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

It’s always hot in Louisville at the NSRA Nats which is held at the Kentucky Fairgrounds and this week was no different. My partner, Honest Mike Goodman and our Head-Honest-Show guy, Honest Louis took our Honest Charley gooseneck trailer up on Monday so they could have plenty of time to set up for this important event. Since Coker Tire’s spot is next door, the Honest boys had the trailer and the carpet set so Todd (flipflop) Harless, Jess (alias Jay) Hoodenpyle, Bruce (The Terminator) Snyder, and Jim (he really should be back attending to export sales) Hildebrand mosied up to Lewavulle Wed AM. I hung in at Chattavegas until Thursday morning. I have to admit that I didn’t practise what I preach… No not about not speeding or something stupid like that….I drove modern! Coulda and shoulda drove a hot rod or collector car but..

Got to Luavull mid morning. Aint gonna tell you when I left n when I got there but I set records! The convention center is all tore up with construction. They added about 25 percent to the display hall area. It’s cooler inside! Saw my friend Vernon Walker of NSRA and Walker Radiator fame right away. He does a great job. Good guy too. Saw SEMA leader, Nate Shelton. Now I’ve done it…I went and started and now I will offend those friends I saw and don’t mention them. To you guys: sorry I love ya, but I aint naming you all.

I finally made to the Coker Tire and Honest Charley booth after being stopped to gab and “shake n howdy” a dozen or so times. Here’s a picture of both displays. Both looked spectactulous. Just made up a new word! I know the Coker Tire guys set records for Thursday sales and with number of people Honest had in their booth, we kicked butt there too! Watch out Speedy Bill!! Also saw my buddy Debbie Lewis, she owns the Hot Rod n Restoration Show in Indianapolis. Check it out. If you are in the business, you gotta go.

Back to Lewieville Streetrod Nats. It was so dang hot Thursday outside you could have set a baby-moon on the ground n fried an egg! I spent some time with Keith Crain and Dutch Mandel of Autoweek/Crain Communications fame. Its nice to know that those guys are real car guys and enjoy hot rod shows.

Jess n Jim taught a Seminar on tars (Corky speak for tires, pneumaticos, covers, reifen, casings). How convenient! You know… high tech paint is cool, but so is primer’d cars. Expensive leather upholstery is tops but sometimes nothing beats a Mexican blanket over foam. But Tires!

Its all about the tires! Don’t forget it. There will be a test later!

Am typin this qwerty style on my crackberry as I drive home from LooAvullle. (Did you catch how many different spellings in this one Blog post?) Hard to do on the freeway, while its rainin and drivin w your knee. Don’t try it. Now its rainin too hard. Later..

From the Nats,

Corky

SEMA, The Specialty Equipment Market Association, is OUR Industry group that represents almost 7 thousand businesses like ours here at Coker Tire and Honest Charley, Inc. In addition to all the great work SEMA does with the OEM’s like tech transfer and licensing stuff, or Government relations with the Feds, NHTSA beaurecrats or State legislatures……SEMA puts on THE Show of all Shows in Las Vegas in early November. SEMA is operated by a Board of Directors who are elected by all those member businesses. I recently served as Chairman of the Board of SEMA from 2003 through 2005. Mitch Williams is now Chairman. I am now First “has been”. I really enjoyed my time as Chairman and enjoyed working on behalf of the membership to grow our Industry, solve problems and cheer lead for all the cool stuff we do in our Industry.

This past week, Theresa and I attended the Installation Banquet and Council Summit in Los Angeles. The Council Summit is a meeting of all the SEMA councils to learn what the broader group is doing collectively and to exchange ideas, problems and solutions. It is always cool to hear about the new things each market niches is doing. On Friday evening SEMA had a cool banquet at the Globe Theater in Universal City. We celebrated several of the current Board members who are going off the Board: Russell Stephens and Rick Rollins. Both guys are hard workers who love SEMA and our Industry very much and have served SEMA well. We also introduced two new BOD members Chris Thomson of Airaid Filter Company and Bill Warner of Husky Liners. The most important portion of the evening was the announcement of the three nominees for SEMA Hall of Fame for 2006. The following is an exerpt from SEMA.org about each of these new Hall of Famer’s:

Steve Bolio

Steve Bolio’s career in the automotive aftermarket spans more than 44 years and includes experience in retail, wholesale, product development and manufacturing. For the past 18 years, he has been a partner in the manufacturers’ rep firm Scafidi-Bolio & Associates. Bolio has been an avid supporter of SEMA, serving six years on the SEMA board of directors and participating in several SEMA councils and committees, including the Show committee, the Awards committee and the Manufacturers’ Representative Council. Other notable industry accomplishments include serving four years on the Performance Warehouse Association’s board of directors, being named SEMA Rep of the Year in 1999 and being named SEMA Person of the Year in 2003.

Dick Maxwell

Dick Maxwell is described as the epitome of a car guy. He was a racer, a street rod enthusiast and builder, off-road truck co-pilot, pro rally driver/navigator and a motorcyclist. He helped develop drag racing technology (ram induction, weight transfer) and factory racecars (1965 A990 Hemi Lightweight, 1968 Hemi Dart/Barracuda, altered wheelbase) that prompted aftermarket performance parts. Throughout his career with Chrysler, Maxwell, who passed away in 2002, had envisioned the aftermarket and the automaker working together to help one another prosper.

Rick Rollins

Dedication to the industry is a phrase that best describes Rick Rollins. He has been involved with the industry for more than 30 years. During that time, he has been a counterman, a buyer, a regional sales manager and a company owner. He also owned and drove Formula Ford and F2000 Formula racecars. He is currently vice president of sales and marketing for Superchips Inc.

Rollins is an outgoing member of the SEMA board of directors and has participated in SEMA committees, including the executive committee, the long-range planning committee and the Show committee. In addition, Rollins was also a member of SEMA’s Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council Select Committee for six years.