag racing
wheels for
his dragster.
It was the
early years
of hot rodding
and street
enthusiast
interest in
the lightweight,
higher tech
wheels was
overwhelming.
Romeo’s
vision, working
from a small
machine shop
in San Francisco
with his partner,
engineer Jim
Ellison, evolved
into America’s
leading aftermarket
wheel company.
In 1956, they
formed American
Racing Equipment.
The
Wheel That
Started A
Craze.
In
the early
sixties the
five-spoke
American Racing
“Torq
Thrust”
was introduced.
Considered
by many to
be the most
famous wheel
of all time,
the Torq Thrust
started the
custom wheel
craze, making
the conversion
from strip
to street.
Known as “Americans”,
“5-spokes”
and “Torq
Thrusts”,
different
design generations
evolved as
car crafting
technology
developed.
Today authentic
“old
school”
Torq Thrusts
are highly
collectible
and sold around
the world.
Often copied,
never duplicated,
the Torq Thrust
is the signature
wheel for
performance
and custom
purists.
American
Racing Today--Wheels
That Perform.
Over
forty years
later, American
Racing and
it’s
1700 employees
offer a complete
line of
over one hundred
precision
crafted alloy
wheel styles
with the same
pride, innovation
and
enthusiasm
upon which
Romeo Palamides’
original vision
was founded.
American Racing’s
parent company,
Noranda, is
one of the
largest natural
resources
companies
in the world
operating
mining interests
around the
globe. From
American Racing’s
three state-of-the-art
manufacturing
facilities
AR produced
over 3.1 million
wheels in
2001, including
original equipment
wheels for
major auto
manufacturers.
American Racing
wheels are
distributed
from company-owned,
satellite-connected
warehouses,
an independent
distributor
system in
the U.S. and
through international
distributors
in over thirty-five
countries
on four continents.
And yes, American
Racing continues
to offer the
latest generation
of the original,
authentic
Torq Thrust
for the discriminating
enthusiast.
The
Vision Continues.
With our 2003
Aftermarket
Collection
and the Pro
Series Drag
Racing Line,
American Racing’s
legacy of
wheelcrafting
continues.
Each wheel
represents
our heritage
and an extension
of Romeo Palamides’
original vision
of innovation
and cutting
edge."
(taken
from the American
Racing Website:
www.americanracing.com) |
