Tom,
I would like to thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts in such an eloquent manner. The most unfortunate result of expressing my feelings regarding those wheels and those who manufacture them, is that right now there is a lot of positive attention being given to a fine young man who has done very well with the restoration of a great car.......and my bias appears to be demeaning to his accomplishments. I can assure you that the statement "brutal diatribes against ......... the people that choose them" is not true. I don't believe I'm guilty of that. Believe me, I do know how wonderful and important it is to share one's hobby with a fine son. I'm lucky that I was able to enjoy a relationship like that myself. That focus should not be blurred by anyone's personal judgement of a component on the car. If I have offended anyone, it was not intentional, and I'm sorry.
As for the radials on that black car, I believe they are a justified concession away from nostalgia and toward modern technology and safety. Granted, if that car was sitting still it would look much more period-authentic with a set of red line bias Firestones (like it had in the late '60s), but that car has been driven on separate trips to North Carolina (twice), Ohio (three times), Michigan, Chicago (twice), Kansas City, Georgia, Alabama, Tennesee, and Toronto. All on those Goodyear PolySteel Radials.
Thank you again for your comments.
Best regards,
Verne
PS: I owe your friend with the little black Ford a call. He sent me a very nice package of photos of his "garage".
