The Giant Tire located in Detroit, Michigan, is made of fiberglass and is 86' tall - the equivalent of an eight story building. It debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 as a working ferris wheel. The ferris wheel consisted of 24 barrel-shaped gondolas, rotating around the circumference of the tire. More than two million people rode it. After the Fair, it was brought back to Detroit, sans ferris wheel cars, as an advertising landmark for the U.S. Royal (now Uniroyal) plant and tourist attraction.
However, in 1990, Michelin Tire bought Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Co. and renovated and updated the Giant Tire in 1994. Neon lighting and a new hubcab were added. In 1998, the tire was altered to advertise the company's self-sealing Tiger Paw NailGard tire and a 10' long nail was stuck in it. A new hubcab was added that said "Takes on Nails". The Tire still stands today, without the nail, on eastbound I-94 in Allen Park. It was renovated again in 2003.
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