Chattanooga: Vintage cars visit for charity tour

Vintage Chevys, Fords and a parade of other classic hot rods hit the road this afternoon to kick off a weeklong fundraising trip to New York.

The 2008 Street Rodder Road Tour, kicking off from Chattanooga for the first time, set up shop in the parking lot of Coker Tire Headquarters on Chestnut Street. Over 50 souped-up vintage cars will now ride to North Carolina raising money for the Victory Junction Gang, a charity for children with chronic medical conditions that NASCAR driver Kyle Petty founded in memory of his son Adam, who died in a wall collision while practicing for a race.

“Car folks are the best folks in the world,” Coker Tire president Corky Coker said. “Car people are genuine, they’re kind of the heartbeat of America, they enjoy being with family, they enjoy American-made stuff, they help each other.”

He pointed out cars like the 1932 and 1933 Fords that “look old, but run fast” are the essence of the hot rod do-it-yourself hobby culture.

Ron Hickman came all the way from Jacksonville, Fla., for “the adventure” of riding in the tour for his first time. He checked on his squeaky-clean 1932 Ford three-window coupe, with its flame-inspired paint job, hot red interior leather and a 420-horsepower engine.

“Riding with a bunch of other hot rodders, I’ve never done it before,” he said. “The car’s now 3 years old so I want to spend more time with it on the street.”

The coupe is branded in the back with its nickname, “The Widow-Maker,” born from how much effort and obstacles were involved in building the car. Mr. Hickman told his wife he wouldn’t live to see the work complete. “But I’m still standing.”

Local car clubs were invited to display their vehicles, and between the tour, the clubs and Coker Tire’s museum, the show didn’t disappoint. Porsches from the 1980s shared the limelight with Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the 1920s, the overall effect offering visitors and car-enthusiasts a bevy of shiny chrome, smooth leather and especially huge engines.

A small red 1903 Thomas one-cylinder with black leather appeared to be the oldest vehicle in the house. A mouth-watering cream-colored 1956 Porsche Speedster sat in the Coker museum, near a blue 1956 Packard sedan and a 1965 Pontiac GTO. A 1915 Locomobile gave off a nostalgic aroma of oiled metal and leather from another era.

Steve Mienick of Chattanooga built a maroon 1940 Chevrolet from the ground up. “I like the old cars, you don’t see anything like these old ones,” he said. “Heavy-duty stuff, made when there were no roads.”