The Mangusta is an old Italian sports car that has a powerful engine placed in the middle of the car, which helps it go fast and handle well. It is popular among car collectors.
The Pantera is a fast and stylish sports car made in the 1970s that used a strong engine from Ford. It looks like a fancy Italian car but has the power of an American muscle car. People like it because it’s different and goes really fast.
The Ferrari Dino is a classic Italian sports car made by Ferrari a long time ago. It has a special V6 engine and is a bit easier to afford than other Ferraris from that time.
The Volkswagen Bora is a small car that is like a family car with four doors. It was made in the early 2000s and is known for being comfortable and well-built. People like it because it drives nicely and is good for everyday use.
The Ferrari 308 GT4 is a classic Italian sports car from the 1970s. It has its engine in the middle of the car, which helps it drive well on both regular roads and race tracks.
Hydraulics means using special fluid to help parts of the car work smoothly, like the suspension that makes the ride comfortable. Some cars use this to make driving nicer but it can be tricky to fix.
The Citroën SM is a fancy old car from the 1970s that was special because it had cool technology and looked different from other cars. People like it because it's rare and interesting.
Vintage tire reproduction means making new tires that look just like the old tires that came with classic cars, so people can keep their cars looking original but still drive safely.
The Volkswagen Atlas is a big car that can carry many people and their stuff, like a family car. It is made in a factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the USA. People talk about it because it’s a roomy and comfortable SUV made by Volkswagen.
A barn find is an old car that someone finds after it has been left unused and hidden away for a long time. These cars can be special because they are often original and rare.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is a very special old sports car known for its unique doors that open upwards like wings. Many car fans love it because it's rare and cool.
The Ford Model A is an old car made almost 100 years ago. It was one of the first cars that many people could afford and is now a special classic car that collectors like.
The Ford Model T is one of the first cars ever made that many people could buy because it was cheaper than others. It helped lots of people start driving cars a long time ago. People talk about it because it changed how cars were made and used.
Stainless steel is a type of metal that doesn't rust easily. Some special cars have bodies made from this metal, which makes them last longer and look different.
The Ford Thunderbird is an old, fancy car made by Ford that was comfortable and looked stylish. The versions from the late 1950s and 1960s are especially popular because they were nice to drive and looked good. People remember it as a car that was both nice and fun.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a famous fast car from America that looks cool and drives really well. The newer models have the engine placed in the middle, which helps it go faster and handle better. People talk about it because it's a great sports car that many car fans like.
LIVE
Well, hello, everybody, and welcome to another Talking Classic Cars.
I'm Jay Ward.
And I'm Wayne Carini, and we are Talking Classic Cars.
We are.
And today, let's talk a little bit about classics.
Let's get caught up on our projects.
Tell me what you have been working on, what's new in the garage, have you bought or sold
anything lately?
Yeah, well, that's a problem, buying and selling, I have this addiction, but we won't talk about
that.
We'll just talk about it.
So in the shop, we're working on a Di Tommaso, main booster right at present time, tearing
it all apart, getting ready for the down and dirty, strip the paint off and everything.
We just finished up, we're finishing up a Griffith 200.
So that's coming around.
We just finished painting a Daytona Spider for a good friend of mine, Herb Chambers.
Oh, yeah.
So it was it.
You got some good cars.
Yeah.
Di Tommaso Mangusta, does it have a 351 Cleveland the way a Pantera does?
No, so they came out with 289 Ford's first and then went to the 302.
So this one is a 302 car.
We had just restored one for David Robinson of the cars.
He was the drummer of the cars, and he had a 289 car.
So very cool little cars.
You know, Panterras followed right after the Mangustas, but yeah, we really love them.
This will be the third one we restored.
And then, of course, I got in a little trouble last week.
I've been jonesin' about buying a fire engine.
I've had that in the back of my mind for probably 25 years, and I finally pulled
a trigger last week, and I bought an Aaron's Fox, 1936 Aaron's Fox, fully restored
monster of a fire truck.
I have no idea where I'm going to put it.
I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I needed to scratch that itch, and it's
finally done.
Okay.
So you bought a 1936 restored, like it's red with the gold leaf, the whole bit fire
engine.
Now, I'm not a fire engine expert, but there are pumper trucks that pump the water, and
then there's ladder trucks that carry the ladders.
This is a pumper.
