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The Uniroyal Giant Tire
The Uniroyal Giant Tire is the largest non-production tire ever built and is a well-known roadside attraction. It is regarded as a symbol of Michigan, The United States Rubber Company, and the Detroit Auto Industry. It is located in Allen Park, MI along Interstate 94 (I-94) near Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW).
The Giant Tire is 80 feet tall (24 m) and weighs 12 tons. The exterior tire tread is six inches deep, with an interior volume of 120,576 cubic feet. A giant nail, which was inserted in 1998 and removed in 2003, was 11 feet tall (3.4m) and weighed 250 lbs. [1]
History and Renovations
editThe tire was first created as a Ferris wheel at the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair and was designed by the firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. It carried over 2 million people, including Jacqueline Kennedy and her children. The Ferris Wheel contained 24 barrel-shaped gondolas, each carrying 4 people.[2] When the fair ended in 1965, the tire was shipped by rail in 188 sections to the Uniroyal headquarters near I-94. The reassembly took 4 months and the tire was anchored in concrete and steel.
In 1994, the Giant Uniroyal tire was renovated through the addition of neon lights for the lettering of UNIROYAL and a new hubcap. In 1998, a giant nail was driven into the tire as a promotion for Uniroyal's new puncture resistant tire. In 2003, Uniroyal renovated the Giant Tire as part of Detroit's I-94 corridor revitalization project. The $1 million renovation included the replacement of 30 interior steel beams, asphalt and storm drain installation and the replacement of the neon lettering with reflective lettering. [3]
References
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