This is completely the wrong way to do this. You need to go direct to the manufacturers and distributors with this. If your a individual building a personal Hot Rod, I say pass. It is not worth it. If your a business building Hot Rods then I say go for it.
You have to:
Call the company and find out from the receptionist who handles the sponsorship at each company and what their policy for submitting proposals is. Do they have a form (probably not, but ask).
Then you need to do up a proposal, state what exactly your looking for, why you choose that part (not because it is free or cheap) and how your going to make them famous. Include the rendering, a current state of the project, other cars you have done with awards and where it went, and a list of places you will go with the car when done. Big trades shows (with confirmed locations) and guaranteed magazine features (with letters from editor proof) are big influences. Also very important, you need to find a way to make it clear you can afford to finish the project with or without the sponsorship from them or others. If it looks like you need free parts to finish the car, they might be reluctant if they do not know all the other parts are paid for or secured.
This needs to be address to the person that handles the sponsorships DO NOT try to do this on the phone at first. You need to do it by mail so they can deal with it on their schedule, not your schedule when you call and they are doing something else important and you interrupt them.
Your going to spend some money here, but you need to send all these proposals FED Ex Priority, UPS Priority, address to the representative that handles the sponsorships. This way it goes STRAIGHT to his desk and not through the mail room. He also will open it right away wondering what is so damn important. This by no means he will do anything with it right then, but he will know it is important to you and just might look at it. Then you can follow up call the next day to see if he got the proposal. Nothing more unless he starts conversation about the project.
Then wait and hope you did not waste a 100 hours and $500 Fed Ex fees on 20 proposals.
I can tell you in advance, things are tight out there, and sponsorships are harder to get today then yesterday when cash was flying around. Sponsors are looking for more and more now, many sponsors are looking for ugly stickers boldly placed on the car, you passing out brochures. You have to decide if it is worth $500 of product to put a sticker on your car that totally clashes with the theme. And is it your car or does it appear to be their car?
In then end, you might decide to find one distributor to hook you up with some deals.
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Frank Serafine
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