We're proud of our heritage here in Chattanooga, Tennessee, so when the Chattanoooga Motorcar Festival was announced a few years ago, we could've have been happier. The event has grown in its short four-year history, and it's something we look forward to every October. This year, the event featured a road rally, Grand Prix racing on the redesigned road course, a Mecum classic car auction, a Car Club gathering, a B-52's concert, V8's in the Village (we'll talk more about that in a miniute), a Ferrari gathering, a Porsche gathering and of course, Sunday's Concours d'Elegance.
With so much going on, our Coker Tire staff stayed busy all weekend long. Coker Tire sponsors the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival and helps organize the V8's in the Village event, which is held at the West Village on Saturday morning. This year, V8's in the Village was a joint effort with Zip Corvette Parts and it was a celebration of the American Sports Car, the Chevrolet Corvette. Every generation of Corvette was represented and there were so many great examples of rare and restored Corvettes on the property...it was awesome. We also had multiple vendor display areas set up, and presented an award during Sunday's Concours d'Elegance. Take a look at some of our highlights of the weekend's activities and make plans to join us again at the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival in 2024.
Congratulations to Larry Nannini from Pine Grove, California for taking home the Coker Tire "Timeless Tire Award" with his beautifully restored 1932 Chrysler Imperial CL Convertible Sedan, which rolls on a set of our Firestone Balloon tires.It's hard to beat the body lines of a Jaguar XKE, and this roadster looks perfect with chrome Dayton wire wheels and Michelin XVS 185HR15 tires...a wonderful combination you can get direct from Coker Tire.The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival is filled with amazing vintage racecars, and the stage stays active all weekend long with panel discussions from automotive legends.This 1959 Cadillac looks perfect on a set of our wide whitewall radial tires.The Porsche gathering was spectacular, with a great range of cars with legitimate racing heritage. There were lots of great cars to see, many of them rolling on Coker Tire products. This Porsche 356 had a set of period correct Michelin X radial tires.The Continental Mark II was an experiment by the Ford Motor Company. It only lasted two years, and was actually a differnt division from Lincoln during 1956 and 1957. This example rolls on a set of Coker Classic wide whitewall tires. This beautifully restored 1937 Ford Cabriolet looks perfect with a set of our 16-inch wide whitewall tires. Although the Porsche Speedster is often replicated with a fiberglass body and Volkswagen underpinnings, this one is a legit Speedster, and it's rolling on a set of our Vredestein Sprint Classic radial tires. Dozens of British Sports Cars, including this Austin Healey, were parked in the Car Club Gathering on Friday.This Triumph TR6 is looking good on a set of our Coker Classic 185R15 redline tires. Hot rod history! We loved getting a close-up view of the Bill Peterson Roadster, an iconic early hot rod, which was built in the mid 1950's and set the pace for other hot rodders of the era. Of course, it's rolling on authentic bias ply tires from Coker.Excelsior Stahl Sport Radials sized at 600/650R18 are the perfect fit for this '30s roadster.V8's in the Village presented by Coker Tire and Zip Corvette featured an awesome selection of restored and modified Corvettes of all generations.From early C1s to the most high tech C8, all Corvettes were represented at V8's in the Village.This 1960 Corvette is one of only 140 built in Cascade Green, and it's beautifully restored. Of course, it's rolling on authentic Coker Tire whitewalls.The J. Willard Marriott Ferrari Club area was mind-blowing. Millions upon millions of dollars of iconic Ferraris all parked together.Knock-off wheels and Redline radials make for a great combo on this 1966 Corvette roadster. Our pals at the Great Race put together a great ride-along program on Saturday. Hundreds of people got to take a ride around downtown Chattanooga in a classic car!Our friends Gary and Jean Ann Martin came down from Kentucky to give rides in their "Coker Blue" 1964 Chevy II, which has competed in the Great Race many times.1961 was the LAST YEAR for wide whitewalls on Corvettes, and this example wears them well. This owner upgraded to Coker Classic radials, a great way to retain the classic wide whitewall look and get a smooth radial ride.This 1960 Austin Healey Sprite has rare items, like a hard top and Judson supercharger, but of course, we always focus on the tires. It's rolling on our Firestone F560 radials, a perfect fit!American Underslung built outstanding cars that sat much lower to the ground, thanks to the underslug chassis.Yes, we make tires for that! This tiny Fiat Jolly rolls on Michelin radials. You can't go wrong with a 1967 Corvette roadster with a big block, Rallye wheels and Redline tires. Check out these super rare HURST wheels, wrapped in our Firestone redlines...the perfect fit for a classic Pontiac GTO.Coker Classic wide whitewall radials strike again! This time on a wild Chevy Fleetline Aerosedan woody.A classic Cadillac deserves proper wide whitewall tires...we have many choices, from authentic bias ply tires to smooth riding radials.The Grand Prix paddock had lots of great vintage race cars, including the Ragtime Racers, a group of pre-1920 racecars.One of only 62 built, this 1953 Nash-Healey LeMans coupe features a beautiful Pinin Farina body. It's rolling on Michelin radials from Coker Tire.The MG is a great sports car that gives you the full experience without a tremendous cost.Balloon whitewalls are the perfect fit for this ultra-rare Chrysler. You won't find many Stutz race cars at your local cruise night. This rare example is wonderfully restored and features our Goodrich Silvertown high pressure tires.The first Ferrari with a back seat, this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 is a rare one, as only 954 were built from 1960 to 1963. The Scaglietti/Pininfarina body is beautiful and the Michelin radials fit nicely.We're loving this Daytona Yellow 1969 Corvette Stingray coupe, which is rolling on a set of ORIGINAL BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires. One of only four Vignale bodied examples, this 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa 2 door coupe was astonishing. Known as the Batmobile, this 1974 BMW 3.0 CSL coupe is a homologation special to make the car eligible for racing. Only 110 were built and this one rolls on Michelin rubber.
