What does it take for me to wake up at two-thirty in the morning, be in the car by three and on the road for a three-hour drive? An event like the Chattanooga Cruise-In at Coker Tire, that’s what. I might have needed a shot of adrenaline to get going in the morning, but it became evident from the second Chattanooga was in sight that I was in for a treat, and I did not leave disappointed. Coker Tire gave the idea of an open house/car show a shot in 2011 and what started out as a small gathering of gearheads has basically exploded into the kind of deal that requires part of the town to shut down.

As the cars poured in, I went straight to the epicenter to see just what drew thousands of cars in. Coker Tire and Honest Charley’s Speed Shop was wide-open for the public, and if you need to know what kind of place this is…when you see a Packard V-12 just sitting in a hallway, you’re in the right place, my friends. Inside the museum is a great collection of interesting vehicles, from a White bus to a later-model IH Scout. The wall of motorcycles is something to behold…I could’ve killed a couple of hours alone going over each one.

With the Munster Koach and Drag-U-La parked next to the “Paint Chip” 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda, there was no doubt that this was going to be more than just a roam around a neighborhood looking at old cars. We have plenty of photos coming from the show, so stay tuned…meanwhile, you can click on the photo below to check out our first batch of pictures!