Drew,

No one will sponser you unless they see a return on investment. My local service station threw $800.00 worth of brakes at me but I promised to park the car at thier shop for three days when I got back. I found that places were more open to barter good or services but there is nothing that says you can't sell anything they give you. With your car Import Speed shops or tuner shops might kick in a little but other venues such as Dealerships and places you wouldn't think t ask would consider it if they feel they can draw people in with the car.  In other words Your car may have to earn it's own ticket so you need something else to drive while its working. You could start tomorrow if the car still has all it's stickers.

My tip to you, its all a numbers game, if you want ten sponsors you will need to send out about 100 proposals. and so on. And a key is to find people in your area who know car people, you can find a cool company, however if they are anti car culture its going nowhere fast. I found it much easier to get sponsors for rallying then when I raced in karting and stock cars. Rallying is a people sport. Good luck and keep with it.

I simply talked to the parts stores that I deal with all the time. I have spent countless dollars myself there as well building my truck so they were willing to cut me a slice. The shop I work for my boss will help sponsor me. As long as my truck is painted. LOL.

My suggestion is hit the business' you deal with on a regular basis first. A lot of the time they will help you put a sponsor package together that they would like to see if you wern't already known to them. You can also set up car washes, bottle drives. etc.

Or set up a rally of your own and use the procedes as well. Creativity is the key.

A nice request package is key. Take several nice shots of the car from several angles. Action shots from last years rally would be nice. Tell them about the rally and show photos of celebrities that attended or have attended. Tell them that the Rally is shot for a TV show called "Cops Cars & Superstars" and tell them your car will be in it. Give them a list of car shows that you plan to attend in the next 12 months. The key is to really sell yourself as well as the car. The key is TV exposure. Media Exposure for them. I have a standard PDF I send out that I customize for the specific company I am trying to get sponsored from. My entire motor build I am doing now didn't cost me a dime for the parts. I picked up Wiseco Pistons, Carrillo Rods, Supertech, & L.A. Sleeve as new sponsors just by sending them a request package via email.

I think it's easier to get parts out of sponsors then cash but some maybe willing to pony up for the exposure.

Good Luck

I have been dealing with some local tuner shops in the area for a long time and have actually become friends with the owners.  They are the ones "sponsoring" my car right now by giving me discounts on parts and services.  In the past I used to be sponsored by an internet company out of california that specialized in mazdas and mazda powered cars.  With their discounts, I was able to get the j spec engine that I had in the car at half off, as well as other parts that I needed for the build.  The down side is, the sponsors dictate how many carshows/racing events you go to, when your car has to be ready for shoots, ect.  That is the down side, and thus why I am no longer in the import/sport compact scene, nopi events, and what not because I had sponsor issues when the transaxle in the car blew out for the fourth time.  I was young and this was 11 years ago.  Know what you are getting into before you sign on the dotted line if they make you sign a contract....