Sawicki Chevrolet

Sawicki Chevrolet, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The logo on an old Chevrolet work truck, a late fifties Viking that's been left to the elements.

And, Sawicki Chevrolet is still a going concern.

Around the Clock

Around the Clock, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Vintage neon sign outside of a vintage restaurant in Crystal Lake, Illinois. I'm told this sign works pretty well, too, and looks great all lit up.

Coke Machine

Coke Machine, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The bottle opener on a very old, very beat up, vintage Coca-Cola machine. This used to be chromed or nickel plated-it's beyond redemption now, I imagine.

The machine sits outside all the time, in front of a vintage fifties themed restaurant.

Lola

Lola, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

One of the legendary names in motorsports, Lola built cars for many formulae, including F1, 2, 3, 5000, Atlantic, and various USAC and Indy Car series. But they were probably best known for their sports cars-Lola's original GT was the progenitor to Ford's GT40, and the company was successful in endurance racing through much of the sixties.

The T70 was probably Lola's most successful sports car, and the hot setup in the early days of the Can-Am. The car's first major win came in 1965, with Walt Hansgen's win at Laguna Seca, and John Surtees went on to win the '66 championship running his own Chevrolet-powered example. Within a couple of seasons the McLaren M6 became unbeatable, despite improvements to the Lola (including a coupe version). However the T70's low(ish) cost and reliability helped it remain a popular racing car until the early 70's. They remain so today in historic racing.

This is a '67 Mark III spider, and was photographed this past summer at Road America.

General Office Furniture

General Office Furniture sign #2-Chicago, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

From the archives, the former General Office Furniture location in Chicago. This was down on Milwaukee, near Grand if memory serves, and was hanging out front of a building that was clearly undergoing some rehab. When I saw the building the glass was out in the storefront, exposing a tin ceiling and some cast iron posts. I don't know if this sign is still hanging-I haven't been back in years.

I don't know much about the company, except that there's still a General Office Furniture listed in the city, over on Lake Street. I've often wondered if this sign was re-purposed from an old Chevrolet sign.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas!, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

So a little Chrimbles Cheer this Monday evening. The family Christmas tree, snapped with the ol' iPhone and an app to make it look like an old glass plate. Purty, puts me in the holiday spirit.

So, (insert appropriate holiday greeting here), Everyone!

Bowl-Mor Lanes

Bowl-Mor Lanes, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

When I become emperor of the whole world, I will decree that every bowling alley needs to have an interesting neon sign out front. Preferably a fifties style.

Spotted in Streator, IL.