i remember reading somehwhere that porsche made a magnesium wheel that weighed 8 pounds each...is this the gas burner? (5 lug mahle) if so..how much is a set of these worth?

Yes, it most likely is the Mahle. It was fully painted in silver. Many are for tube type tires though. Look for the "J" in 5.5Jx15 for tubeless rims. They were more prone to cracking than other rims. Can't help on the price.

I've heard they can go for 1,000 per set

I'll support dave -- it's probably the gas burners.

Price, when I shopped for mine (iirc -- probably 24mths ago now) was in the 200-300/wheel depending on condition/blah blah blah. Bug guys apparently love 'em -- paint 'em black with the high parts (spokes/etc) left painted the magnesium color. If you google for them, you should pull up lots of pics.

They're light (it's wierd picking one up), but only 5.5 in. Dunno about the sturdiness/etc.

kim.