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Life in the Scenic City: Checking out all the cool cars at Coker Museum at Honest Charley

 As long as I can remember, I’ve always been into classic cars and Hot Rods. I even had a subscription to Hot Rod Magazine during my teenage years. I used to have tons of T-shirts with Rat Fink on them. He is the official mascot of the Hot Rod world created by artist Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. The artist disliked the wholesomeness of Mickey Mouse and created his larger than life, freakish anti-hero version of the iconic Disney mouse. It was his nod to the counter-culture world of custom cars, and Hot Rods, and as a freakish teenager myself, I could relate to Rat Fink.

Thank goodness we have the Coker Museum at Honest Charley in the heart of downtown Chattanooga where car geeks like me can explore whenever the mood hits. The Chestnut Street building is the site of the original Honest Charley Speed Shop, which was owned by Corky Coker’s father, Harold, who also founded Coker Tire Company in Athens, Tennessee.

Corky started collecting cars at age 20, amassing an impressive collection of cars, trucks, motorcycles, race cars, delivery vehicles and even small planes which are proudly displayed inside the museum.

Enter the building and you step inside the shop with souvenirs and shirts. Pay your admission and step into a corridor filled with antique race cars, a vintage tour bus, engine parts and car memorabilia hanging on the walls. Walk down the hallway following the neon sign blinking the word “stuff” and step through the solid doors of the warehouse.

Enter car Nirvana, a massive room filled with neon signs and every classic car geek’s dream.

Along the walls there is a historical and chronological account of various classic motorcycles. Indian, Pierce, the Flying Merkel, Harley Davidson. Some of these motorized bikes date as far back as 1901.  

There’s a bunch of Classic Chevrolet’s with wide white wall tires. Old Buick Packard, vintage Rolls Royce. Antique carriages, milk trucks, mail carriers, and Model T’s.




The museum has more than 100 vehicles and vintage items on display.

My favorite is the 1957 VW Beetle in Robin baby-blue with the luggage holder on top, engine in the rear and trunk in the front. Or the 1967 Classis Convertible Stingray Corvette with the chrome front bumper. Or the 1978 Candy Apple Red Ferrari!

No, it’s the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, white, with blue racing stripes. Then there are the cars that are reminiscent of the days of Al Capone and his 1928 Cadillac (his was bullet proof, of course). Or the ones used by John Dillinger like the 1933 Ford V-8.

The best thing is you can spend as much time as you want. The tour is self-guided. He has lots of racing cars too. Most of the vehicles on display have placards describing their history. Some have a QR code which links to a video.

There’s the 1910 Overland Indy Race Car on display that is bright orange with the number 101 painted on the side. The placard placed by the card indicated it was a 4-cylinder, 40 horsepower car like the ones used in a Hazard Race on May 28,1910. Drivers drove up and down one ramp, into a ditch, through a creek, to the bricks, up and down a second ramp, return to the ditch and back to the track. The drivers earned the nickname “Rough Riders.”




Incredible cars tied to incredible stories.

The Honest Charley Garage section is still a functioning workspace as Corky is still busy restoring classic cars. Just the other day he posted a video to their Facebook Page about his current project, rebuilding a 1911 Oldsmobile Limited, one of only six known to exist. The museum is equipped with a full catering kitchen, ample and separate restrooms for men and women and the museum building can be rented for private events and weddings.

They’ll move the cars around and create the perfect space based on your venue needs. The Coker Museum at Honest Charley hosts various community events and classic cars and cookout get togethers.

Just like the International Towing & Recovery Museum, Coker Museum at Honest Charley is another place that is not on many people’s radar but 100% worth a visit.





Their operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. They can schedule private events and group tours on Mondays with prior arrangements. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for children ages 4-11 and $10 for senior citizens (65+), college students (17-25 years old), first responders, active military and veterans. The museum has a small parking lot adjacent to the entrance and plenty of street parking.

The Coker Museum

·         1309 Chestnut Street

·         Chattanooga, TN 37402

·         (888) 795-7077

·         Website: https://cokermuseum.com/

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