When we first saw the $4,000 price tag on the Camaro Marquise Collection grille for Chevrolet's 21st century muscle car, we wondered if people really would invest that much to customize the look of a car with a base price sticker of less than $23,000.

Turns out, they will, and they are.

"We used the same thinking we did when we developed the Bentley-look grille for the Chrysler 300," said Tommy Gaut, general manager of Strut, which produces automotive jewelry, especially for very high-end vehicles such as Bentleys and Range Rovers.

"A lot of people who bought the 300 and are buying the Camaro and then customizing their cars.

"They're getting in for a reasonable amount of money and then putting in nearly that much in customization."

Gaut says many of his company's customers own high-end vehicles, but also want whatever's new and hot, which means they want the new Chevrolet Camaro, but they also want to immediately send it off to their favorite customization shop to tweak its look, inside and out, as well as making modifications to enhance performance, whether it's wheels and tires or souping up the powertrain.

Strut is based in San Clement, Calif. The company emerged when the owners of Sonanc, a company making audio speakers designed to be built into a home during construction or remodeling, bought a company making billet aluminum grilles for the automotive aftermarket.

The company hired Sergio Luna, a graduate of Pasadena's famed Art Center College of Design, to design grilles and other jewelry produced in triple-chromed 360 stainless steel for expensive cars.

In addition to the Camaro, Strut produces its jewelry for Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, large GM sport utilities, Hummer, Infiniti, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce vehicles.

For information, see the company's Web site at www.strutwear.com.

Street Legal Customs of Royal Oak is the Strut distributor and installer for the Metro Detroit area. For information, call (248) 545-3700.