- published: 17 Feb 2016
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A Continental tire is an upright, external, mounted spare tire behind an automobile's trunk compartment. The term also describes a non-functional bulge that is stamped into the trunk lid or a cosmetic accessory to the rear of the car giving the impression of a spare tire mount.
The pre-mounted spare tire and wheel combination on early automobiles typically meant an external mounting. Early European sports cars had their spare tire attached on the back of the automobile since their trunk or storage space was often very small.
The development of the enclosed trunk on automobiles meant the spare tire could be placed out of sight, but this arrangement used up valuable space for carrying luggage. Edsel Ford had a special car built after returning from a trip to Europe that would have a "continental look" – including a spare tire mounted on the trunk. The 1939 Lincoln Continental's short trunk with its external rear spare tire mount became a distinctive design. While this was not the first car to either carry its spare above the rear bumper or integrated into the rear bodywork, it was the first to do it so elegantly and thus this feature became known as a "Continental tire" even if the design was found on other brands.