Audi Auto Union Type C pedal car

The production version of this pedal car (above) wears 4.80-10 BG Goodrich tires from Coker Tire Company. The prototype images below show the remarkable craftsmanship and detail used in this half-sized replica of the famed Type C racer from 1936.

(from Audi Press Release) A body made from aluminium, handcrafted leather trim and an extraordinary design – the vehicle sends Hubert Waltl, Head of Audi Toolmaking, into a rapture the instant he lays eyes on it: “This car is something really special.” And, indeed, the car in front of him is no ordinary car – it’s the Auto Union Type C pedal car which AUDI AG has brought onto the market as an absolute first. No other car manufacturer offers a pedal car built so elaborately and to such a high standard.

How did Audi stumble upon this idea? “We needed a highlight for our collection which conveys the brand message and, at the same time, is spectacular enough to find buyers,” says Katharina Wicker, Head of Audi design – Lifestyle Articles. And this was how the idea came about to design a pedal car that mirrors the company’s heritage at first sight. The Type C Grand Prix racing car provided the ideal blueprint for doing this. The Auto Union Silver Arrow dominated the world of motor racing in 1936, racking up a total of ten Grand Prix victories. Furthermore, the Type C is one of the best-selling heritage models in the range of Audi miniatures. The pedal car will therefore be an exhibition piece for “grown-up” fans too.

The car’s execution called for a great deal of technical know-how and creativity. For a start, how large should the pedal car be made? How close should it keep to the original in order to nevertheless demonstrate the quality and workmanship of a true Audi? Which materials are best suited to underlining the Audi brand values of sophistication, progressiveness and sportiness? “The greatest challenge of all was transposing a historical model to a pedal car for children whilst remaining as faithful as possible to the original,” reveals Achim Badstübner, director of the Munich design studio that created the first draft designs. Those responsible for the project eventually decided to build the pedal car on a scale of 1:2 to make it large enough to accommodate budding racing drivers up to 1.35 metres tall.

The technical drawings originated in Audi’s own tool shop. And in true keeping with the premise “designed by Audi, produced by Audi”, special tools and jigs were purpose-designed for the pedal car’s manufacture in the Audi tool shop too. The pedal car is made up of over 900 individual parts. It features a hydraulic dual-disc brake and its speed is controlled via the seven-speed hub gear with back-pedalling brake function. Further technical highlights include the aluminium space frame and the body made from aluminium panelling which, just like on the full-size Audi models, symbolise the brand’s expertise in the field of lightweight design. The seats, framing and steering wheel have been upholstered in leather by a bag-maker, as in the Audi TT, while the elegant spoke wheels have been custom-made. And because this pedal car seeks to replicate many different aspects of the racing car on which it is modelled, the steering wheel can be removed to make getting in and out easier, just as on the original.

The prototype of the pedal car was unveiled to the public for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in autumn 2006. Visitors to the show were instantly enthralled. “Lots of people even wanted to buy the exhibition model there and then!” recalls Katharina Wicker.

This pedal car, which is limited to a run of 999 models and is far more than just an exclusive collector’s item, was an absolute joy to work on for all involved in the project. “It took me straight back to my childhood days. And I wasn’t the only one to be seized by that play instinct again,” says a delighted Hubert Waltl, Head of Audi Toolmaking. And Achim Badstübner is equally thrilled about the project’s success: “Everyone put their heart and soul into this pedal car. And that is something we are all very proud of.”

The pedal car can be ordered from the Audi importer for the specific country, who will also be able to provide details regarding the respective price.

Coker Tire Company continues to innovate for car collectors and hot rodders. The SEMA Show has awards for new and innovative products and Coker Tire managed to bring home the hardware this year. An 820-19 Firestone Grooved Rear tire mounted on a 19″ Gennie wheel won “Best New Street Rod/ Custom Car Product”. The classic combo recalls dirt racers of long ago and is becoming a wildly popular look among hot rodders  and rat rod builders.

820-19 Firestone Grooved rear, 19" Gennie wheel

2nd Annual Indian Day

If you like antique motorcycles, then you definitely don’t want to miss the upcoming motorcycle show in Pomona, California! From America’s first motorcycles, classic Indian motorcycles and 100 year old Harleys, the Automobile Club of Southern California is hosting this years 2nd annual Indian Day at the NHRA Museum.

Entry is FREE to all classic and vintage motorcycles, which includes not only the Museum tour, but also the California Bike Weekend, Harley- Davidson’s Custom Bike Expo, and on Saturday night, the Flat Track Racing at the Pomona Fairplex. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal!

Also included in the entry is a FREE seminar by Sam Wheeler, owner, builder and rider of the 355 mph E-Z-Hook streamliner—one of the world’s fastest motorcycles. Wheeler reached the speed of 355.3 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September of 2006, which is one of the fastest speeds ever recorded for a motorcycle. This event is sponsored by Duke Video USA and Coker Tire with some awesome door prizes to be given away.

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