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May 15, 2006 Governor Riley Celebrates First Production Motorcycle Made in Alabama  "Tom Cruise, eat your heart out," declared Governor Bob Riley as he rode the first 2006 F131 Hellcat to be produced in Confederate Motor's new Birmingham headquarters. Cruise recently borrowed the brand new Hellcat for the New York premiere of his latest movie. It is the first production motorcycle ever to be made in Alabama, and Governor Riley commemorated the event by taking the bike out for a spin. (Photo credit: Robin Cooper, Governor's Office)
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for more photos in this series BIRMINGHAM – Governor Bob Riley celebrated the production of Confederate Motor Company’s first motorcycle built in Alabama by riding the bike around a race track in Birmingham today. The Governor, an experienced motorcycle rider, fired up the first official F131 Confederate Hellcat to be produced in the company’s new Birmingham plant since Hurricane Katrina destroyed its New Orleans plant last August. He then rode the motorcycle around the Barber racetrack and into the press conference at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum as a surprise for the assembled group of civic and business leaders. "This is a fantastic bike and a world-class product," Governor Riley said. "Confederate’s decision to move here demonstrates that Alabama is becoming the epicenter of new design. It also confirms that Alabama can be a leader in anything that we put our minds to." "Eleven years ago, we did not produce a single automobile in this state," the Governor noted, "but this year, we will produce nearly 800,000 of them. Alabama is the place to be if you want to be efficient and cost-effective. Confederate couldn’t have made a better choice." The fact that Confederate motorcycles are not only being manufactured - but designed - in Alabama makes this company unique in the state’s automotive industry. According to Confederate’s founder and managing director, H. Matthew Chambers, "Our mission is to make history’s greatest motorcycles by leading a new American design initiative that embraces principled individuality." The motorcycles have been called “the Lamborghini of motorcycles" by Cycle World magazine. Following the production of several Hellcat models and the creation of a striking new model christened the "Wraith," Chambers and Confederate faced their biggest challenge after their New Orleans factory was destroyed in August 2005. Chambers and his team began to seek a new base of operations for Confederate. After conducting a nationwide search that included such cities as Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Shreveport and Santa Fe, the new Confederate plant opened this January on Birmingham’s Southside at 2222 Fifth Avenue South. With a new home, a growing workforce, and the classic motorcycle collection inside the Barber museum to provide inspiration for future designs, Confederate is looking ahead with the production of its first F131 Hellcat and B120 Wraith models. According to Ted vonCannon, president of the Metropolitan Development Board, "Confederate made a very important business decision. They literally shopped America and they chose Birmingham. The company brings renewed passion to our city and to our region and signifies that some of the finest automobiles in the world are not only made in Alabama, but now are also designed in Alabama." | |
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