The Story Behind The Gigantic Tire on I-94 Have you ever wondered what the story is on the gigantic Uniroyal Tire visible off I-94 in Allen Park, between the Southfield Freeway Interchange and Outer Drive overpass? You certainly can’t miss it, as it stands over 80 feet high and weighs 12 tons. It was originally created by the United States Rubber Company for the 1964 New York World’s fair, where at the time it functioned as a Ferris Wheel. After the fair ended in 1965 it was disassembled and shipped to Detroit requiring 22 trucks. Once in Detroit it was reassembled, minus it’s passenger gondolas as a static display outside the Uniroyal sales office in 1966. After a period of time the sales offices moved, but the gigantic tire remained in its location.