Corky Coker named one of top 50 auto collectors

June 19, 2007

Corky Coker, president of Coker Tire Co. in Chattanooga, Tenn., was recently named one of the top 50 North American automobile collectors of 2006 by Sports Car Market magazine.

Collectors on the list were not chosen based solely on size or value of their collection, but on “passion for and contribution to the car collecting hobby,” according to the publication. These collectors “have raised the profile of the collector car hobby, supported and participated in concours and shows, or made it a better, safer, or more fulfilling pursuit.”

Coker's collection includes more than 70 hot rods, classic cars and 20 vintage American motorcycles.

“I am honored to be listed among some of the greatest collectors in the hobby by one of my favorite publications,” said Coker. “It’s nice to know that there are others out there with as much passion as I for passing on the love of these beautiful vehicles to future generations.”

Coker is a founding member and former chairman of the Automobile Restoration Market Organization, has served as Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), and has received the National Hot Rod Association Lifetime Achievement Award and the Meguiar’s Award.

He participates in collector driving events such as The Great Race, The Driven Dirty Tour, and sponsors his own event, the Coker Tire Challenge, in Chattanooga. He also regularly participates in car shows, cruises, rallies and swap meets.

Sports Car Market, considered one of the premiere guides for the entire collector car market, listed Coker among such players as Clive Cussler, Thomas duPont, Ralph Lauren, Jay Leno, JW Marriott Jr. and Jerry Seinfeld for his ongoing support of the hobby.

Coker Tire has over 20 foreign distributors and sells in over 30 countries worldwide. The company offers vintage bias-ply and nostalgia-style radial tires for collector vehicles from the late 1890s through the mid 1970s, including products for hot rods, sprint and dirt-track race cars and motorcycles.

Coker Tire also markets vintage-style wheels and rims, novelty bicycles and unicycles.

For more information, visit www.coker.com.