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| Coker Tire Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | Coker Tire Company |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Harold Coker |
| Headquarters | Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States |
| Key people | Mike Coker |
| Industry | Automotive parts |
| Products | Vintage tires, reproduction tires, restoration supplies, accessories |
Coker Tire Company is an American specialty tire and restoration supplier focused on vintage, classic, and collector automobiles. Founded in the mid-20th century in the Southern United States, the company grew from a regional restoration parts distributor into a national supplier serving collectors, museums, restorers, and motorsport enthusiasts. Its operations intersect with automotive preservation, historic racing, and reproduction manufacturing, supplying period-correct rubber and accessories for marques and models spanning early 20th-century veterans to muscle cars.
Coker Tire traces origins to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where founder Harold Coker established a niche business in the 1950s and 1960s supplying parts for antique automobiles, interacting with communities tied to Antique Automobile Club of America, Shelby American, Packard Motor Car Company, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors. Over decades the firm expanded amid the postwar collector car movement alongside institutions such as the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, The Petersen Automotive Museum, Hemmings Motor News, National Automobile Museum (Reno), and events like the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Goodwood Festival of Speed. Leadership passed within the Coker family while aligning the company with restoration networks including Society of Automotive Historians, Vintage Sports-Car Club of America, American Automobile Association, and regional historic vehicle clubs. The company’s growth paralleled broader trends exemplified by exhibitions at the National Historic Vehicle Register and auctions at Barrett-Jackson and RM Sotheby's where period-correct tires became essential for authenticity.
Coker supplies reproduction and new-old-stock tires, restoration materials, wheels, tubes, and accessories tailored to marques such as Duesenberg, Packard, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford Model T, Chrysler, Buick, Pontiac, and Plymouth. Catalog offerings serve restorers, museums, and private collectors including items for Model T Ford, Model A Ford, Corvette, Mustang (Ford) and Camaro. The company provides consulting services for period-correct specifications used in concours events like Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's. Technical support references standards from organizations such as the Society of Automotive Engineers and restoration guidelines respected by Classic Car Club of America and archival collections at Smithsonian Institution transportation exhibits.
Programs emphasize authenticity for restoration projects associated with marque registries such as the Packard Motor Car Club, Duesenberg Owners' Club, Model T Ford Club of America, Shelby American Automobile Club, and Porsche Club of America. The firm reproduces historic tread patterns and sidewall markings for participation in events including the Mille Miglia revival events, Le Mans Classic, and vintage rallies like the Colorado Grand. Restoration support extends to supplying tires for vintage motorcycles associated with Indian (motorcycle) and Harley-Davidson, and for veteran cars exhibited at institutions like the National Motor Museum (Beaulieu).
Coker coordinates reproduction manufacturing with tire producers and foundries, leveraging supply chains tied to manufacturers in North America and overseas to recreate period-specific rubber compounds and molds used historically by companies such as Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Continental AG. Distribution channels include direct sales, partnerships with restoration shops, and retail presences at collector events and auctions hosted by Gooding & Company, Bonhams, and Leake Auction Company. Logistics integrate warehousing in Tennessee and shipping to clients ranging from regional museums to international collectors in Europe, Asia, and Australia—markets served by organizations like The Classic Motor Show and Retromobile.
Coker supports historic motorsport through tire supply and sponsorship at vintage racing series and gatherings such as the Vintage Sports Car Club of America events, Historic Sportscar Racing, Goodwood Revival, and Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The company supplies period correct rubber for competitors in hill climbs like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (historic classes), endurance heritage events and demonstration runs at Le Mans Classic and Targa Florio commemorations. Collaborations include partnerships with restoration shops preparing cars for entrants represented at Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and privateer teams competing in vintage classes.
The business remains privately held under family ownership, with members of the Coker family occupying executive roles while engaging with external executives experienced in automotive supply and collector markets. Strategic relationships involve marque registries, restoration specialists, and logistics partners including auction houses, museums, and specialty retailers. Corporate governance follows typical private company frameworks with centralized headquarters functions in Chattanooga and decentralized operations for manufacturing liaison, quality control, and event support.
Coker has become a recognized name within historic vehicle preservation, cited by concours judges, restoration experts, and museums for enabling authenticity in exhibits and competitive events such as Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and regional concours circuits. The company's efforts intersect with preservation initiatives at institutions like the National Automobile Museum (Reno), Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, and with publications such as Hemmings Motor News and Classic & Sports Car that document collector trends. Its reproduction work helps maintain provenance and historical accuracy for restorations presented at premier auctions including Barrett-Jackson and RM Sotheby's.
Category:Automotive companies of the United States