Re: Visit to Dutch Continental tyre importer

[KSMITH1@mailgw.sanders.lockheed.com]

Tom Nas said in part:

>>Centra has just introduced a new kind of alloy wheel. It's a 
multi-spoke type wheel of a beautiful smooth design, polished to a 
high gloss that's been finished by spraying it with a semi-transparent 
lacquer with black paint added. A bit difficult to describe, but the 
result is something like black chrome, which looks beautiful on a 
black or dark grey car. They showed a 17" version, and that was one of 
the most beautiful wheels I'd ever seen. (salivate) If you've ever 
seen something photographed in 'low key', you know what I mean. This 
finish also disguises the presence of brake dust. These wheels will 
become available for all late model Audis (5-bolt). Not for my humble 
4-bolt 80 though...<<

Tom:  Could the wheel have been first painted glossy black and then 
clear coated, perhaps with a flat clearcoat, or was the clearcoat 
itself definitely semitransparent.  Was there gloss deep inside or on 
the surface of the paint.  Was the paint specular or diffuse (flat).  
It should not be difficult to duplicate (approximately) this finish if 
its construction process is determined (given wheels feasible to 
polish, which excludes my basket weaves).

>>After a video and a presentation, the guy from Conti asked the 
people present what their opinion of Conti tyres was. <<

I tried several brands of M+S tires on my 1980 Scirocco, and Contis 
were the worst of the batch.  The best were Kleber, but they seem to 
have disappeared from the US market.

>>Tom
(my Audi 80 1.8S once out-accelerated an F-16 :-) )<<

(On behalf of Lockheed Martin Corp., I have to ask:  Was the F-16 
taxiing, or parked?)

***                 ...Kirby    (Kirby A. Smith)                 ***
***              ksmith1@mailgw.sanders.lockheed.com             ***
***              [=]   kirby.a.smith@lmco.com                    ***
***  Opinions expressed herein are entirely those of the author. ***