Vintage tire and wheel distributor Performance Plus Tire is looking to make a big splash in the United States with its latest product, the Kontio WhitePaw Classic, which was displayed during last week's Specialty Equipment Market Association Show.
The WhitePaw Classic, which was designed in Finland and is manufactured in China, is "designed to fit stock applications" and is available in 13-, 14- and 15-inch sizes, according to Dennis Feldman, Performance Plus Tire's vice president.
"It's very niche, but satisfies a market we know very well," says Feldman. (Performance Plus Tire owns the Boyd Coddington wheel brand.)
"There's demand for something like this."
Vintage tire buyers "value aesthetics, but they also want to confidently ride" on their tires. "This segment isn't forgiving if you bring in something that's poor quality."
Performance Plus Tire will distribute the WhitePaw Classic out of two warehouses - one in Long Beach, Calif., and another in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
"We have the infrastructure to serve the country out of both," says Feldman, who adds that his company hasn't ruled out expanding into other product categories.
"We know this segment best based on our history and presence in the vintage space, so this is where we're starting."
