indianapolis
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May 31, 2016The Indy 500--no other automobile racing event has been more prestigious, or more treacherous. The evolution of automobile racing, and the automobile itself can be credited to the buzz that surrounds the Indy 500 and the drive to win the biggest race of them all. And to think, 40 teams entered the race in 1911, all driving cars that you may have never heard of--National, Knox, Westcott and many others. The Marmon Wasp and its driver, Ray Harroun claimed the first Indy 500 victory, and this car still resides in Speedway, Indiana. Several years ago, Corky Coker and his crew at Honest Charley built a replica of the famed Indy racer, so it has been quite a popular display piece since it was finished and debuted at the 2011 Indy 500. And though the 2011 event was technically the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500, we had to wait until 2016 to see the 100th running, due to the pause in racing caused by the World Wars (two year pause for
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November 05, 2013We're currently at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada! It's always an exciting event, and this year we are going all out. We have THREE major press conferences, one of them being the unveiling of the Lencki Six engine, an inline six-cylinder engine that ran in the Indy 500 for many years.We had an incredible turnout for the press conference, with folks like Chip Foose, Bryan Fuller, Troy Ladd and many others taking notice of the updated version of this Indy classic.
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May 28, 2011Around here, there's no better way to celebrate the Indianapolis 500 than to show off some of our tires, built specifically for vintage Indy cars. In fact, we're up here in Indy right now, showing off our Marmon Wasp replica, along with our Firestone Indy tire selection, which are all built from either original Firestone molds or new molds built from the original drawings. We'll post up some pictures from the event later, but for now, check out a finished photo of the Marmon Wasp, and our line of Firestone Indy tires in the spirit of the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500! [caption id="attachment_1522" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Group shot of the Honest Charley Garage crew with the finished Marmon Wasp!"][/caption]
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May 25, 2011With the Marmon Wasp mostly complete, we snuck it out of the shop for a few minutes and snapped some pictures of it. We're just gonna let those pictures do the talkin'... [caption id="attachment_1503" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="The Marmon Wasp, hand built by Honest Charley Garage"][/caption]
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May 24, 2011Great events dont happen by accident and they certainly dont happen in the blink of an eye. It takes a lot of work to develop, organize and run an intricate event such as The Great Race, and it took a lot of work behind the scenes to get it off the ground. Tom McRae and Norman Miller did just that in 1983. The two individuals were partners in the deal, and bought out an ailing race promoter who planned to race pre-World War II automobiles across the United States for a massive purse. There were plenty of folks who doubted the feasibility of an event of this magnitude, but with help from a crew of like-minded car nuts, McRae and Miller made it work. From the inaugural event in 83 to the return of The Great Race in 2011, there have been lots of memorable moments, and with the events new ownership and new direction, there will be plenty more in the years to come.
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May 23, 2011Ya know, the funnest part of building an old car is driving it for the first time. Anybody that has taken the time to build an old hot rod or vintage race car knows the first drive is always the most exciting, even if the car is barely hanging together. In fact, the less complete the car is, the more fun it is to drive! We've definitely taken a few drives around the block with unfinished cars, and this one was extra special. If you recall, we drove the Marmon Wasp quite a bit in its earlier configuration, but with the new engine and drive train, it's a whole new animal. [caption id="attachment_1459" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="It drives!!! "][/caption]
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May 19, 2011That's right! All of the hard work by the guys at Honest Charley Garage is paying off because the rumble of the massive T-Head engine is filling the shop! Hal and Delton teamed up and installed all of the necessary components to fire this thing up, and boy does it sound awesome! We're really getting pumped, as the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 draws closer and closer! At the same time, we know there's a lot of work left to do on the Marmon Wasp, so we're really leaning on our guys at HCG to get the job done. [caption id="attachment_1444" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="YES, that is fire coming out of the cylinders! Hal is over there controlling the throttle, while we soaked up the exhaust fumes and enjoyed the fireworks display!"][/caption]
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May 18, 2011It's time for the daily update on the Marmon Wasp--today, it's ALL about the engine! When our Marmon Wasp replica was first built, it had an overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine, which was no where near correct for this era. It was built just to get it on the road, but we're going all out this time with a period-correct power plant! The original Marmon Wasp used a six-cylinder T-Head engine, which was a one-off build, so we were on the hunt for a similar engine. Luckily, we found one and it's almost identical to the original! [caption id="attachment_1429" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Hal preparing the Marmon Wasp Engine and Chassis"][/caption]
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May 17, 2011With most of the painting complete, Hal and Delton could get busy on reassembling the Marmon Wasp chassis and getting it back on its wheels. Speaking of wheels, Richard worked his magic on the wheels to recreate the original look, and had help from J.D. Scott to machine a few necessary parts for the hubs. The end result is a perfectly matched appearance, down to the intentional dings in the wheel covers. [caption id="attachment_1414" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Not so mellow yellow...this thing is bright!"][/caption]
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May 16, 2011As you probably know by now, the Marmon Wasp replica built by Honest Charley Garage has actually been semi-complete for a year or so. However, it's never seen an ounce of paint, so it's time to get with the program and blast some yellow on this beast! Richard aka the "Car Carpenter" did an awesome job on the metal work, getting it ready for Zane to prep the panels and lay down some paint. [caption id="attachment_1381" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Zane lays down the base color, which has been professionally matched to the original Marmon Wasp."][/caption]
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May 12, 2011If you guys follow along with our blog, or Coker Tire in general, then you know we built a replica of the Marmon Wasp, the winning car from the inaugural Indy 500, which took place in 1911. That's 100 years ago, if you hadn't already done the math. So, with this year marking the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 it's the perfect time to unveil the Marmon Wasp in finished form. [caption id="attachment_1347" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="The old engine--A Ford inline six-cylinder....not exactly period correct!"][/caption]