Shop Tires
For a few years I have been fortunate to attend the Concours de Elegance at Pebble Beach in Monterey Bay area in, California. Actually there are many more things that go on in the area mid August than just the Pebble Beach Concours. Coker Tire is very heavily involved now in the Vintage Racing tire business with our Excelsior Comp H and Comp V tire lines. We also have a number of vintage Michelin tires considered race tires as well as the Michelin Rally TB 5 and TB 15 line. We show and service these tires for our fellow vintage racers at the Monterey Historics at the Laguna Seca track. My friend and fellow Meguiars Award recipient, Steve Earle and his family run the Historics. I love vintage racing. So many wonderful cars with glorious race history.
I see so many of my friends like Jan Vrobril, and Mary Lou Robson (I bought my 1909 Lozier from Mary Lou when her husband Ernie Mendicki passed away), Rick Rawlings, Jay Leno, Randy Ema, Kieth Crain, Greg n Bea Schneider, Dutch Mandel, Oscar Pereda, Richie Clyne, Vic n Cammie Edelbrock and Brian Blain (guess I have screwed up now because I started naming names so I know I missed many more than I named) Brian has a really run 1916 National race car. My father and I have Nationals and they are wonderful autos.
The celebrated marquee at the Historics this year was Cooper. My wife is a Mini Cooper fan and was sad she decided not to come with me. I did buy her a couple of Mini hats to bribe my way back in the house. Worked too. She wears em doing her exercise thing in the mornings.
Back to Pebble… We leave our big Show tractor trailer rig at our Fresno California store after the Great Race. Andrew Givens flew out to start it up, clean it up and set it up with the help of Patrick and Hector from our West Coast staff. They usually bring tires from our Fresno stock to the track. We have compressors, tire changing equipment and computer balancers so we can do the free service for all the racers. Andrew does all that work. He’s good at what he does. Thursday and Saturday are big days at the track with Saturday being the day the most people attend.
Friday was Italian Day. A large segment of the auto enthusiasts in town for the week long festivities attend the Italiano Concorso. It is held also on a golf course next to Fort Ord. When the golfers come back they probably see divots that oddly look like the tread patch of a Pirelli or a Michelin when Joe Italian guy spins out on the fairway. I have never seen so many Ferraris, Lambro’s, Alfas, Fiats and Panteras. If you like Italian cars, you gotta go to this event. It is very well done. There is another Italian car event in the Monterey Bay area also at The Quail Lodge. I didn’t get over there but understand it is full! Literally…they cannot take any more cars.
Friday night, my friend Mckeel Hagarty, hosts several hundred movers and shakers in the automotive media to a cocktail reception at the prestigous Pebble Beach lodge. Coats and ties n stuff. I wore blue jeans and cowboy boots. You can take the country out of the boy, but.. Another of my friends dressed up too! Alan Taylor of Car and Driver Radio and CarCrazyCentral radio wore shorts and flip flops. I called him “flip flop” on air several times when he interviewed me on Sunday at Pebble. We had a good time.
Friday night I stopped by the RM Auction. Posies’ street rod brought 305,000.00. I told him it would too way back in the Spring! Missed it by only five grand. RM always has a wonderful auction and this year was no exception. Rob told me that they did 43 Million in sales. It is fun to watch Ian or Donnie Gould, Rob or Buck Kamphausen do their magic!
On Saturday morning, Sports Car Market puts on a seminar about collector cars at the Gooding and Company auction tent. Coker Tire was one of the sponsors. Keith Martin and his staff do a great job with this informative seminar. Keith asked myself and the other sponsors to say a few words. I talked about driving our collector cars. I will save that for another post though.
Sunday is the day of the Pebble Beach Concours. This is the scrillionth year they have held it. Pebble is clearly the absolute mostest, bestest, richest concours in America. Amelia Island is quickly climbing up there to Bill Warner!
If you have never been to Pebble Beach, you gotta know that the scenery is amazing! Some of the most wonderful cars in the world on the 18th hole of the golf course overlooking the ocean. It is spectacular!
One last quick story before I sign off. A year ago, my friend Rob Myers called me to tell me he was restoring a magnificent 1931 Daimler Double Six for a great customer of his. He said, “this car will win Pebble Beach Best of Show”. But there was a big problem. This magnificent car came originally with 750-23 Dunlop tires and there were no such tires or even that size any where in the world! We built a brand new tire mold for this size in an original Goodrich Silvertown tread. We did I on time, and just according to prediction the car won Best of Show, which is top dog in collector car circles.
Am on my way to Davenport Iowa as I crackberry this. Next post will be about the Antique Motor Cycle National meet from there.
Until then….. From the road,
Corky Coker