Tour Coker Tire

If there is one thing car lovers have in common it must be wheels and tires. Let's face it, they really are the single most important piece on the car because you can't drive if it doesn't roll and it can't roll without wheels and tires.

This thought was not lost on the late Harold Coker, when he went looking for tires for his own vintage cars in the mid '50s. Seeing the need for new tires for vintage cars Coker Tire was formed in 1958 and it has been constant growth ever since. In 1974 Corky Coker took over the reins of the family tire business. While most of the business was selling tires to Chattanooga, Tennessee, customers for their daily drivers, Corky occupied 500 square feet in the rear of the building dedicated to the vintage tire business.

It quickly became apparent that sourcing new tires for old cars was futile, so Coker went from selling tires to producing and selling vintage tires. Molds from around the world were purchased and contracts were signed with major tire manufacturers to produce the limited run tires. Needless to say this was a winning approach and today what began as 500 square feet has expanded to over 200,000 square feet and over 80 employees. So if you're looking for a set of slicks for a race car (vintage pie crust or go-fast Phoenix), wide whites for that traditional rod or custom, or a set of skinny Model A tires, you can go to the source for vintage tires, Coker Tire.

But there is a lot more to the Coker Tire group than just tires. A full line of vintage and custom wheels, vintage hubcaps, beauty rings, and lug nuts are also available. There is also a full-time wood shop capable of producing virtually any wood spoke wheel for those very early classic cars. Today Coker Tire sells only classic wheels and tires, leaving those late-model sales to the national chain stores.

But wait, there's more! Being a lifelong resident of Chattanooga, when the opportunity to buy the Honest Charley Speed Shop appeared Corky Coker jumped at the chance. Along with longtime Honest Charley employees "Honest Mike Goodman" and "Honest Joe Lombardo" the speed shop continues to thrive, selling a full line of street rod parts and speed equipment. Honest Charley is steeped in history, being one of the earliest speed shops in the country as Charley Card first opened the doors in 1948. Famous for his down-home Southern style of marketing, Honest Charley was a true pioneer in mail-order marketing, so much so that Charley Card was the second person inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame. He was quite a man and today that tradition continues with a vibrant mail order business combined with walk-in business. Walking through the doors of Honest Charley Speed Shop is like stepping back in time, cool parts and friendly knowledgeable people all housed in a historic setting.

 

All Photography by Samuel E Burns

Also available through Honest Charley is exact duplicate woodgraining for early V-8 Fords. This process is done exactly the way it was done by Ford, with every detail in the grain exactly the same. Woodgrain dashboards and interior moldings are important for an accurate restoration but we are also seeing more and more woodgrain inside traditional hot rods. If accuracy is important to you, Honest Charley is the guy to call. Honest Charley is in the same complex as Coker Tire and just across the street you'll find the Honest Charley Garage, where head man Greg Cunningham and his team of craftsman stay busy working on everything from steam-powered classics to building the 2013 STREET RODDER Road Tour car, a beautiful gold shoebox Ford with all the custom touches and a late-model Ford EcoBoost V-6 underhood.

Tours of the facility happen daily and it is well worth the trip, or come to one of the cool Coker Cruise-ins and tour the facilities yourself. There is a museum filled with vintage cars and vintage motorcycles (Coker sells vintage motorcycle tires too). The Coker Group covers all the bases for hot rods and drag racers, and they are huge supporters of the automotive hobby because the business was founded by a "real car guy," and it shows. That tradition continues today.