COKER CORNER CHATTANOOGA CRUISE IN Spring is in the air, and that means it’s time to dust off your collector car and hit the Founded in 1958, Coker Tire Company is the world’s largest manufacturer of tires and wheels for collector vehicles. With authentic brands such as Firestone, BF Goodrich, Michelin and more, the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company supplies a 100-year range of tire fitments for classic cars, muscle cars, Hot Rods, classic trucks and more. Coker Tire also offers a wide variety of American-made steel wheels and high-quality accessories for numerous applications. Find out more about the extensive product line at CokerTire.com. road for some warm weather adventures. Whether you own a high-end sports car or a crusty old beater, or something that falls somewhere in between, we encourage you to drive it. There are multiple reasons behind that, with the most obvious one being that if you drive your car, you’ll naturally wear out the tires, and with any luck, you’ll be giving us a call. The other reason is less of a shameless plug for tire sales and more of a social exercise; driving an old car inspires conversations at the gas station and allows your passion for old cars to shine through to the next generation. Plus, it’s fun. To encourage folks from our local community in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to embrace the old car hobby, we created an event called the Chattanooga Cruise In. Originally designed in 2011 to be a small get-together of like-minded gear heads, the event offered a laidback atmosphere and family friendly fun. The Chattanooga Cruise In doubled in size the following year and continued to grow until we could no longer host it on the streets surrounding our headquarters. Bringing in more than 2,000 collector cars and thousands of spectators, the event gained national attention and folks from all over the country rolled in to take part in this one-day event. The Chattanooga Cruise In is now held at Camp Jordan, an expansive park near the Tennessee/Georgia state line. The year 2019 was our first at Camp Jordan, and the staff welcomed us with open arms, but they were admittedly overwhelmed by our massive turnout. Unfortunately, we had to take a two-year hiatus, due to COVID-19 restrictions, but we’re back for 2022, and we’re hoping for an awesome crowd. The date of this year’s event is Saturday, April 2, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Eastern Time. Seasoned veterans of the event will get up early to claim their spot well before the 8 a.m. kickoff time, and they’ll stick around until the end. This schedule still leaves participants and spectators with plenty of time to check out additional attractions and restaurants in Chattanooga. And with two historic race tracks within two miles of Camp Jordan, hardcore enthusiasts can double-up with a visit to Boyd’s Speedway, a famous dirt oval, or Brainerd Motorsports Park, an eighth-mile drag strip just across the state line. The options are endless for a full day of automotive fun. 98 // MECUM.COM
