racecar
-
July 17, 2013Here at Coker Tire, we sort of glaze over when we think of the cars here at the headquarters and the Coker Tire Museum. We see these cars every day, and sometimes forget just how cool they are. It's important to occasionally take a step back and reevaluate the cars in Corky's collection and let you guys know what makes them so cool. Today's subject is the "Shafer 8" an Indy racecar replica that has become one of Corky's favorite cars of all time.
-
September 06, 2011Oh, yeah... I forgot to add this to the Davenport trip. My buddy Mike Wolfe had this piece of crap belly tank racer on display that he had found out pickin somewhere with his hit tv show "American Pickers". I tried to get him to price it to me. It is powered by an Indian 4 cylinder motor. Rear end is a motorcycle three wheeler. I thought it was cool. Maybe he will come down off his high horse and price it to his old buddy Corky. If you see him or Frank, tell them I want it and to be nice to me on the price... Check out a couple of pictures... [caption id="attachment_1957" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="This thing is just too cool! I gotta have it!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1958" align="alignleft"
-
June 08, 2011In case you haven't heard, we recreated the infamous Marmon Wasp, which was the winner car at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 back in 1911. It was driven by Ray Harroun, and it was the first racecar of its kind--it had a single seat, and a rear view mirror, as opposed to other cars at the time, which had a ride-along mechanic. This lighter design, in combination with strict guidelines from the engineers at Firestone tires regarding speed and possible tire failure, gave Ray Harroun the win with an average speed of nearly 75mph. By the way, the Firestone representatives allegedly stated that speeds over 75mph would result in tire failure...
-
May 16, 2011There's something to be said for a historic race track, be it a dirt track, a paved track or a drag strip. Knowing that gear heads just like you were racing on that very surface 50 years ago is an eye opening experience that will put a smile on any car guy's face. With this in mind, folks around the country are flocking to nostalgia drag racing events at historic tracks. One such event and track, is the Paradise Show-N-Go, held at Paradise Drag Strip in Calhoun, Georgia. [caption id="attachment_1395" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Paradise Drag Strip is known for its uphill burnout box and slightly unlevel starting line, which causes cars with manual transmissions to roll backward at the line. Even with this flaw, it was a state-of-the-art track during the \'60s."][/caption] The track opened in 1961, and it was home to lots of big-name match races and also a home track to many Super Stock racers in the mid-60s. Legends of drag racing, such as "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick and "Dyno Don" Nicholson have raced at Paradise Drag Strip, drawing huge crowds to watch the exciting action. Back then, every driver had a nickname, and every car had a distinct personality, unlike today's professional ranks in NHRA, where each car in its class is identical, aside from a few sponsor decals.
-
May 13, 2011The guys at Honest Charley Garage are still hammering away (literally) at the Marmon Wasp rebuild. Lots of metal work happening right now, with the chassis nearing completion, but Zane is also hitting it hard in the body shop. We're going to be providing daily updates of the car's progress, and show you guys its debut at the 100th anniversary Indy 500, which is just a few weeks away. We're counting on the guys at HCG to get the job done in time, so follow take a look at some of our latest photos to see exactly what these guys are capable of... [caption id="attachment_1357" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Delton Scott making a bracket for the revamped Marmon Wasp chassis."][/caption] Click to see lots more cool photos of the fabrication process!