Buick
IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

Here is a very old Buick sign that hearkens back to the days when the Buick brand carried an especially prestigious reputation.

Positioned between Chevrolet and Cadillac in General Motors' lineup, Buick earned a reputation for offering refined styling, engineering, and comfort to buyers looking for a step above the ordinary. Dealerships reflected that image with substantial roadside signs that emphasized quality and permanence rather than flashy gimmicks. Whether mounted on a pole or integrated into a showroom, Buick's distinctive script and tri-shield branding became familiar sights along America's commercial streets and highways.

Today, vintage Buick dealership signs have become prized pieces of automotive history. As older single-franchise dealerships disappeared and were replaced by larger multi-brand auto centers, many of these classic marquees were lost. Surviving examples serve as reminders of an era when every dealership had its own distinctive roadside identity.

UPDATE: The current status of the Buick sign shown here is unverified. Like many vintage dealership marquees, it may no longer survive at its original location, making photographs such as this an important record of America's automotive roadside heritage. 06-26

Hainen Buick (Gone)
Tipton, MO
Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans

Here's an old classic Buick sign. This one in Tipton features the vintage Buick script across the top, a familiar sight that once welcomed customers to Hainen Buick.

For generations, Hainen Buick served motorists in central Missouri, becoming one of the region's longtime family-owned automobile dealerships. Like many small-town dealers, the business wasn't simply a place to buy a new car—it was a community institution where local families returned year after year. The dealership's classic Buick sign reflected an era when manufacturers equipped their franchises with distinctive roadside displays that became landmarks in their own right.

With its elegant Buick lettering and traditional styling, the sign recalls a time when the brand occupied a prestigious place in General Motors' lineup, offering buyers a step above the everyday family car. Vintage dealership signs like this helped define the commercial landscape of towns across America, giving each dealership a distinctive identity long before standardized corporate branding became the norm.

UPDATE: Hainen Buick appears to now be closed and gone. 06-26

Abbott Auto Parks Co.
Columbus, OH
Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans

The Abbott Auto Parks Co. sign in Columbus looks like it's about to be overgrown by brush. Weathered by time and slowly disappearing behind the surrounding vegetation, it serves as a quiet reminder of the city's automotive past.

Independent auto parts suppliers once played an essential role in keeping America's growing fleet of automobiles on the road. Before national chain stores became commonplace, neighborhood parts houses stocked everything from belts and bearings to engine components, serving local mechanics and do-it-yourself motorists alike. Their roadside signs were designed to be simple, durable, and easy to spot from the street.

Although little is known about Abbott Auto Parks Co. today, its surviving sign remains an interesting piece of commercial history. Time and nature have softened its once-prominent presence, but it continues to hint at an era when independent automotive businesses lined the streets of cities like Columbus.

UPDATE: The current status of the business is unverified. At the time this photograph was taken, the vintage sign remained standing, though it was becoming increasingly obscured by surrounding brush and vegetation. 06-26

Coachbuilt Motors
Columbus, OH
Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans

Coachbuilt Motors of Columbus features a marquee displaying its specialty—the Rolls-Royce.

Independent specialty garages have long filled an important niche in the automotive world, focusing on makes that require specialized knowledge and parts. Rather than servicing everyday transportation, shops like Coachbuilt Motors cater to owners of luxury British automobiles, particularly Rolls-Royce and Bentley models, providing maintenance, repairs, and restoration work that many general repair shops are not equipped to handle.

The business's roadside marquee reflects that unique focus. Displaying the Rolls-Royce name prominently, the sign immediately distinguishes the shop from ordinary repair garages and hints at the rare automobiles that can often be found inside. For passing motorists, it serves as an unexpected reminder that even an unassuming commercial building can house some of the world's most prestigious automobiles.

UPDATE: Coachbuilt Motors continues to operate from its longtime Hudson Street location, specializing in the service and restoration of Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles. The distinctive roadside marquee remains a unique landmark for automotive enthusiasts visiting Columbus. 06-26

Lombardi Buick (Gone)
Wilmington, IL
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Lombardi Chevy and Buick dealership still features an old marquee as it sits across from the Gemini Giant on Route 66. For decades, Lombardi Chevrolet-Buick was a familiar stop for motorists traveling historic Route 66 through Wilmington. The dealership occupied one of the most recognizable stretches of the Mother Road, directly across from the famous Launching Pad Drive-In and its towering Gemini Giant, creating one of the route's most memorable automotive landmarks.

The dealership's vintage marquee remains a reminder of an era when independent automobile dealers invested in distinctive roadside signs to attract passing motorists. Standing along old Route 66, the sign recalls the heyday of postwar American car culture, when Chevrolet and Buick dealerships were fixtures of small-town commercial districts and the local dealer played an important role in the community.

UPDATE: The longtime Lombardi dealership was sold to the Arnie Bauer Automotive Group in 2021 and continues to operate as a Chevrolet GMC dealership. While the business has entered a new chapter, the classic roadside was taken down sometime during the pandemic. 06-26

OK Used Cars
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

At one time, OK Used Car lots were quite plentiful. This sign is still in great condition. Check out the neon still lining all of the lettering. The OK Used Cars brand first began with Chevrolet in the mid-1920s and referenced a red "O.K." tag inspection checklist. In many ways, it was the predecessor to today's certified pre-owned vehicle programs.

For decades, the familiar OK Used Cars emblem was a common sight at Chevrolet dealerships across America, reassuring buyers that a vehicle had been inspected before being offered for sale. Dedicated used car lots displaying the logo became fixtures along commercial strips and highways, where dealers competed for the attention of passing motorists looking for dependable transportation.

This beautifully preserved Illinois sign is a reminder of that era. With its classic styling and neon still outlining every letter, it recalls a time when roadside signs were just as important as the automobiles they advertised. Surviving examples in this condition have become increasingly rare as dealerships modernized and older marquees disappeared from the American landscape.

UPDATE: The current location and status of this particular sign are unverified. However, original OK Used Cars signs have become highly collectible pieces of automotive advertising history and are among the most recognizable dealership signs of the mid-20th century. 06-26

Ford Mercury
IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

At the left is another old dealership sign. This one is for a vintage Ford/Mercury dealership in Illinois. For much of the mid-20th century, Ford and Mercury were commonly paired under the same dealership roof. The arrangement allowed dealers to offer everything from practical, affordable Ford models to Mercury's more upscale lineup, giving customers a wider range of choices without leaving the showroom.

Like many dealerships of the era, this one relied on a prominent roadside marquee to attract passing motorists. Featuring both the familiar Ford script and Mercury name, the sign recalls a time when independent dealerships were fixtures of nearly every downtown and commercial strip. Before Mercury was discontinued in 2011, signs like this welcomed generations of buyers shopping for everything from family sedans and station wagons to performance cars and luxury cruisers.

UPDATE: The current location and status of this particular sign are unverified. As older Ford-Mercury dealerships disappeared and the Mercury brand came to an end, surviving dealership signs like this have become increasingly uncommon reminders of America's automotive past. 06-26