Exotic Flavor

Do you want to wrap an exotic car?

Peter Salaverry, CEO of Skinz-Wraps Inc. (Dallas), a seven-year-old, vehicle-graphics provider and an industry vanguard, suggests the owner of any vehicle-wrap provider that’s considering wrapping an exotic car ask himself the following questions:

• Are you at the top of your game?

• Are you wrapping vehicles every day?

• Have you installed more than 1,000 full-vehicle wraps?

• Is your company at least three years old?

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SkinzWraps has designed, printed and installed more than 5,000, full-vehicle wraps. Its portfolio also includes dozens of wraps on such exotic cars as the Ferrari 430, Ford GT40, Porsche 998 and the Lamborghini Gallardo. The shop has also scheduled a wrap on an Ferrari Enzo – named after the company’s founder, it’s Ferrari’s top-of-the-line model – before the end of the year.

SkinzWraps entered the exotic-vehicle wrap market slightly more than two years ago and has been steadily growing in this niche market. Salaverry’s company follows a self-styled business model, “True Sync.” He said, “True Sync demands that every aspect of the business is working together. We integrate our design, printing and installation process inhouse to be the best of the best.”

Salaverry defines an exotic car as any vehicle worth more than $150,000. Clients who own such cars demand superior service; they usually value these prestigious cars almost as much as their children, own them outright and likely store them in a controlled environment that’s nicer than a hotel.

“These clients come to us through the ‘country-club effect’ of word of mouth,” Salaverry said. “The client comes to us; we don’t go to them.”

Are you experienced?

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Paint jobs on exotic cars are often one of the vehicles’ most expensive features. Owners want to be assured the paint won’t be affected by the wrap media or the installation process. With this in mind, SkinzWraps offers a written guarantee to the car owner that there will be no paint damage. Salaverry relies on the media-manufacturer’s guarantee.

He also recommends that shops check with their insurance agents to verify their policies cover such vehicles while they’re in the shop. He said, “These cars can be a tremendous liability. It’s important to make sure your insurance policy is applicable.”

Remember, the owner wants to be confident in you and your installer team. “A lot of people get really nervous around cars like this,” Salaverry said. “Be calm and confident with the owner, and demonstrate your experience and expertise designing, printing and installing vehicle wraps.”

SkinzWraps lets novice installers learn about working on such cars by watching a SkinzWraps master installer and asking questions while they work through fabrication and installation.

Process particulars

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Vehicle wraps offer car owners the opportunity to personalize their rides, which has helped trigger their continued growth and expansion into new markets. Exotic-car owners, substantially invested in their vehicles, want their personalities to be reflected in its graphics. To deliver great graphics that meet customer expectations, wrap designers must provide design innovation, expertise and experience.

“The graphics should fit the car like a tailored suit and be as seamless as possible,” Salaverry said. “Rather than using templates, take measurements by hand to ensure accuracy. No reprinting should be necessary.”

Experienced digital-print professionals are key to your shop’s success. SkinzWraps’ True Sync principles call for total reliance on inhouse expertise. Resolution should be the highest possible. Salaverry believes 720 x 720 dpi represents the minimum acceptable resolution for graphics for exotic sports cars, but said 1,440 x 1,440 dpi is preferable.

SkinzWraps has been using the Epson GS 6000 solvent-based printer to achieve 1,440 x 1,440-dpi resolution. Kelly Coats, whose serves as SkinzWraps’ director of printing and manages its printing, RIP and color management, said, “This printer really does deliver photo-image quality and an incredible color gamut.”

SkinzWraps installed a vehicle wrap on a Lamborghini Gallardo for the 2008 ISA Show that was printed and laminated with Avery Graphics vinyl on the Epson GS 6000. “The printer exceeded our expectations and delivered an unprecedented color gamut,” Coats said.

Choosing the right vinyl is also extremely important. “A thin, conformable overlaminate is vital when wrapping a car with complex curves,” Salaverry said. “The graphics have to last at least five years when you’re putting your shop and reputation on the line with such a high-end car.”

Warranties are also important in providing a customer with confidence in your product. For instance, Avery Graphics stands behind its products with the Integrated Component System (ICS) Performance Guarantee. Its warranty, provided sufficient documentation is submitted, offers free replacement or repair, or a credit commensurate with the scope of the product’s defect. For more warranty specifics, visit www.averygraphics.com.

As I mentioned earlier, SkinzWraps will design and install graphics on a Ferrari Enzo, which boasts a top speed of 210 mph. According to Sports Car Market, the Ferrari Enzo typically sells for more than $1 million at auction. Automotive experts have said the Ferrari Enzo represents the closest a street-legal car can come to matching a Formula One (F1) vehicle’s performance. Pininfarina, a longtime Ferrari partner, designed the body to emulate an F1 racer – it resembles an upside-down wing that creates downforce that, at high speed, lets the car literally hug the road.

Though the design may make the car faster, its contours and curves present a wrapping challenge. “With only 395 Enzos in the world, the opportunity to wrap one is a privilege and a challenge,” Salaverry said. “Wrapping exotic cars is very exciting, but also extremely demanding. We take the challenge very seriously. It’s not something I’d recommend for a signshop that has just begun vehicle-wrap fabrication and installation.”

For more information on SkinzWraps, visit www.skinzwraps.com.

Joel Ross is marketing-communications manager for Avery Dennison Graphics & Reflective Products Div..