This is a pumper with a big huge, a big chrome bulb that goes in the front,
you know, that holds the water, and you know, we're going to put it to use.
We're actually going to hook everything up, and we're going to have our own fire
department here at the Creany Farm.
You better disconnect your phone starting July 1st because you're going to get so
many people going, hey, we got it for the July parade, would you bring your fire
truck?
Oh my gosh.
That's true.
My grandson's going to be the chief of the fire department, and then of course
we got the assistant chiefs, a lot of those.
My granddaughter, my friend Claude, we got everybody a hat, you know, we're going
to do it.
Yeah, you've got to get them the old timey fire hat with the leather front.
Oh, yeah.
We're going to do it up.
We're going to do it up.
I love it.
I love it.
So that's what I've been doing.
What have you been doing?
You know, I sold a couple cars.
I actually sold the Austin Healy, the V8 Austin Healy.
We did.
I got it to a point.
I did.
You know, I knew it was never going to be what I wanted it to be.
I started stripping it down and realized the guy did a lot of stuff, not the way
I would have done it.
I sold it.
My son was really upset.
I sold it.
So I've got a little bag of money now, and I want to buy something and I want to get
your advice.
How about a fire?
I want to get...
Yeah.
How?
I thought we were friends.
We were friends.
No, I want to get something Italian.
And this is good for the audience to think about too is, you know, when we think
about Ferraris and Maserati's, a lot of those have gone past what the regular
guy can afford.
But what are the ones that are still under 100 grand that, you know, Dino was there
20 years ago.
That's gone.
But the 308 GT4, those kind of got popular now, and they've really popped up just
in the last year.
But those are a neat car, the Bertone body car.
There's some Maserati's in that time period.
I don't know the Bora or the Merrick.
I don't know if those are any good.
I like the Mexico, the Maserati Mexico.
That's a pretty car, but those have gone up over 100 grand.
So I'm just trying to find some kind of, you know, what's the affordable 60s, 70s Italian
car, you know, for a guy out there looking for something?
Well a Merrick certainly is going to be in that affordability category.
You know, and I don't know, it's the 308 GT4 you can't beat.
Just a wonderful little car, a great driving car.
A lot of people don't like the design or the looks, but I tell you what, they
perform really well.
And a great track car, you know, got a little longer wheel base and they handle
really well.
So if you want a little bit of a combination track and street car, that'd be great.
A Bora though, I think, we did a Bora for the Audrean Museum, rebuilt the engine and
went through everything.
It didn't really restore the whole car, but mechanically we did.
And what a wonderful car that is.
If I was back in the mid-70s and I was looking for an Italian sports car and I
drove a 308 and I drove a Bora.
I think if you had the choice, you had to buy the Bora.
I mean, it's that car, the real, you know, it's got all the things of Maserati and Citroen
combined, you know, I mean, basically what they did with the SM is they took a very
similar car with all the hydraulics and all the stuff.
They're a pain, but once you get them right and dialed in, what, heck of a car.
So what's a, what's a, like, let's just talk about a number three, like a good or maybe
a very good car, like a three plus right now, Bora versus 308 GT4.
What's the, what's the dollar range on those two cars right now?
You could buy two GT4s for the same as a Bora right now.
Gotcha.
So, you know, a real good Bora, I mean, and that's a car on my list.
If I find the right car, it's got to be really, really good.
It's sort of like an SM.
I really want an SM, but it's got to be the right one, you know.
So, yeah, and I tell you, the Bora though, really surprised me.
What a great car.
All right.
Well, keep your eye out for me for a 308 GT4, but I want a 75 or older.
I don't want 76 or newer because of California small laws.
And I'd like to find one with the European bumpers.
Those thinner bumpers look so nice on those cars.
So if we can find one from Europe that's a 75 or older, that's not red.
There's all three rules now, not red, 75 or older.
In other words, you're looking for the used car factory where we can just.
Can you make one for me?
OK. All right.
Well, moving on, finally, Wayne and I, we travel the country.
We go to all kinds of fun car events, but we finally get our radar aligned
and we're both going to Chattanooga this year.
And I got there a day later than Wayne.
I was flying from another event I was at.
So I didn't get until Friday night.
And Wayne got a chance to sit down with Corky Coker before I got there.
And we're going to listen to that interview.
And for those who don't know, Corky is a great guy.
