A continental tire or a continental kit is the common U.S. term for an upright externally-mounted spare tire behind an automobile's trunk.
These were available as factory-installed or aftermarket "kits" with full-sized spare wheels. The term is also applied to a cosmetic accessory designed to give the impression of an exposed rear-mounted spare tire.
The term also describes a tire-like styling bulge stamped into the trunk lid. This non-functional feature appeared on the 1956 Continental Mark II[citation needed] and through successive generations pf Mark-series Continentals until the 1998 model year.