Automotive companies tend to come and go, and the same could be said of tire companies, too, but Vogue Tyre is a long-lasting tire company that’s stood the test of time. Established in 1914, Vogue Tyre has been developing custom luxury tires that have always delivered outstanding performance, ride quality, and safety. With the distinctive white and gold sidewall, the “mustard and mayonnaise” if you will, it’s sure to be noticed, no matter what vehicle or wheels you mount your Vogue Tyres on. [...more]

White wall tires used to be the norm on many cars from the 50s, 60s and early 70s, but since then cars that came from the factory with a white wall tire became super rare - why is that? In a word - fashion! White wall tires were a way that manufacturers gave their vehicles a distinctive, luxurious look - much like the collars on men's leisure suits and ladie’s blouses in the 70s - the wider the white wall the better!  Most people don’t realize that the very first pneumatic tires made we [...more]

When you’re looking for tires for your car, whether you’re finishing off a full classic restoration or trying to give your car a classic look – to be sure, it doesn’t work for all cars – size, style, and function are surely going to play a part in your decision. Unfortunately, you can’t always get all three in tires manufactured today, but Diamond Back Tires begs to differ. Most classic tire manufacturers start from classic molds and classic processes, while others blend more modern tech [...more]

There’s something about really appealing about vintage goods- they just never lose that enduring quality over time. One piece of vintage history that still retain that timeless appeal are American Classic Whitewall tires. Whitewall tires were once the standard for car tires in the early to mid 1900’s. In fact, the first automobile tires were actually completely a milky white color- the color of natural and unaltered processed rubber. The only problem with all the early all white natural tires we [...more]

American Racing Wheels has been designing and manufacturing steel and alloy wheels for the custom automotive industry since 1956, one of the first in aftermarket automotive customization. At first, American Racing Wheels centered production in Northern California, but eventually moved manufacturing to Southern California. By 1971, Hank Feldman’s Performance Plus Tire & Auto, based in Long Beach, would provide American Racing Wheels to Southern California and, eventually online to the rest of [...more]

Looking at Nitto Tire’s tagline, it become clear what the company’s mission is and what kind of tires they produce. Indeed, a tire company “Fueled by Enthusiasts” says it all, and Nitto designs and produces some of the most exclusive tires for nearly every performance category. Whether you’re off-roading, rally-racing, running quarters, drifting, or luxury touring, Nitto Tire has a tire for your specific needs. Nitto Grappler tires were designed for trucks and SUVs, ranging from highway crui [...more]

Muscle cars didn’t change American culture as much as they became a part of it. Maybe muscle cars are such an integral part of American culture because they represent the truest of American ideals – freedom. Controlling the raw power and speed of a muscle car creates a sense of freedom like no other. Behind the wheel of a muscle car the entire world becomes one big race track; there are no checkered flags, or pace cars, but just open roads as far the eye can see. You can go anywhere you want and [...more]

Why is it that all of the great things about cars involve the letters GT ? There’s Grand Turismo, the Nissan GT-R, the Pontiac GTO, and General Tires. A general is one of the highest ranks obtainable in the military institution around the world, and coincidentally General Tires are some one of the highest quality of tires available today. But who makes General Tires? As the name might suggest, General Tires are made by the General Tire Company. The end. Alright, the real truth is that the [...more]

The pickup truck is as American as bald eagles and apple pie. And among the many pickup trucks on the market, there’s no truck more iconic than the Ford F-150. It’s a truck with a long history. There’s a reason that truck owners hold onto their Ford trucks for so long. The Original F Series Ford built its very first pickup trucks way back in 1917. It was called the Ford Model TT and had a capacity of one ton. That’s not much by today’s standards, but back then it was considered a feat of [...more]

Mention contact sports, and most immediately reference American football, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, rugby, roller derby, or karate – contact is a major part of the game. Other sports qualify, too, like association football (soccer), field hockey, baseball, and NASCAR – contact happens. Usually, contacting another racer in NASCAR or IROC might do more harm than good, but what if we just pulled out all the stops and went full-contact? The history is a little hazy, but one demolition derby ori [...more]

It’s not every day you find a unicorn. Finding this forgotten 1970 Chevelle SS 454 could be right up there with an alicorn (a Pegasus unicorn). The car is special because basically only the first owner ever drove the car, racing it regularly even, and is entirely original and untampered-with, minus the engine, which we’ll get to. A 1970 Chevelle SS – big deal, right? – but no, this is a special car, and enthusiast authenticator Patrick Nichols had to dig deep to pedigree this beautiful car, per [...more]

What relationship to Formula One, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Corvette, Jaguar, Land Rover, Smart, Lexus, and trucks have in common? This might take you a minute, but we’ll save you some time and come right out and say it: They’ve all had wheels designed and manufactured by Tiger Sports Wheels. Founded by Formula One driver Eddie Keizan, in 1960s South Africa, Tiger Sports Wheels would go on to produce OEM (original equipment manufacturer) wheels for many of the most important car companies in [...more]

In one form or another, taxis have been around for maybe millennia, or at least since the invention of chariots and wagons. Even before the wheel, royalty and people of merit were borne on litters, usually carried by the strongest and best-looking slaves. In modern times, we typically think of a taxi as a car for hire, usually paid by distance, time, or destination. Regarding this latest form of the taxi, how long has this been around? Here’s a brief history of the taxis of the past, present, an [...more]

Check out a classic 1981 checker taxi cab in this video. They were once the most famous taxis in the USA. The model featured in the video is the A 11 which was in production from 1963 to 1982. Made famous in numerous movies and TV shows the yellow color and checkered pattern are familiar the world over.

