Photos by: the author
One of the Largest Cruise In Events in the Southeast Continues to Thrive
The Chattanooga Cruise In is an event that started in 2011 as a small community event to help bring local awareness to the Coker Tire and Honest Charley facilities. Local car guys may have heard of the iconic brands, but didn’t realize how much cool stuff lives inside the walls of the historic Chattanooga, Tennessee facilities. With an open house of Coker’s compound of buildings, cool product giveaways, and surrounding streets full of great cars, the event was an instant hit.
The event has grown with each year, and it was destined to grow again until the weatherman intervened. With an 80 percent chance of severe thunderstorms, a great deal of people changed plans. The rain held off until the event was over, but you can’t blame the people for playing it safe. Even considering the threat of bad weather, the event drew approximately 1,500 cars to the scenic Southside of Chattanooga.
The Chattanooga Cruise In is free to the public, whether you’re participating or just a spectator. As the event has grown, the Coker Tire staff have brought in additional vendors, great food and even a swap meet. Another cool aspect of the Chattanooga Cruise In is Coker Tire’s blemished tire and wheel sale. It happens once a year, and people flock to the “blem sale” area to get crazy deals on whitewalls, redlines, and other types of tires and specialty steel wheels.
The layout of the event stretches seven blocks long by three blocks wide, filling several parking lots and all of the surrounding streets. This year, we noticed a tremendous amount of classic trucks on display, and there was a strong turnout of classic and modern muscle cars representing about a dozen car clubs in the Nashville, Atlanta and Birmingham. While the turnout was down compared to last year’s packed house, the event offered an awesome display of cars, trucks and motorcycles.
Take a look at some of our favorites and keep an eye on www.chattanoogacruise-in.com for more information on this annual event. It typically happens in April, so leave some space on your 2019 calendar for this awesome cruise in event!
Tommy Lee Byrd is a classic car aficionado, professional photographer and noted automotive author for many reputable publications and how-to manuals. He traces his car roots back to his childhood, where he learned about cars wrenching with his father.
