A look back at blue and gold tires

Question:

My question deals with tires. Along with playing around with old cars I am also a model car builder. My main interest is in mid-1960s to early 1970s race cars. I would like to know the years that Goodyear used the blue ring on their racing tires and the years Firestone used the gold ring on their racing tires.

Answer:

An interesting question, indeed. According to my research, Goodyear introduced its Blue Streak tires with the blue line circa 1954. There were racing versions and street car versions as well. Considered premium, high-performance tires, Blue Streaks were OEM on various vehicles, including Shelby American creations, Chrysler Letter cars, and in at least one special order example, a mid-year Corvette. You can still buy Blue Streak tires today from specialized tiredealers such as SascoSports in Alton, Virginia, (www.sascosports.com).

One more tidbit of information you may be interested in is that Goodyear produced a lot of “Blue Streak” model tires that didn’t have a blue line at all. Some were whitewalls and some were blackwalls.

I could not find any concrete information as to when Firestone started making its gold-striped racing tires, but know from vintage photos that they go back at least as early as the late 1950s.

As with the Blue Streaks, there were street legal versions of the Firestones and you can still buy reproductions today from companies like Coker Tire (www.cokertire.com).