This is the gentleman who literally started the vintage tire reproduction world.
So 25, 30 years ago, if you're restoring a car,
there was limited choices of what you could get for like a bias ply, large, small, wide.
There was only so many of those available.
And Corky had that insight of going to the manufacturers and getting the rights
to make the molds or get the molds for these old vintage tire patterns
and reproduce them again and really set this legacy of Coker tires.
That's right. So Wayne, anything else you want to add
before we jump into the interview?
The only thing I need to add is he's only has the second best mustache in the world.
I'm still ranked number one.
But that's that's some fun thing to Corky and I'm going to get together.
You know, we see each other, you know, he always says, hey,
the second best mustache in the world is here, you know,
but it's a lot of fun.
And I get I get to spend some time with him.
And of course, our dear friend Chip Foose, I went to his birthday party.
It was my birthday that day and Chip, so we had a great birthday party
and Chip got engaged at that birthday party.
So it was all really cool.
Yeah, and a cool deal.
Here's that interview, though, with Corky. You're going to love it.
This is Wayne Carini from Talking Classic Cars.
And I'm here with my good buddy for many years,
Corky Coker in the Chattanooga.
We're here at the Chattanooga Motor Car Festival.
Yes, sir. We are.
And we just thought we'd sit down for a few minutes and talk.
That's in amongst the all the the flash
and the circumstances and all the people racing seminars,
all the kind of stuff that goes on at Concourse.
Chattanooga Motor Car has got a lot of good things going on.
And I appreciate you coming to Chattanooga.
Thank you. It's an amazing time this year.
You know, there's so many things going on.
I mean, Byron's just like he outdoes himself every year.
He does.
But, you know, he has great help, like guys like you
and from Ken Gross and really good staff.
Yeah, his staff is Jenny and Ember and all those folks are just amazing.
They're great.
And of course, it's a big undertaking to have a big event like this.
You know, Byron DeFour and his brother Ken have had a vision
about bringing people to Chattanooga around the same things
that that he and I love and that you love.
And that is cars and car people.
Chattanooga is a car town.
We make all the Volkswagen atlases here in town.
And we made Nyberg automobiles here in town in 1910, 11 and 12.
And Koker Tire Company was born and raised here.
And we became the largest supplier of vintage automobile tires
and wheels in the world.
And so bringing all those folks who know about Chattanooga
and know about the people in Chattanooga, but meeting these people
and building up a car event was just their dream.
Yeah. And to do it in such a short period of time.
This is a year five.
Year five, year five, fourth event because of covid.
Right. Yeah.
So so. But to make it grow this much in that short period of time
is really something if it wasn't for a list from guys like you.
And of course, for people that don't know, there's a racetrack.
Yes. A really great racetrack that GT3 cars are racing on today.
As well as prewar cars.
So we have 17 prewar cars out there this year.
And the Ragtop Racers have a blast doing it.
We're all driving in open wheel cars.
And, you know, there's some high end big bore cars there.
There are some small bull cars there that really
will just rip it around those curves.
It's a short two and two mile track, but it's four blocks away
from where we sit right now in the center of the motor car
festival at West End and Village near the West.
And then, of course, two blocks up.
But to bury that hotel, we have the Meekum Auction.
Meekum Auction.
You go, you looking at anything over?
No, no, no, no.
I'm actually about I don't need any more.
Come here. I don't need any more cars at all.
I'm on the path for selling at the moment.
Oh, no, stop that.
Yeah. Cars are for buying, not selling.
Well, well, you know, I was the other day
I was I was going out to California for something.
And I got out of the plane and I had a pad in front of me.
And so I rode all my cars down.
Yeah. And then I checked off cars that I could sell.
Right. And I said, I'm good with that.
That'll cut the number of cars down.
So I took a little nap and I woke up and I go, wait a minute,
the kids sell that car.
What am I crazy? I can't sell that car.
And and cut cut the list down substantially.
Yeah. And I ended up with 10 cars
that I think I can sell.
And I'm still on that path.
Luckily. Yeah.
You know, what what do you do when somebody asks you
how many cars you have?
You know, I don't like that question
because it sounds like I've been, you know,
I'm showing off or something like that.
So I really don't know.
But I do know every time I get the Haggerty Bill once a year.
You know, I always tell them I have way too many, but never enough.
