40 years in industry? Aren't we talking dinosaurs? ;)
Those days technology change on weekly basis and usually professionals are the last ones that want to do update.
When I was shopping for low-profile tires for wife Mercedes, the name-brands quotes were coming with 4-digits numbers
I found a shop that was selling Chinese Triange tires for $270.
I check the manufacturer and they are very big company with good reputation.
The directional tires are very good looking and after a year they seems to be excellent choice.