Scottsdale, Arizona.

This week Krista reminds us that the word “spare” has three meanings. The more common is probably best described as “extra”. The other adjective definition is “elegantly simple”. Finally there is the verb “spare”, to refrain from harming. You can read the entire challenge post here. For my submission, I decided to focus on the spare tire. Our modern cars with high performance tires are so reliable that people give little thought to the small, compact spares that are barely large enough to hold up their end of the car. In the early days of the automobile, though, spares were a requirement so necessary that many cars travelled with two as in the example above.  This 1932 Auburn 12 160A convertible features two spare tires, one on each side, just in case.

Common in that era, the matching spare tires on either side became a support for two external rear view mirrors as found on this 1929 Lasalle 328 convertible coupe.

Sometimes the car is so small, there is little room in the trunk to hold a spare tire. This early Ford Thunderbird sported its spare on the rear bumper.

Many cars sold in the mid-20th century could be accessorized with what was known as the “Continental Kit” Early European cars were often equipped with rear-mounted spare tires protected with matching covers. Obviously, the term “continental” refers to the European continent, the example above found on this 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

This 1942 Packard 160 Convertible sports two spares with matched metal covers. All of the vehicles in this post were found at Barrett-Jackson’s Auto Auction in Scottsdale Arizona.

John Steiner