Yeah. Never enough.
There's always one we're looking for.
And we just did a seminar about barn finds and what we're looking for.
And, you know, I don't own a J.
Dusenberg and I'd like to have one because they're, you know, rich man's car.
But they're just spectacular.
Spectacular. Yeah.
I've got a Simplex.
I've got a Thomas.
I've got a 300 SL.
I got, you know, Mercer's.
I got a couple of Mercer's.
I got a Stutz Bearcat.
See, you've got stuff that I would love to have.
Well, that's good.
You've had them and you've been smart
and you've made money off of them.
And, you know, and you keep dealing with the greatest people
in the world, Matt's car people.
You know, we've been very fortunate
that both of us to grow up in car families.
Yeah. You know, our daddies were were really pretty good to us.
Well, they were good and they were they were into it so much.
You know, going to Hershey every year.
I know your dad did. I did.
I went there for the first time when I was seven years old.
What year was that?
That was in 1950. Oh, Josh, you beat me.
1958. You beat me at 63 for me.
Fifty six in sixty one.
My father made a cardboard sandwich sign
and he put it on me with all the parts he was looking for.
Put a crayon in my pocket so that people
couldn't write down the space number they had those parts
and send me out into the flea market.
What? You get arrested for that today.
You know, abandonment of a child.
You know, they take your child away from you
because you're too nasty to.
I remember Hershey when when the mud was halfway to your knees.
In fact, I remember Fred Hoke pulled up
from our tire trader one time, saying,
you want to ride in this Mercer?
And I said, yes, sir, I do.
Didn't have the fenders on it.
He threw rooster tails 30 feet higher at Hershey.
But, you know, when I took over the tire business,
my dad said, son, you don't need to go to any swap meat
other than Hershey every year.
And if you just do that, you'll do fine.
And, you know, I had to prove my dad wrong.
But I also have another little funny story
that I had a grandson that my grand, my dad took fishing.
And he said, we just had the best time
with your grandson fishing.
And I said, dad, I don't remember you ever taking me fishing.
I am I'm demented because of it.
He did find a picture of me fishing.
But then I wrote a little story after he died.
And it's, you know, I went to
Glidden Tours every summer.
I went to Hershey and swap meats.
He introduced me to the old car market.
And I think I turned out pretty, pretty swell.
That's right. And he did good stuff by me.
Me, too.
My father would put the car trailer on the back,
the 49 Plymouth station wagon in a canoe on the top.
Yeah. And he told my mother, we're going up to New
Hampshire in Maine to go fishing.
Of course, we didn't do any fishing.
We just went looking for car parts.
Only for car parts.
Yeah. He had the guy for all the four dealerships in New
England, and he would go to every four dealer and he'd buy all
the Model A parts that were up in the attic.
Anything free, 1940.
He was buying it for like 10 cents on what the list price was.
Yeah. And then selling it.
So I have another little story.
We just, Wayne and I just did a seminar about barn finds.
And Tom Carter, the moderator, asked,
what's the car that you're still looking for that you'd like to find?
Well, I've got one of those and I'm going to share it with you.
It's within a hundred miles of here,
but it's only a Model A Ford two door sedan.
But it's a very special.
It's stainless steel.
Oh, wow. Stainless steel.
Those are rare.
There is a very rare.
Allegheny Ludlam made 36 Fords.
They made some Model A's.
They made a 58 Thunderbird and a 64 or 65.
I don't remember Lincoln Continental in stainless steel.
Right. Pretty rare.
I don't know if it's worth a lot of money now,
but I know we're the general vicinity and I'm still working it.
OK. Well, hey, they've met fun.
That's it's it's all about the chase.
Yeah, it's all about the chase.
Yeah. I mean, you know, and there's a there's a saying that they become
another can of peas on the shelf after you buy them and you chase them
and you get them and then you put them on the shelf and like the dog catch
in the car, what are you going to do with when you get right?
Yeah. Well, we we do that all the time.
That's for sure. Yeah.
Well, it's it's a wonderful thing.
What we're doing, you know, in the car community and motorcycle community.
We're both of motorcycles.
We both have the incurable disease.
Yes. Motorcycles and vintage cars.
That's right.
And anything with wheels and an engine on it will go for.
You know, that's right.
I was just at the Barber Museum last weekend.
George Barber has now a passion for outboard motors.
