Celebrity Guests

Keith Martin

Martin started the Alfa Romeo Market Letter in 1988 and by 1993 it had expanded dramatically into Keith Martin’s Sports Car Market to become “the monthly magazine for the collector car hobby”. As a successful writer, editor, publisher, television commentator, and event emcee, Keith still finds time to actually drive some of the cars he owns or (easily) manages to borrow! His breadth of enthusiasm among those at the top of their game – in the epicenter of the collector car world - is wide and reflects his eclectic background as a history scholar and major in dance at the Juilliard School in New York City which brought him to his founding of the professional Ballet Oregon. His reputation as an entertaining Event Host precedes him.

Wayne Carini

Carini was born in Portland, Oregon and his interest in classic cars began at an early age with an influence from his father. Carini is a renowned figure in the classic car industry. He is best known as the presenter of the television documentary Chasing Classic Cars. There he instructs to hunt vintage cars and restores them to their original splendor. Wayne is the owner and operator of three companies; F40 Motorsport that buys and sells vintage and classic automobiles, Continental Auto Ltd. a collision shop specializing in high end and exotic automobiles, and Carini Carazzeria is the restoration shop where he spends most of his time.

Alain de Cadet

London-born Alain de Cadenet, one of today’s most qualified motorsports raconteurs, will be sharing this event’s daily commentary. The son of a WW2 Free French Air Force officer and an English mother, he soon sought fame as a rock band photographer only to be diverted into becoming a more famous “privateer” race car driver, and then constructor. He won two World Endurance races with Desire Wilson in 1980 in a car with his own name on the hood. Later he became a television host with Speed, ESPN and Velocity, most noted for his Legends of Motorsport, Victory by Design and Renaissance Man series. Today, he is in demand as an event host and “fast but safe” vintage race car pilot.

Linda Vaughn

 Linda is an American motor racing personality who has been described as “The First Lady of Motorsports” and the “preeminent beauty queen of stock car racing.” She has entertained fans and has been a premier marketer of automotive goods for more than 56 years. Linda was born in Dalton, Georgia, as Linda Faye Vaughn. Vaughn grew up interested in cars and was introduced to auto racing as a teenage girl when she rode her bicycle to Grady Pickens’ garage. Linda entered and won a local beauty contest, and was crowned Miss Atlanta Raceway in 1961. As a beauty queen, her basic job was to kiss the winning driver, hand out trophies, and look good doing it. Towards the late 1960s, to fill in for Linda at various racing events across the USA, Hurst had to hire additional blonde beauties since Vaughn’s services became in such demand. She also earned her SCCA competition license at the Bob Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving and then got behind the wheel and raced. In 2019, Linda was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Corky Coker

Joseph “Corky” Coker delights in seeing people happy. He is passionate about his family, friends and businesses. He is energetic and ambitious, compassionate and caring. And he was born to be in the automotive specialty-equipment industry. His father Harold opened the Coker Tire Company in 1958, and Coker remembers sweeping floors and cleaning wide whitewalls as his earliest jobs. But even though he was nicknamed after a character in the old “Gasoline Alley” comic strip, he was not enthralled about working at a tire company. He discovered that he actually enjoyed working at the tire store when he returned there and split his time between the business and school in Chattanooga. When he ultimately went full-time, his father directed him to take on the small antique-tire niche, which was then less than 5% of the company. “I suddenly realized that selling hot-rod and Model A tires to these guys made them very happy,” he said. “They smiled when they did business with me because they got to play with their toys. I really got my head into it and started developing some ideas and goals of my own.” Over the years, Coker put those ideas into practice and began to add to the goals. The antique-tire segment of the business now encompasses 95% of Coker Tire’s earnings, and the company ships tires throughout the United States and to 32 other countries. Coker acquired vintage molds from around the world to build stock, contracting with both domestic and foreign manufacturers to produce the company’s inventory. He negotiated licensing agreements and distributorship deals for vintage tires with producers, such as BFGoodrich, Firestone, Michelin and U.S. Royal, and he developed a separate division to sell accessories and automobile collectibles and memorabilia. Coker’s personal auto collection includes more than 50 cars and 50 antique motorcycles, and he takes part annually in The Great Race, which is an antique touring event that runs from coast to coast. In 1998, Coker acquired Honest Charley, one of America’s first speed shops, which was started in 1948 by Honest Charley Card. He was one of the founders of the Automotive Restoration Market Organization, which named Coker Tire its Manufacturer of the Year in 1997 and inducted Coker into its Hall of Fame the following year. He served numerous terms on the SEMA Board of Directors and became the association’s chairman in 2003. Though faith and charity are hallmarks of his character, Coker’s humanitarian and community involvements are less well-known. He is a recipient of the Silver Beaver award from the Boy Scouts of America, that organization’s highest volunteer honor. In addition, he was selected as Tennessee’s Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration in 1996. He has made charitable visits to the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf in Granville, Jamaica, and he serves on the board of directors for Chosen Children Ministries, a Christ-centered ministry to orphanages, with a focus on Nicaragua. Family has always been at the core of Coker’s life, both personally and in business. He points to his father and his grandfather as the major figures who guided him. He has been married to Theresa Coker for 42 years. Coker’s passion for his family and the industry is obvious, but he also holds an abiding love for his country. “When we have the opportunity to be out in a convertible or a hot rod and see America, they always give us a thumbs-up and say that they love what we do,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I cherish that? It’s absolutely the best part of what I do.”