AlloyGator is acknowledged as the world leader in on-vehicle wheel protection and was born in 2005 when Curt Rathbone, now Group Managing Director of AlloyGator Ltd, kerbed one of his wheels on the way to a sales appointment. Like many other drivers, Curt was passionate about his car’s aesthetic and tired of paying for wheel refurbishments. The latest scrape got him thinking… was there anything on the market to prevent kerb damage? And if there wasn’t, there should be.
Curt searched the market and discovered that there was no available solution to this very common and costly problem. Instantly realising that there was a very real gap in the market for a product that could provide protection for the hundreds of thousands of wheels that sustain damage across the world, Curt shared his thoughts with his father, Chris, a toolmaker and engineer of some 40+ years. Together they started to explore the best way to engineer a innovative, unique and robust solution. Curt and Chris continued to develop ideas and, determined to find a solution, experimented with different methods of protecting the wheel against various impacts.
After much deliberation and skilled handiwork they had developed a ring of polypropylene which had, amongst other things, a smaller overall diameter than a wheel’s outer diameter. Chris explained to Curt that he envisioned the ring sitting between the wheel and tyre to protect the wheel against kerbing and pothole damage. Seeing the prototypes potential, Curt and Chris worked together to develop the product thereafter.
Over a few months the pair developed four full sized prototypes and began fitting them to a variety of sample vehicles, testing and improving the prototypes for several years. Whilst continuing to work in their regular jobs, they finally reached a point where their highly engineered product had real market potential and approached MIRA, (Motor Industry Research Association), a world-renowned automotive testing facility used by many huge automotive names such as Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar.
Impressed by the idea, MIRA devised a series of tests to ensure the product could withstand the impact of kerbing in various conditions. The tests were all successful, allowing Curt and Chris to approach the automotive sector, namely car and aftermarket manufacturers, as well as automotive businesses including garages, detailers and mechanics with their now patented solution to alloy wheel protection. They toyed with various ideas and decided to introduce their brainchild to the world under the punchy name ‘AlloyGator’.
Father and Son decided to take the final leap and left their established careers in 2010 to focus on developing and promoting the product that they had developed together and were so passionate about. The AlloyGator wheel protector was instantly popular and demand for the product grew.
AlloyGator is now available all over the world with many established distribution partners and new ones consistently joining us who believe in the product as we do.
AlloyGator Limited
Head Office
61 Heming Road
Washford Industrial Estate
Redditch, Worcestershire
B98 0EA