Oh, my. He probably got three hundred of them.
Yeah, three or four hundred.
They're all lined up on the ceiling.
But that's such a wonderful place.
Yeah, it is. They got a wonderful driving track.
And, you know, they they usually do around this vintage motorcycle weekend.
They usually do a hundred year old ride so you can go ride
and you get a certificate, you maybe a sweater or something.
I don't know that driving or riding a motorcycle is over a hundred years.
And you know, I both have a few of those.
Don't we? That's right.
We do. We do.
And so corporate tires doing well.
Yep. Yep. Doing well.
Honest, Charlie's.
We're building cars and restore cars.
We just finished for a buddy, 15 Rio.
It's on the track today.
We just I'm I'm having the time of my life.
So that's an honest, Charlie's Charlie's Speed Shop and garage.
And we're right here on downtown Chattanooga.
We're just south of the Trade Center where the Mekum auction is.
Come in and see us.
We've got our cars on display.
We've got to we call it a museum, but it's really just a bunch of my scrap iron
that on display that we wipe off the dust of every now and then.
Well, you know, I always wanted to come to Chattanooga and see you
and see your collection and see the the tire store.
And then when this happened, it's just too much to do.
Yeah. It's too much to do.
It's really great to remember when when you first when we first had this
we had a little rally that started over the poker tire.
Right. And we did that.
But what it's grown and grown and grown.
It's it's really great.
We have a Porsche display here this year.
We have a Ferrari display.
Yeah. We had a Canosa rally.
B-8s in the village Corvettes in the village on Saturday.
Tonight, Friday night, we have the B-52s are playing at the end of the street.
We are warming up this morning.
So so what I did is in my little contract that I made to come down here.
I made, you know, a little sidebar that I would stand on the stage
when they're singing Love Shack.
So I can't wait for that.
You're going to you're going to do the dance or something.
I don't know. I just love that song.
Yeah, it's fun.
Yeah. Love Shack, baby. Love Shack, baby.
So great to be with you.
Porky, as always.
Yeah. Thank you.
I really honor being able to tell everybody that you're my buddy.
You are you are my friend.
Yeah. And I love that. I love that.
Love you too, buddy. I appreciate you.
And even though you do have the second best mustache in the world,
first best, I love you, but you are wrong sometimes.
All right. Thanks, bud. Thank you. Awesome.
Wow, that was a fantastic interview with Corky.
What a great guy.
What a what a legend in the vintage car world with tires.
And I can tell just by listening how much you guys are really friends.
Just just there's an energy between the two mustaches talking it out there.
Yeah, well, he's still the second best mustache in the world.
But no, it's it's wonderful.
You know, Corky's got such enthusiasm for our car world and he loves people
and it was just great being with him one on one.
You know, normally we get together and there's a crowd around us
or everybody's friends, but it was just great being one on one with him
and just talking to him.
So wonderful, wonderful time.
And Chattanooga was a great event.
Well, if you enjoyed that interview from Chattanooga, don't worry.
There is more to come.
We're out of time for today, but we really want to thank you for joining us
on Talking Classic Cars. We'll see you on the road. CJ.
About this episode
Wayne Carini and Jay Ward catch up on their latest classic car projects, including Wayne's restoration of a Di Tommaso Mangusta and his surprising purchase of a fully restored 1936 Aaron's Fox fire truck. Jay discusses selling his Austin Healey and seeking advice on affordable Italian classics like the Maserati Bora and Ferrari 308 GT4. The episode also features an insightful interview with Corky Coker at the Chattanooga Motor Car Festival, highlighting his pioneering role in vintage tire reproduction and the event's growth. The conversation blends personal stories, restoration tips, and classic car culture.
Hosts Wayne Carini and Jay Ward delve into the world of classic cars with special guest Corky Coker, talk about Wayne's new fire truck and Wayne gives Jay some advice on his next car purchase. Join them as they discuss their current projects, recent purchases, and sales, sharing their passion for all things automotive. In this episode, they also have an engaging interview with Corky Coker, a renowned figure in the vintage tire reproduction industry. Explore their conversations filled with enthusiasm, knowledge, and camaraderie. Whether you're a seasoned car enthusiast or just curious to learn more, this episode offers an entertaining and informative look into the world of classic cars. Get ready for an enjoyable ride on Talking Classic Cars!
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