That in joke story sounds like complete bullshit. The wheel has been around since the 1960s! So it would of been superlite when comparing to the steel wheels of the day!
You had the old style 10 spoke superlites which were heavy for their size, no doubt.
But since they are used on a variety of cars strength is also a factor.
Simmons wheels had issues with barrels warping (when they used 4mm material)
my 15x8 GTR superlites weigh about 7.6kg each which for the size and application and budget is excellent.
I also have a set of 14x6 superlites I used on my gravel car and they have copped a fucking hiding, jumps, rocks etc, and still perfectly true.