From Reuters Website

(Corky Coker is the owner of Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Coker Tire, which supplies specialty tires and parts for antique and classic cars. He’s past chairman of the Specialty Equipment Market Association. His company is developing an all-electric hot rod based on an iconic 1932 Ford model. He spoke with Reuters correspondent Kevin Krolicki.)

DETROIT (Reuters.com) – Coker Tire owner Corky Coker spoke with Reuters about the future of the auto industry in the United States. Here are excerpts of that conversation.

On what U.S. automakers can learn from hot-rod culture:

We are the largest supplier of collector tires in the world. I very much live and breathe the automotive after-market, which is a $41 billion industry. It is the epitome of what consumers want for their automobile. Auto design changes have been sparked by after-market companies, because these guys who have this passion for cars are closest to their consumers. Our industry brought many things such as running boards and sunroofs into the mainstream for the auto manufacturers. In the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of momentum and energy created by Toyota’s Scion brand. They are really on the leading edge of personalization of vehicles. If the Big Three will start doing things right and developing good products, they will start getting the market share and profits back. You’ve got to be on the leading edge in quality. If they do those things, our domestic industry will make those turnarounds.

On what it means as U.S. auto manufacturing shifts South:

Being from the South I have a lot of friends from the North. I like to joke that you Yankees up there think you won that terrible skirmish 100 years ago, but the South has had a 200-year plan to infiltrate your industry and bring it South. You tell me who’s winning. There is an energy down here and people feel good about their future. We’re re-developing and re-designing our downtowns. Young people are graduating from college and staying here. They’re not moving off. They’re trying to develop new businesses and stay in the area. People want to do business where there are success stories and where there’s energy. If I can say anything about Volkswagen’s decision to build this decision in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it’s that we have that purpose and energy. Chattanooga was once a manufacturer of a production vehicle. Between 1910 and 1912, a gentleman named Henry Nyberg manufactured cars in Anderson, Indiana and Chattanooga, Tennessee. So this story is really about creating the opportunity for automobile manufacturing to come back to Chattanooga.

On the need for fuel-efficiency:

If you look at Ford and GM, I think they’re getting it now. With oil above $100 per barrel, it’s important that we have personalization but that we’re also smart about fuel economy. We’re in the process of building a very high tech roadster that’s all electric. We won’t call it a hot rod. We’ll call it a green rod. It will be a 1932 Ford Highboy and it will be very quick zero to 60 miles per hour. It will be a clean and cool hot-rod. Maybe we’ll figure out a CD sound system that makes it sound like a Ford flathead V8 engine.

The 2008 Street Rodder Road Tour Kicked off from Coker Tire Headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our renovations were almost complete and the tour cars along with with over a hundred other cars were on display. The tour stops include Barillaro Speed Emporium in Knoxville, TN, Car Museum and Detroit Speed-Mooresville, NC, The Victory Junction Gang Camp-Randleman, NC, Harley Davidson Assembly Plant-York, PA, Posies-Hummelstown, PA, Party at Southern Tier Harley- Binghamton, NY and The Syracuse Nationals-Syracuse, NY. Casey Coker talks about the tour, stops and the kickoff show at the Coker Tire Headquarters.

See Pics from the Kickoff Show at Coker Tire Headquarters in our Gallery

Casey Coker and Tony Thacker chat about the recent Hot Rod Reunion tour, the late Wally Parks and Tony’s visit to Coker Tire headquarters.

Tony Thacker is the Executive Director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Before joining the Museum, Thacker was the marketing vice president for So-Cal Speed Shop. He also worked for seven years at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and was the first editor of Performance Aftermarket magazine, now called SEMA News. He has written more than a dozen books on hot rods.

HotRodHotline.com has posted a nice article about the Coker Tire and Honest Charley Exhibits at the NHRA Museum in Pomona, California.
Swing by and check out the press on this cool site!

Posted with permission from Hemmings Motor News

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. (August 2007) - Originally custom made for silent movie star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, the 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66A-4 Don Lee Touring attracted major attention by the crowd at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. In addition to the vibrant paint and superb interior, the Coker produced all-white Goodrich Silvertown tires made the famous car visible from miles away. By the end of the weekend, the current owner of Arbuckle’s Pierce-Arrow, James Schenck of Wisconsin, was rewarded with first place in the Class B (Vintage 1916-1924) category. (more…)

Chattanooga, Tenn. (June 2007) – On behalf of the Great American Race, Coker Tire Company is inviting everyone to join them on Sunday, July 1^st as nearly 100 antique race cars make their way to Chattanooga. The Scenic City has been honored to host the 2^nd stop in the 25^th annual Great American Race, a timed endurance rally across America. “We encourage you to bring the whole family down to this free event and witness the cars as they take the checkered flag for the day,” says Corky Coker, president of Coker Tire. (more…)

CHATTANOOGA, TN (March 2007) - Coker Tire, the world’s largest supplier of collector vehicle tires, announces the availability of its new BFGoodrich Silvertown Blackwall to complete any street rod or hot rod design. Recognized as a great choice for fitment on street rods, hot rods, customs or quality restorations, these tires deliver a street-mean look coupled with modern reliability, safety and a comfortable ride.Coker’s new BFGoodrich 285/70R15 Silvertown Blackwall is S-Speed rated and features the popular V-Block tread pattern to maintain an authentic, timeless look. At 30.75-inches in diameter, with a cross-section of 11.5 inches and a tread width of 8.60 inches, the Silvertown Blackwall delivers a wide and tall, aggressive stance, making it easy to achieve a “natural rake” on hot rods and customs when matched up with a smaller front tire in a Big-Little Combo.

Coker’s BFGoodrich Silvertown Blackwall tires, in the popular 285/70R15 size, feature four-ply, polyester belted, tubeless construction and retail for $143 per tire.

Coker Tire Company, Inc. of Chattanooga, Tennessee is the world’s largest supplier of collector vehicle tires, with distributors in more than 30 countries. The company offers vintage bias-ply and nostalgia-style radial tires for collector vehicles from the late 1890s through the mid 1970s, including products for hot rods, sprint and dirt-track race cars and motorcycles. Coker Tire also markets vintage-style wheels and rims, novelty bicycles and unicycles.  Corky Coker, ownerCoker Tire recently initiated its Coker Golden Tire Award, an annual award to honor people who actively drive and show their collector cars. Contestants can submit entries, photos and documentations through the Coker website.  Customers can visit www.coker.com to shop, request a catalog, and place an order or call (800)-251-6336 for more information.