The 2008 PPG / Street Rodder Road Tour- Leg V: The Coker Tire Tour

One of the unique aspects of the Road Tour is that the schedule usually allows for personal preference. As an example, some of the group took the opportunity to visit the historic Gettysburg area on the way to Tuesday's stop in York, Pennsylvania, to visit the Harley-Davidson assembly plant. As production of the '09 bikes had begun curious eyes were kept at a distance from the assembly area, but we did see the fender and tank production areas and caught sight of a few new colors being offered.

Posies' establishment in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, was first on Wednesday's list of places to visit. Known for quality work and pushing the styling envelope, we had the opportunity to get an up-close look at the projects under way. On the way out of town, several of our group peeled off to take a tour of nearby Hershey's Chocolate World.

Binghamton, New York, was the next stop. While it's most notable for being the hometown of Rick Love of Vintage Air, and Brent Vandervort of Fatman Fabrications, it's also the location of Southern Tier Harley-Davidson. They were kind enough to throw a "hot rods and Harleys" themed get-together at the dealership where they introduced the West Coast contingent to a local gastronomic delight known as a "Speedy," said to be marinated chicken in pita bread-we suspect there is a secret ingredient or two.

Thursday morning Mike Stolarcyk, local Chevrolet dealer, street rodder, and gatherer of the eclectic treated us to a tour of his collection. While Mike has some cool stuff stashed away one of the coolest is the '32 Ford roadster he received at age 11 as a gift from his father. Mike has since turned the full-fendered Deuce into a street rod that his daughter, Michelle drove to Syracuse with us that afternoon.

Produced by the Right Coast Association and held at the massive New York State Fairgrounds, this year's Syracuse Nationals drew over 6,500 pre-1980 vehicles. One of the cars on the Road Tour, Ron Hickman's '32 Ford three-window, picked up a Designer Dozen Award as well as a Turtle Wax Top 10 pick.

By the time we pulled into Syracuse, our initial suspicions were confirmed, the Coker Tire Tour was a good one.

A Couple Minutes With Corky Coker
Just about anyone who is a rodder, restorer, antique motorcycle buff, military vehicle collector, unicyclist, or is somehow involved with anything vintage that has tires is familiar with the name Coker, arguably the best-known name in the specialty tire business.

Harold Coker had a successful BFGoodrich dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And while the business of selling tires for everyday cars was good, as an avid antique car collector he recognized the need for specialty tires, and in 1958 Coker Tire opened. In 1974 his son, Corky, took over Coker Tire's antique division.

Today Corky Coker runs a business he describes as an inch deep and a mile wide. It occupies 95,000 square feet of space in six buildings nestled in the historic Southside district of downtown Chattanooga. But while the success of Coker Tire is well known, there are a few things about the man behind it all that aren't common knowledge.

Corky's first car was a '32 Ford pickup, and even with all the iron he's owned since then, there are a few on the wish list, including a '49-51 Merc and an Austin-Healy BJ8. And while he has an assortment of restored cars, Corky confessed he's really a brass-era hot rodder, and he likes them big, loud, and fast. Corky likes to drive them and he's more than capable of handling the challenges that can present. Telling of welding up a 1909 Lozier axle on the road and searching for an errant knock-off wheel that came off a '37 Indy car and disappeared down the road brings a smile to his face. "It's all part of the adventure," he says.

Another not-so-well-known fact: Coker started a Unicycle movement that has resulted in an annual 800K race in Nova Scotia and the creation of a new word-Cokering, a verb for unicycling.

So where's Coker going from here? In Corky's words, "We're committed to the growth of the hobby," which means you can look for even a greater variety of tires to become available. Like the man says, Coker Tire is an inch deep and a mile wide, and getting wider all the time.