Everyday is a good one in the south, but Monday was another special occasion on Chestnut Street. Dan Haugh discovered that special car(1915 Locomobile) owned by his wife’s grandfather had landed here at Coker Tire Company. He found the car’s pictures on our website and started the dialog with Jessica White about setting up a little reunion. The reunion turned into surprising his wife, as the car was the one they rode away in on their wedding day years ago. (more…)

We were happy to see Carson Newman College luminaries Dr. Randall O’Brien and wife Kay, Trustee Max Bahner and faculty Tim Norton wander into our shop on Monday. We enjoyed visiting with them while they toured our facilities here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With two Cokers among Carson Newman alumni (Casey 2004 degrees in Interior Design and Retail, Cameron 2007 degree in Computer Information Systems) we figured lunch was on them! (more…)

Bill Smith,former executive director of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA)(17 years), and 2005 Car Hobby’s Person of the Year

Apparel associated with automobiles and motor sports have a knack for being pretty flashy to say the least. This little number from the 2009 SEMA Show is no exception, but take a look at the main image on the front! The ‘32 Deuce “Double Exposure” feature both Honest Charley Speed Shop and Coker Tire Company made the feature slot on this limited edition shirt for the show. How cool is that!???!

Special order? Not really, but the whitewalls that Matt and Carolyn Agosta (Steele Rubber Company) picked up were for a special enough car. Pretty special pickup too, as Matt and Carolyn enjoyed a personal tour from me while we visited. Carolyn’s father, Lynn Steele’s 1931 Cadillac has a special place in their family’s history and recent restoration called for nothing less than a new set of Coker Tires. Matt and Carolyn’s company builds weather stripping and and all sorts of rubber parts for vintage and modern automobiles. So it goes without saying that we had plenty in common to talk about while we waited on their flashy new white walls. Matt and Carolyn are great friends, and it was great to have them come to town!

Seems each day starts off with a song.  The appropriate tune leavin’ Winslow is clearly the Eagles hit about standin’ somewhere…

I broke Posie Protocol and hooked us up with an additional non-Posie planned stop at my buddy Rodney Rucker’s garage before we headed out of town.  Rodney is one of the craziest car guys I know.   He loves Movie cars, in fact he owns the original Great Leslie which was the big white touring car Tony Curtis drove in the 1963 movie The Great Race. Remember every time Tony Curtis smiled big his front tooth would sparkle?  Rodney also has the evil Professor Fate’s (from same movie) black scissor car complete with heat cone and retractable cannon in front.  He has some of the most outrageous big vehicles using WW2 tank motors, and supercharged crazy stuff you have ever seen. One year Rodney drove one of his super dooper super charged Peterbilts on the Great Race.  I think he told me that from coast to coast he spent something like $9600 bucks on fuel and that when it was only $1.50 a gallon!  And all you folks thought I was crazy! (more…)