Continental tire

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Continental tire

A Continental tire is an upright, external, mounted spare tire

Tire

Tires, or tyres , are ring-shaped parts, either pneumatic or solid , that fit around wheels to protect them and enhance their function....
behind an automobile

Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
's trunk

Trunk (automobile)

The trunk, or boot, of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world....
compartment. The term also describes a non-functional bulge that is stamped into the trunk lid or a cosmetic accessory to the rear of the car giving the impression of a spare tire mount.

The pre-mounted spare tire and wheel combination on early automobiles typically meant an external mounting. Early European sports car

Sports car

A sports car is a term used to describe a class of automobile. The exact definition varies, but generally it is used to refer to a low to ground, light weight vehicle with a powerful engine....
s had their spare tire attached on the back of the automobile since their trunk or storage space was often very small.

The development of the enclosed trunk on automobiles meant the spare tire could be placed out of sight, but this arrangement used up valuable space for carrying luggage.

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Encyclopedia

A Continental tire is an upright, external, mounted spare tire

Tire

Tires, or tyres , are ring-shaped parts, either pneumatic or solid , that fit around wheels to protect them and enhance their function....
behind an automobile

Automobile

Trunk (automobile)

Sports car

Lincoln Continental

The Lincoln Continental, an automobile produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company, began for the 1939 model year. Over the next 63 years, despite these cars sharing underpinnings with less-expensive Ford automobiles, Continental was usually a distinctively styled, highly equipped luxury car....
's short trunk with its external rear spare tire mount became a distinctive design.

While this was not the first car to either carry its spare above the rear bumper or integrated into the rear bodywork, it was the first to do it so elegantly and thus this feature became known as a "Continental tire" even if the design was found on other brands. Similar spare tire placements added to more prosaic automobiles were also described as a "Continental kit", borrowing their name from the production Lincoln Continental.

The legend of how the “Continental kit” was born was from the complaint by Henry Ford II

Henry Ford II

Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford. He was president of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1960, Board of directors and Chief executive officer from 1960 to 1979, and chairman for several months thereafter....
that the trunk of his personal Ford Thunderbird

Ford Thunderbird

The Thunderbird, often abbreviated as T-Bird, was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1955 through 2005 — through thirteen generations and various body types....
, did not have room for a set of golf clubs

Golf club (equipment)

Golf clubs are used in the sport of golf to hit a golf ball. Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance and a clubhead. woods are used for long-distance fairway shots; iron , the most versatile class used for a variety of shots, and putter , used mainly on the green to roll the ball into the cup....
without removing the spare tire. The 1956 Thunderbird had its spare tire mounted outside. However, adding weight behind the rear wheels was said to adversely affect steering and handling. For 1957 the Thunderbird's trunk was stretched , allowing the spare tire to migrate back inside, although the Continental mounting was still optional. This external spare wheel mount became a customizing aftermarket

Aftermarket (automotive)

The automotive aftermarket is the part of the automotive industry concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer to the consumer....
appearance accessory during the 1950s.

In the United States, the external Continental tire mounting was a factory option on various types of cars during the 1950s and early 1960s. On some models – such as on the Nash Metropolitan

Nash Metropolitan

The Nash Metropolitan is a car that was sold from 1954 to 1962.It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car. In today?s terminology the Metropolitan is a ?subcompact?, but this category had not yet come into use when the car was made....
, Jeepster Commando

Jeep Jeepster

The Jeepster was an automobile sold under the Jeep marque. The original Jeepster was produced by Willys-Overland from 1948 to 1950.The Jeepster name was revived in 1966 on a new model, the C-101 Jeepster Commando, and American Motors Corporation removed the Jeepster name for 1972 and halted production after 1973....
, and Mercury Turnpike Cruiser

Mercury Turnpike Cruiser

The Mercury Turnpike Cruiser was a halo vehicle of the Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company that was produced from 1957 to 1958.At introduction of the 1957 line up the Turnpike Cruiser series offered two and a four door hardtop body styles....
– the Continental tire was a standard feature. Most often, the car's rear bumper was extended and the tire had a fabric or metal cover. The bracket for the spare wheel was designed to swing away for access to the trunk.

Contemporary examples of Continental kits are sometimes found on customized automobiles. It has become an accessory that typifies "the spirit" of the 1950s. Continental kits were also made popular by the pimpmobile

Pimpmobile

A pimpmobile is a pejorative term used to describe a large luxury vehicle, usually a 1970s or early 1980s-model Lincoln or Cadillac vehicle, that has been customized in a garish, extravagant style....
craze of the 1970s, not to mention the Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride

Pimp My Ride is a Television show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one automobile in poor condition and restoring it, as well as custom car it....
show. Continental tires are known as 'fifth wheels' in hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a cultural movement built largely around the music genre of hip hop music, which developed in New York City during the 1970s primarily among African Americans and Latino Americans....
slang.

Numerous compact sport utility vehicle

Sport utility vehicle

A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing description for a vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on or off-road ability, some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan....
(SUV) models of today have an exposed rear mounted spare tire. This is no longer described as a Continental tire. However, the historic Jeep DJ

Jeep DJ

The Jeep Dispatcher, or DJ, was a two-wheel-drive variant of the Jeep CJ series. Production started in 1955 by Kaiser Motors, which became Kaiser-Jeep in 1963, and in 1970 American Motors purchased Kaiser?s money-losing Jeep operations establishing AM General, a wholly owned subsidiary, that built this model through 1983....
"Surrey Gala" with the fringed top, seats and Continental tire mount are of colorful vinyl coated fabrics with 'candy stripes' of pink, green or blue to match solid body colors.

Continental tire

See also