Bridgestone Commercial Truck Tires

H U M A N I N T E R E S T

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Twenty-two years ago, a young man just out of college took over what was then a tiny part just 5 percent of his family’s Chattanooga, Tennessee tire dealership.
Today that division does over $10 million in annual sales, and represents 95 percent of Coker Tires’ business. Corky Coker says love had a lot to do with it.

How did you get into the “antique” tire business?

“Growing up, one interest I shared with my Dad was antique vehicles. By high school, I was collecting old motorbikes and helping him restore classic cars.
     “But to do it right, you need an authentic, original equipment tire. They were hard to get. Some tires hadn’t been made for years. What you found were either used tires, tires with multiple repairs, or recaps a vintage tread pattern glued onto a modern casing. Stuff that would never satisfy a purist.
     “If you were really lucky, you might find a ‘new’ tire hidden in a corner of a tire warehouse. We were constantly looking for those.”

Did being a tire dealer help?

“In a way it did. The tire business is very close-knit. We’d contact every dealer we knew to find tires for ourselves and for other enthusiasts.
     “We developed quite a network for finding antique tires, and created a nice little side business. By 1974, when I left college, it had grown so much Dad asked me to take over that division.”

But weren’t antique tires getting scarcer?

“Absolutely. We couldn’t count on finding unused tires in warehouses, so we had to get creative. One of our first big successes was importing them.
     “In many countries, people keep cars on the road a lot longer than we do. So, even though a tire might be discontinued here, it may still be in use overseas. Factories over there sometimes keep making them for years longer than in the U.S.
      “Taking advantage of this, we began importing tires from manufacturers in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Uruguay.”

Antique tires from Uruguay?

“Yep. I was watching a TV travelogue, and learned that because of enormous import duties, practically nobody in Uruguay could afford new cars. The streets were full of highly desirable old automobiles ‘antiques’ to us. Somebody had to be making tires for them.
     “I phoned their embassy, and they helped me find the tire manufacturer. Before long, we were importing brand-new antique tires from Uruguay.”

What led you to start manufacturing
your own antique tires?

“Many times, the tires we needed weren’t available anywhere. If we wanted them, we were going to have to make them. And of course, that put us on the hunt for antique tire molds.”

And where did you find those?

“Sometimes, the tire manufacturer still had them, sitting in a warehouse. Or our detective work might reveal that the original manufacturer had shipped the molds overseas for use in a country that still needed those models.
     “Sometimes, we could track down the overseas manufacturer and get the molds back, then start making those tires again.
     “But, there were some we couldn’t get. Ford, for example, once made its own tires, with the Ford logo molded into the sidewall. During World War II, they shipped the whole factory to Russia. And those molds were long gone.
     “But the drawings for the molds still existed. So we created brand-new molds from scratch. It was expensive, but today we’re the only company offering genuine Ford ‘Script’ tires, and others that aren’t available anywhere else.”

But if you’re making them,
they really aren’t “antique,” are they?

“Strictly speaking, no. Every tire we sell, whether for a car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, motor scooter or airplane is actually a ‘new’ tire. They look like antiques and are made to antique specifications so we call them ‘antique’ tires.
     “The big difference is that they’re made in a modern factory, using modern materials (like nylon cord instead of cotton), along with modern methods and modern quality standards. So, our antique tires are actually better than the originals.”

Who’s buying all these tires?

“Right now, we ship to collectors and tire dealers in every state and in 27 countries around the world. And we fill an entire UPS tractor-trailer unit every day. We even have three trailers that we fill with tires and take to car shows and swap meets around the country.
     “Museums buy from us too. And a few years ago, I walked into the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm, and found a Cadillac sitting on Coker tires.
     “Recently, Firestone returned to Indianapolis 500 racing. The Marmon Wasp, which won the very first Indy in 1911, was on display at the speedway, but did not have authentic Firestone tires, like the ones on which it won that race.
     “Fortunately, as the exclusive worldwide distributor of Firestone vintage tires, we were able to supply just what they needed to make the display completely authentic.”

And you’ve even been in the movies?

“Not me, but our tires have been. We supplied tires for the cars in Driving Miss Daisy, Miller’s Crossing, Rain Man and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? For Roger Rabbit, we even helped them design an authentic-looking tire store from the 1930’s.”

But won’t your business eventually dry up?

“Not likely. In most states, a car is considered an ‘antique’ when it’s over 25 years old. That means that every year, thousands of cars are turning into antiques.
     “For example, 60’s and 70’s GM muscle cars need redline Wide Ovals, which we’re creating using original Firestone molds.
     “So long as people collect antique and vintage vehicles, they’ll want to restore them to showroom condition. And that should supply plenty of customers.”

How can antique vehicle enthusiasts get in touch with you?

“Call our toll-free number, 1-800-251-6336. We have 23 incoming lines and a great staff of antique tire experts.Our web site address is: http://www.coker.com”

So, can you really make a living doing what you love?

“I believe you can. Now, that doesn’t mean things aren’t
tough at times. And it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of hard work involved. But if love were always easy, it wouldn’t really be love, would it?”

End

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