MTFCA Forum

I want to buy a Firestone Red sidewall tire. Most of them if not all were non-skid. They were made from mid teens to early 1920. I want it in good condition for display. NO TEXTING. five07458677eight. Thanks, Bob.

bttttttttttt, yes they did make them, Bob.

They must be hard to come by, thanks, Bob.

Sadly, way too many "hobbyists" over the past seventy years did not appreciate the history behind their hobby. Over the years, I have seen quite a few of the colorful tires made and sold during the 1910s, and even into the early 1920s. It was an odd flirtation of marketing that sadly does not really show up in the B&W photography of the era. Most "hobbyists" did not try to preserve the tires that did still exist fifty to seventy years ago.
A number of combinations of wall and tread colors were offered by several tire manufacturing companies. Rarely, color advertising can be found showing crude pictures of tires in various colors. Very few high quality magazines in those years (started becoming popular in the mid 1920s after the colorful tires had gone out of fashion) offered color advertising to show the tires.

I know a private collector that has several such tires on his shop walls. At least one of his tires is a red sidewalls with gray tread! It looks remarkably classy! Others he has have sidewalls of gray, or green, and even blue. Tread may be anywhere from white to black or even red. And no, none of his are for sale.

Over the years, I have tried several times to buy tires I have seen, but never was able to make a deal. In many cases, I am sure the tires were later thrown away. I could tell a few stories.

Hey Coker, you listening out there?