Rose's Auto (Gone)
Seaside, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Cruising along Del Monte Boulevard in Seaside, check out the old roadside sign for Rose’s Auto. Weathered and looking like it had been standing there for quite a while, the sign gave the repair shop plenty of neighborhood garage character.

The business was officially known as Rose Automotive and served the Monterey Peninsula for decades. It handled general repairs and transmission work from the little shop along this busy coastal route. Nothing fancy was needed out front. The aging sign and open garage bays let passing motorists know where to pull in when the car started acting up.

UPDATE: Rose Automotive closed after its longtime operators retired. Wayside Garage later took over the property and now uses the location for automotive service. The old Rose’s Auto roadside sign has been removed and replaced with modern shop branding. 09-26

Tony's Muffler (Gone)
San Jose, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Pulling through downtown San Jose, check out the vintage sign for Tony’s Muffler Service. The big promise here was “15 minute drive-in service.” Fifteen minutes for a new muffler sounds almost fast enough to leave the engine running.

The neon sign made sure motorists knew they could pull into the little garage on South Almaden Avenue and get back on the road without losing the rest of the afternoon. With its bold lettering and quick-service claim, it had just the right look for a neighborhood auto shop from the postwar years.

Tony’s Muffler also had a place in San Jose’s local car culture. The shop worked on hot rods, including lowering cars by heating their coil springs, and even sponsored racing at the old San Jose Speedway. A quick muffler shop with a little racing history hiding behind the garage doors.

UPDATE: Tony’s Muffler Service has closed, and its “15 minute drive-in service” neon sign has been removed. The current whereabouts of the old sign are unknown. 09-26

Porter Sprague (Gone)
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Cruising through downtown Sacramento, check out the roadside sign for Porter-Sprague Automotive. The old shop had been fixing cars since 1917, long before cupholders, backup cameras, and probably a few traffic signals arrived in town.

Porter-Sprague spent 51 years at its 12th Street location, handling everything from daily drivers to classic-car bodywork and mechanical restoration. It became a familiar stop for Sacramento car collectors who needed someone willing to work on an older set of wheels.

Longtime co-owner Ed Quint worked at the shop for more than half a century. He briefly retired during the 1990s, but apparently retirement did not stick. Quint returned to the garage and continued running the operation until selling the property at age 85. Some people are just not ready to put down the wrench.

UPDATE: Porter-Sprague closed on July 13, 2015, after 98 and a half years in business and just short of its centennial. The old roadside sign was removed, and the property was eventually converted for commercial vehicle fleet rental use. Several former employees later opened Porter’s Old 2 New Automotive elsewhere in Sacramento. 09-26

C&H Motor Parts
Placerville, CA
Photo courtesy Scott Strickland

Heading down Main Street in Placerville, check out the old storefront sign at C&H Motor Parts. With its big lettering, yellow awning, and familiar parts-company emblems, the place looks ready to supply whatever might be needed to get an old car back on the road. 10-09

C&H has been doing business in Placerville since 1934. The family-owned store carries parts for everyday cars and trucks, but it also helps with classic vehicles and the heavy equipment used around the surrounding foothills. That makes it a handy stop whether the project is sitting in a driveway or working somewhere out in the forest.

UPDATE: C&H Motor Parts remains open at its longtime Main Street location. The vintage storefront sign and yellow awning are still in place, keeping the old parts-store look alive in downtown Placerville. 09-26

Wheel Works (Gone)
San Jose, CA
Photo courtesy Scott Strickland

Need a tire or wheel repaired? The giant whitewall outside Wheel Works in San Jose made it pretty clear that this was the place to stop. No need to read the smaller lettering when a tire the size of a roadside marquee was hanging above South First Street.

The big whitewall looks a little like the signs once used by Mark C. Bloome and Winston tire stores, but this one had a history of its own. The shop originally operated as Tire Service Company, which commissioned the neon sign from Electrical Products Corporation around 1952. Wheel Works later took over the location and wisely kept the old sign.

The bent neon tubing gave the tire its layered whitewall look, turning an ordinary piece of rubber into a nighttime roadside attraction. Get the tire fixed, admire the sign, and try not to drive over another nail on the way home. 10-09

UPDATE: This Wheel Works location closed, and the old garage was demolished for the Martha Gardens housing development. The giant neon whitewall sign was removed. 09-26