By SEMA Editors

The Coker Group purchased PS Engineering and Vintage Wheel Works, marking the second major purchase by the Coker Group since its purchase by the Coker management team and Irving Place Capital in October 2018.

The Coker Group, manufacturer of collector car and motorcycle wheels and tires that includes the Coker Tire, Wheel Vintiques, Universal Vintage Tire, Phoenix Race Tires, Specialty Wheel and Roadster Wire Wheel brands, announced its purchase of PS Engineering and Vintage Wheel Works. This purchase represents the second major acquisition by the Coker Group since its purchase by the Coker management team and Irving Place Capital in October 2018.

“We’re very excited to announce Coker Group’s purchase of PS Engineering and Vintage Wheel Works,” said Coker President and CEO Wade Kawasaki. “Both brands are a natural fit for the Coker Group portfolio, and they represent a continued focus on the restoration market while allowing us to give our customers a broader spectrum of choices. As our first aluminum wheel brands, we can now offer customers everything from a period-correct 15-in. five-spoke ‘mag’-style wheel to a 17-in. Pro-Touring wheel that still has a period-correct feel, all backed by the quality, customer service and fulfillment they have come to expect from Coker.”

Vintage Wheel Works offers a wide variety of high-quality cast aluminum wheels in an array of iconic styles popularized on musclecars and race cars from the ’60s and ’70s. Its broad size and fitment options accommodate everything from restorations and period-correct builds to larger wheels for restomod and Pro-Touring cars, with diameters designed to accommodate modern performance brakes and tires.

PS Engineering has offered made-in-America two-piece cast aluminum wheels for vintage racing, motorsports, musclecars and concours restorations for decades and will continue that tradition under Coker management. The brand has been a wheel of choice in the historic racing and Cobra communities for decades, and are competition proven on some of the fastest and rarest historic race cars.

Coker Tire will become a distributor for both brands, offering them through its catalog and website.

By Matt Kennedy

According to SEMA’s new “Modern Muscle Car Accessorizor Report,” 44% of modern musclecar owners have accessorized their cars.

Did you know that 44% of modern musclecar owners have accessorized their cars?

Drivers of ’10-and-newer Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers are passionate about their vehicles:

• 68% say their car is their life.
• 84% love working on their car.

It may surprise some people, but most (58%) say they prefer to buy parts in person, and 75% of their upgrade parts are bought in-store.

With three-fourths (76%) of these owners saying they are always looking for their next modification, this segment represents a huge opportunity for repeat business and to build long-term relationships with your customers.

Want to learn more about modern musclecar owners? Check out SEMA’s new “Modern Muscle Car Accessorizer Report.”

By Matt Kennedy

According to SEMA’s new “Modern Muscle Car Accessorizor Report,” 44% of modern musclecar owners have accessorized their cars.

Did you know that 44% of modern musclecar owners have accessorized their cars?

Drivers of ’10-and-newer Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers are passionate about their vehicles:

• 68% say their car is their life.
• 84% love working on their car.

It may surprise some people, but most (58%) say they prefer to buy parts in person, and 75% of their upgrade parts are bought in-store.

With three-fourths (76%) of these owners saying they are always looking for their next modification, this segment represents a huge opportunity for repeat business and to build long-term relationships with your customers.

Want to learn more about modern musclecar owners? Check out SEMA’s new “Modern Muscle Car Accessorizer Report.”

By SEMA Washington, D.C, Staff

A federal district court judge upheld a lower court ruling issued last September that rejected a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) plan to add 137 miles of off-road vehicle trails in central Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest.

A conservation group had challenged the plan’s environmental analysis regarding habitat for elk, wolves and native fish. The USFS plan would have expanded the existing off-highway vehicle trail system of 674 miles by 20%, including 53 miles of newly developed roads and trails connecting to the existing system.

The USFS must now pursue a new plan. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C, Staff

A federal district court judge upheld a lower court ruling issued last September that rejected a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) plan to add 137 miles of off-road vehicle trails in central Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest.

A conservation group had challenged the plan’s environmental analysis regarding habitat for elk, wolves and native fish. The USFS plan would have expanded the existing off-highway vehicle trail system of 674 miles by 20%, including 53 miles of newly developed roads and trails connecting to the existing system.

