High-end motorcycle maker leaving New Orleans for Birmingham
Information from: The Birmingham News - Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Displaced from its New Orleans factory by Hurricane Katrina, high-end motorcycle manufacturer Confederate Motor Co. Inc. said it is relocating to Alabama for good.

The company, with bikes that start at $55,000, plans to invest about $10 million in an 8,500-square-foot plant in downtown Birmingham. The move will create more than 100 jobs by the time production begins in January.

Condederate's manufacturing operations have been out of commission since its plant was heavily damage in the aftermath of Katrina on Aug. 29.

"This is not a temporary move," said Ike LaRue, Confederate's chief financial officer and operating director.

Confederate motorcycles are a favorite toy of the rich and famous. Movie stars Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt own Confederate bikes, which are designed as much as works of art and heirlooms as high-performance machines.

Company officials said they selected Birmingham over cities including Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas partly because it is the home of the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum, a motorcycle track located east of the city.

"New Orleans provided special inspiration for our earlier models, but the amazing collection of motorcycles in the Barber Motorsports Museum will provide so much more inspiration," said Confederate founder and CEO Matt Chambers.

Confederate has $3.3 million in orders for at least a dozen of its Hellcat F113 model, which sell for $67,500, and 45 of its Wraith B107s, with a price of $55,000. Production will begin with about two finished motorcycles a week and increase to twice that number in a couple of years.

The company plans to conduct tests at the Barber track.

On the Net:

Confederate Motor Co. at http://www.confederate.com