The Chairman and CEO of both Tyron Automotive Group USA and Runflat America Corporation, Rick Cole has patterned his entire professional career around the automotive industry. As a teenager, Mr. Cole’s love of 50’s and 60’s era vehicles drew him to his initial career to become one of the world’s best known and most respected auctioneers of classic cars. Rick Cole Auctions, which he started in 1978 with only $200, soon became the pre-eminent source for collector vehicles internationally, holding record-breaking auctions in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Palm Springs, and Monterey.  In close to a 20-year span, Mr. Cole conducted over 100 major collector car auctions during which time he was known for having sold more significant private automobile collections than any other auction firm.   Later known as the “Auctioneer to the Stars”, Mr. Cole sold hundreds of personal vehicles for celebrities such as Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, Robin Williams, and Sylvester Stallone. He has sold over a dozen vehicles for over $1 Million each and a Ferrari 250P racing car for $3 Million. Just a few of the 20,000-plus classic cars Rick has sold through the years include the James Bond 007 Aston-Martin from the movie “Goldfinger”, the original “Batmobile” for its creator George Barris,  the convertible featured in the final scene of “Casablanca”, and the Buick Roadmaster from the film, “Rainman”.   His famous “Gold List” on what types of cars should be collected, appeared in “USA Today” for many years.

A true lover of motor sports, Mr. Cole was active for many years in the vintage racing world, and has competed (and won races) at major circuits across America including Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen and Road America.  He has also competed in the prestigious Mille Miglia in Italy.  In 1992, Cole signed a relatively unknown racing driver named Jimmy Vasser to his first contract and ran him in the Indy 500.

Mr. Cole is also heralded by racing enthusiasts for having constructed a 1.9 mile street circuit on the streets in LA’s local desert playground in 1990, bringing back the famed Palm Springs Road Races to prominence.

Mr. Cole retired from the auction world in 1997, but realizing in 2001 that the relatively unknown (at that time) Tyron® products could help save lives, started the Tyron Automotive Group in the United States.

Runflat America Corporation is a major supplier of runflat technologies to both the private and military sectors. To contact Rick Cole personally, e-mail rcole@runflat.com