The USFS must now pursue a new plan. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Several bills considered by the Massachusetts state legislature in 2018 failed to be approved prior to the adjournment of the session.

Several bills considered by the Massachusetts state legislature in 2018 failed to be approved prior to the adjournment of the session.

Legislation (H.B. 1857) that would have allowed vehicle owners to choose whether to display a front license plate was granted a Study Order and received a hearing but ultimately failed to pass out of the Joint Transportation Committee. A Study Order allows the committee of jurisdiction to review a bill during its recess prior to consideration. The bill also would have given the option of allowing owners to display a decorative plate on the front of a vehicle.

A bill (S.B. 2148) that would have created a separate definition for “antique motor vehicles” and require that they undergo annual emissions inspections to ensure that they meet emissions standards in effect at the time of manufacture was granted a Study Order and received a hearing but ultimately failed to pass out of the Joint Transportation Committee.

Legislation (H.B. 1872) that would have allowed vehicles registered as “Antique” to display year-of-manufacture plates with DMV approval passed its House committee but failed to receive a final vote on the House floor. Antique vehicles are defined as vehicles more than 25 years old that are maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Several bills considered by the Massachusetts state legislature in 2018 failed to be approved prior to the adjournment of the session.

Several bills considered by the Massachusetts state legislature in 2018 failed to be approved prior to the adjournment of the session.

Legislation (H.B. 1857) that would have allowed vehicle owners to choose whether to display a front license plate was granted a Study Order and received a hearing but ultimately failed to pass out of the Joint Transportation Committee. A Study Order allows the committee of jurisdiction to review a bill during its recess prior to consideration. The bill also would have given the option of allowing owners to display a decorative plate on the front of a vehicle.

A bill (S.B. 2148) that would have created a separate definition for “antique motor vehicles” and require that they undergo annual emissions inspections to ensure that they meet emissions standards in effect at the time of manufacture was granted a Study Order and received a hearing but ultimately failed to pass out of the Joint Transportation Committee.

Legislation (H.B. 1872) that would have allowed vehicles registered as “Antique” to display year-of-manufacture plates with DMV approval passed its House committee but failed to receive a final vote on the House floor. Antique vehicles are defined as vehicles more than 25 years old that are maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Several bills considered by the New York State Legislature in 2018 failed to be approved by both chambers prior to the adjournment of the session.

Several bills considered by the New York State Legislature in 2018 failed to be approved by both chambers prior to the adjournment of the session.

Legislation (A.B. 2405) that would have provided that historical vehicle owners only pay a one-time registration fee of $100 upon initial registration failed to receive consideration in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

A bill (A.B. 6563) that would have defined a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948 failed to receive consideration in the Assembly Transportation Committee. Under the bill, kit cars and replica vehicles would have been assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble.

A measure (A.B. 2791) that would have allowed for a single license plate to be displayed on the rear of a motor vehicle failed to pass the Assembly Transportation Committee.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Several bills considered by the New York State Legislature in 2018 failed to be approved by both chambers prior to the adjournment of the session.

Several bills considered by the New York State Legislature in 2018 failed to be approved by both chambers prior to the adjournment of the session.

Legislation (A.B. 2405) that would have provided that historical vehicle owners only pay a one-time registration fee of $100 upon initial registration failed to receive consideration in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

A bill (A.B. 6563) that would have defined a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948 failed to receive consideration in the Assembly Transportation Committee. Under the bill, kit cars and replica vehicles would have been assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble.

A measure (A.B. 2791) that would have allowed for a single license plate to be displayed on the rear of a motor vehicle failed to pass the Assembly Transportation Committee.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation (S.B. 331/H.B. 710) allowing for the titling of High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles as “historical motor vehicles” failed to be enacted as the legislature adjourned but may be carried-over for the 2019 legislative session.

Legislation (S.B. 331/H.B. 710) allowing for the titling of High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles as “historical motor vehicles” failed to be enacted as the legislature adjourned but may be carried-over for the 2019 legislative session.

“Historical motor vehicles” means a vehicle owned solely as a collector's item and for participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades and similar uses, but that in no event is used for general transportation. Under current law, HUMVEES are not able to be titled for any on-road use in the state.

The bills failed to receive a vote in the House Committee on Transportation and Public and the Senate Committee on Transportation, Commerce and Workforce.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.