It’s the ’80s all over again: big hair, big flares and big airs. Thanks to events like Radwood, cars once relegated to the kids’ table now have a seat front and center.
And if those cars are going to see the spotlight, they deserve appropriate tires. “I personally think period-correct is best,” says Tim McNair of Grand Prix Concours, a guy who regularly judges and details multi-million collector autos but also has a Lancia Delta Integrale back at home.
Whether or not they still sport tread, all tires should be pulled from service around their sixth birthday. For traditional classics–think prewar through the ’70s–a world exists for fresh tires that mimic ones from days past. For later classics, that market is emerging, and here are a few favorites. Your local shop might not stock these retro tires, but several online specialists can deliver them, including Tire Rack, Summit Racing and Coker Tire.
Yokohama’s famed A008 line that defined the ’80s is still available stateside, provided you have one of two cars: a classic Mini or a G-body Porsche 911.
The Toyo Proxes RA1 dates back to 1991, so why not add them to that ’90s performance build? Available sizes run down to a 205/60R13.
While aimed at ’80s supercars, the relaunched Pirelli P Zero also comes in a the ever-popular 205/50R15 size.
Vredestein calls its Sprint+ suitable for modern European classics, as it comes in appropriate sizes like 195/60R15, 205/55R15 and 215/50R15. The line also includes a few 17s.
Cooper still offers the Cobra Radial G/T with raised white letters in both 14- and 15-inch sizes.
Pirelli has also put its P700-Z, an icon of the late ’80s and early ’90s, back into production. Offered sizes include the 225/45R16 for the original M3.
The BFGoodrich Radial T/A line is still available, raised white letters and all, with sizes ranging from 205/60R13–perfect for that early RX-7–up to a super-meaty 295/50R15.
Pirelli’s hot performance tire in the mid-’70s was the Cinturato P7, and it’s back. Tire Rack stocks 16-inch sizes targeted at the Porsche market.
The ’90s-looking Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 comes in just two 16-inch sizes–205/55R16 and 225/50R16–intended to cover the Porsche 911 and 928.
To complete that Fox-body Mustang restoration, Goodyear Collector Series offers the Eagle Gatorback in the proper 225/60VR15 size. Ten-hole alloys sold separately.
The Goodyear Collector Series covers those ’80s Camaros and Firebirds, too, with its 215/65R15 Eagle GT.
The Michelin Pilot SX MXX3, a top-performance radial in the ’80s and ’90s, is back, with available sizes for ’80s-era Porsches: 205/55R16 and 245/45R16.
Michelin introduced the low-profile radial tire to the world in 1975 via the TRX model line. The system used metric-sized tires and rim diameters and was eventually found on many world-class machines, including the BMW M6 and Ford Mustang SVO. The TRX system eventually faded from use, but Michelin Classic offers reproductions.
Photography (Mostly) Courtesy Tire Rack
