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Car Signs (page 2)

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Erie-LaSalle Body Shop [gone]
Chicago, IL

2009 and 2012:
2025:
The Erie-LaSalle Body Shop opened in 1934. This sign was built in 1957 by White Way Sign. The car depicted is a "Forward Look" Chrysler. The sign is about ten feet wide. It was never animated. These photos are from 2009 and 2012. The shop moved down the street in 2016. In 2017, the sign was restored and moved to the new location. In 2026, the business was sold and the sign was removed. It is now at Industrial Artifacts in DeKalb, IL.

Hiway House Motel
Albuquerque, NM
The Hiway House Motel was part of a Southwest chain. It was established in 1956 in Phoenix, AZ. This location opened in 1958 and I believe it is the only one left. This sign is the original. Initially, it was painted blue. In 2024, the motel was demolished. A new boutique hotel will be built on the property. The sign will be kept but might be moved to a rooftop bar. It is not known if the name will remain the same. Construction will begin in 2025. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. [map]

Jenkins Motor Shop [gone]
Bedford, IN		 Auto Electric and Speedometer [gone]
Long Beach, CA
United Motors Service was a car parts and accessories company. These signs were mass-produced and hung at garages all across the country.

This sign hung above Jenkins Motor Shop when this photo was taken in 2009. The sign was later moved inside the shop. The shop closed in 2018 and the sign was removed before the building was demolished in 2019.

This sign hung in front of Auto Electric and Speedometer. This photo is from 2008. By 2011, this sign was gone. These signs were once displayed nationwide.

There are a few other signs like this on display in Abbeville, AL and Kearney, NE.

Maine's Used Cars
Albuquerque, NM		 D&M Auto Body [gone]
Dover, OH
The Maine's Used Cars sign apparently read "D&J's Used Cars" originally. I don't know where this sign was installed originally. It is now in a private collection.

The D&M Auto Body sign appeared to be vintage with new neon added to reflect the current business name. It was gone by 2025.

Shope's Tires [gone]
Columbus, OH		 Coachbuilt Motors [gone]
Columbus, OH
Shope's Tires adapted this vintage sign with a plastic box. The sign was probably from the 1950s. The neon under the plastic box read "Drive-in". Does anyone know what business this sign was originally associated with? This sign disappeared around 2015. The building now houses Total Auto Repair.

The Coachbuilt Motors sign featured a neon Rolls Royce. Coachbuilt had been around since the early 1970s. I don't know if this sign was adapted from a previous business or created at that time. It's possible that this sign was inspired by the one that was at Shope's Tires. By 2024, the sign was gone.

Earl Scheib
Beverly Hills, CA
Earl Scheib opened his first auto body and paint shop in Los Angeles in 1937. By the 1950s, the company had become a nationwide chain. Scheib appeared in the company's television commercials touting that he would paint any car, any color for $19.95. The company folded in 2010 but there are still many former locations still using the Earl Scheib name. During the 1950s, the company developed this globe sign with revolving neon cars. It's not known how many were produced or if they were used outside of the Los Angeles area. There are only two known to exist: this one in Beverly Hills and one from Compton, CA which is now at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH.

The globe part of the sign was installed above a steel panel sign with text and neon reading "Earl Scheib Auto Painting." The globe is about six and a half feet wide. The ring around the globe supports six cars outlined in alternating yellow, blue, and green neon. When the museum got its sign, the ring and cars were missing. Those were refabricated. The globe which was nearly bare metal, had to be repainted.

There was an Earl Scheib shop on the site of the present-day strip mall in Beverly Hills. It is not known who owns the sign but the neon continues to be lit at night. The metal cars appear to be original but they no longer spin. The neon on both the Beverly Hills and Cincinnati cars are simpler replacements. The original neon outline included round roofs, front and rear bumpers, and round wheels. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Spokane Auto Auction
Spokane, WA		 Clackamas Auto Parts
Oregon City, OR		 Everett Used Cars
Everett, WA
This cute car detail is on top of the Spokane Auto Auction's reworked plastic sign. [map]

The Clackamas Auto Parts store was founded in 1934. The business moved to its current location in 1945. The store's sign was built in 1966. The sign is about 11 feet wide. It was restored in 1996 after obtaining a permit from the City for its temporary removal. The Model T is outlined with white neon and has animated, red neon wheels. The sign's neon arrow flashes on and off. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Everett Used Cars sign is probably from the 1960s. For more, see this website. [map]

ABC Autos
Tampa, FL
2009: 2020:
The ABC Autos sign was still animated and lit at night in 2009. The neon was removed sometime in or after 2011. Around 2015, two of these updated, non-neon signs were installed. By 2016, only this one remained. It appears that the new panels were installed directly on top of the old cans. For more, see this website. [map]

Car Signs
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Companion Page		 Main Signs Page