When we mention “car show,” that might make you think of your local “classic car show,” annual “car shows” where they show off the latest models, or maybe one of those television car shows along the lines of “Top Gear” or “Pimp My Ride.” That’s not what we’re talking about today, however. What about television shows where the cars are the stars, and not so much the people who yap about them? We could probably start off with the late-1960’s Adam West Batman series… “The Batmobile” was based on t [...more]

Really, to call this a "mini" history would be a mistake, but we’re only referring to the length of this article. Indeed, Mini idea has been around for thirty years, its first inception in England in 1957, the first cars making it to production in 1959. Coming Together The result of merging of two existing automobile companies, Morris Motors and Austin Motor Company, British Motor Corporation was formed in 1952. After World War II, constantly fluctuating fuel prices weren’t advantageous to autom [...more]

Today, there are over one billion vehicles on the road, pretty amazing when you think about the fact that the first automobile, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, rolled out of a shop barely 120 years ago. Still, vehicles weren’t widely distributed for a few years, until the advent of assembly-line vehicle fabrication, and then there was a veritable explosion of automobiles on the roads. That explosion started way before even the Ford Model A and the Benz’s Motorwagen, the internal combustion engine b [...more]

The 20th century was filled with attempts to break the sound barrier. It wasn't until the end of the century, in 1997, that a car was able to fly past that milestone. The "barrier" refers to the effects on a vehicle (usually aircraft) as they approach supersonic speed, 767 mph (343 meters per second). For years it was believed that aircraft (and other vehicles) would not be able to surpass that barrier, and then they did. On October 15, 1997, the Thrust SSC or "Super Sonic Car" surpassed that [...more]

America's love with fast cars is the stuff of legends. From songs to movies, from magazines to calendars, from posters to art shows, and in the digital age, from screen savers to youtube videos and fan pages, hot rods and muscle cars are truly icons of speed, sexiness, and beauty. And across the country, fans gather at their local road rally or cruise night to show off the best examples of the classic muscle cars. Those with a true appreciation of muscle cars may want to visit a muscle car muse [...more]

Hot rods; one of America's favorite classic cars . What began as a teenage obsession for fast cars in the 1920's grew into a full-fledged custom car craze that continues to this day. New or old, custom or classic hot rods are joy to own and drive but they do some work maintain. The general maintenance required for a hot rod includes all of the typical items --such as checking the tire pressure, maintaining proper oil and fluid levels, and performing frequent oil changes--and then some. Many hot [...more]

If there is one thing that we in America love it's cars. Sports cars, luxury cars, big cars, little cars; if it has four wheels and a roaring engine then we are hooked. With so many to different cars to choose from it can be hard to pick a favorite, but there is nothing like a muscle car. Every muscle car is unique in its style and performance but that is part of why we love them. While there are many out there, here are a few of our favorites. Pontiac Firebird. This car is well known for its [...more]

So when did compact spare tires start being used? If you guessed early 20th century then you are way off. Although spare tires are common in modern vehicles, the first automobiles didn't actually have spare tires at all, let alone compact spare tires. One of the leading car manufacturers in the early 1900's -- the Thomas B. Jeffery Company -- was the first automaker to began outfitting their passenger automobile with a spare tires. In 1909 Rambler introduced their latest vehicle, the Ramble 44, [...more]

How many wheels does a fire truck have? Before answering that question it's important to explore the history of the fire truck.  Unbeknownst to many, the fire truck actually predates the automobile. It seems a little strange, but it’s true, the first fire engines were used as early as the 16th century. The first engines were used in Germany and were really nothing more than water pump on wheels, not unlike a portable water well. In 1721, an English inventor by the name of Richard Newsham paten [...more]

Note: post edited on 30 September 2014 to replace language stating that Goodyear created a sulfur-free rubber. Despite the name, vulcanized rubber has nothing to do with the pointed-eared aliens from Star Trek and it definitely wasn’t invented by Leonard Nimoy. Vulcanized Rubber was actually invented by Charles Goodyear in the early 19th century.  Goodyear’s vulcanized rubber revolutionized the rubber industry and helped shape global transportation.  In the early 1800’s all rubber products were [...more]

Is there anything more American than baseball and apple pie? Well, if there is anything more American than Mom and apple pie it would have to be the traditional American muscle car. Muscle cars are performance vehicles that embody the American spirit: they are fast, sturdy, and powerful. But the debate regarding the first “true” is one that will most likely not be settled anytime soon. Popular opinion is divided as to whether the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 or the Pontiac GTO was the first true muscle [...more]