McNamara Pontiac (Gone)
Orlando, FL Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the towering neon sign for McNamara
Pontiac on Colonial Drive in Orlando. With its red, yellow, and white lighting and familiar Pontiac imagery, this was dealership advertising that certainly knew how to get noticed. Even without shopping for a car, a roadside fan had a good reason to slow down for a closer look.
Dennis McNamara established the dealership in downtown Orlando in 1961, moving the business to Colonial Drive in 1965. The sign’s precise origins are less certain, with accounts suggesting it may have incorporated an earlier dealership display. Whatever its beginnings, it became a memorable part of Orlando’s commercial landscape during the years of chrome bumpers and Pontiac muscle cars.
McNamara Pontiac day shot
Orlando, FL Photo courtesy Robert Droz
The dealership closed in 2006, but the sign remained standing for several more years, continuing to advertise a business that was no longer there. Its removal in 2013 could easily have marked the end of the story. Fortunately, this enormous piece of roadside advertising attracted preservation interest instead of simply heading for the scrap pile.
UPDATE: The McNamara Pontiac sign was saved and documented in the Morse Museum’s collection of historic Central Florida signs. A 2015 report described it among the neon landmarks stored in a Winter Park warehouse. Although it no longer greets motorists on Colonial Drive, its preservation gives this colorful piece of Orlando history a happier ending than many dealership signs received. 07-26
ABC Auto
Tampa, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
ABC Auto on Florida Avenue in Tampa has a neon outlined auto perched
high above their car lot. The red lights twirl to give the illusion of
moving car wheels while white dancing neon simulates smoke rising up from
the engine. The two photos show a view from each side. As if this was not enough to get the attention of potential car buyers
on this densely populated road, a twinkling star looms even higher a few
feet from it. Banners proclaim that ABC is "your shining dealer." Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.
As if an illuminated automobile weren’t enough, a twinkling star rises even higher nearby. Banners proclaiming ABC as “your shining dealer” tie the whole display together. The two photographs show opposite sides of an advertising landmark designed to catch motorists coming from either direction.
ABC Auto
Tampa, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
The sign turns a used-car lot into something worth remembering long after driving past. Its moving lights give the car a cartoon-like personality, making it seem ready to roll away despite being firmly attached to its perch. This is the sort of roadside ingenuity that makes an older commercial strip such an enjoyable place to explore.
UPDATE: ABC Autos remains in business on North Florida Avenue. The animated neon car was documented operating after dark in 2009, although its present lighting and animation could not be independently confirmed. The photographs preserve the display in its lively neon form, complete with spinning wheels, rising smoke, and that extra star overhead. 07-26
Holler Chevrolet (Gone)
Winter Park, FL Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
There was a time when buying a new car meant driving past rows of shiny chrome, colorful pennants, and plenty of glowing neon. Holler Chevrolet fit that picture perfectly, with a pair of eye-catching signs that brightened Orlando Avenue in Winter Park and welcomed drivers from blocks away.
Rows of shiny cars, colorful pennants, and glowing neon once made Holler Chevrolet a memorable stop in Winter Park, Florida. The dealership’s signs supplied plenty of roadside personality, announcing the Chevrolet name above the surrounding traffic. These were the sorts of displays that could make a car lot worth photographing after the sales staff had gone home.
The Holler dealership began in Orlando in 1938 and moved to Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park in 1966. Its advertising included a vertical Chevrolet sign and an “OK” used-car sign, with “Save Dollars at Hollers” appearing on the reverse of the latter. The signs were selling more than transportation—they helped make the dealership a recognizable local landmark.
Holler Chevrolet (Gone)
Winter Park, FL Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The signs followed different paths as the business changed locations. One large display was moved from Fairbanks Avenue to the dealership’s State Road 436 property by 2007. After General Motors ended the Chevrolet franchise agreement in 2009, the operation shifted toward used cars, and the Chevrolet panel on that sign was replaced with Driver’s Mart lettering in 2010.
UPDATE: The old Fairbanks Avenue dealership had closed by 2006, and its remaining signs were removed by 2011. The relocated sign survived in altered form at the State Road 436 operation. The Holler family continues in the automotive business, but the vintage Chevrolet displays pictured here belong to an earlier chapter of Winter Park’s roadside landscape. 07-26
Bond Auto
Tampa, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
The prize for largest neon auto sign has to go to Bond Auto. It just
may be the largest neon sign in Tampa. It proudly announces that they
have sold over 8000 cars. Given the age of the sign, it is not that impressive
of a number. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.
Bond Auto Sales opened in 1962, and the sign is believed to date from around that time. Its towering scale made it a landmark along a road filled with automotive businesses competing for passing traffic. This was roadside advertising with little interest in being subtle—big lettering and plenty of neon made sure motorists knew where to find the cars.
UPDATE: The sign structure survived, but its original neon appearance did not. By 2024, the neon had been removed and the display adapted for Carpoint, another used-car dealership. Part of the old landmark carries on, although the glowing Bond Auto sign captured here has become another piece of Tampa’s roadside history. 07-26
Eric's Auto (Gone)
Tampa, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
The funny part about that section of Florida Ave. is that it appears
car dealers must have a thing for cars on a stick. Directly across from
ABC is Eric's Auto. They also flaunt an auto on top of a pole although
not quite as glamorous as the one at ABC. You can see their star shining
in the background. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.
Directly across from ABC Auto and its neon-outlined automobile, Eric’s added another elevated car to this memorable stretch of roadside advertising. Why leave every vehicle parked at ground level when one could do the advertising overhead? Together, the dealerships offered the sort of quirky scene that made cruising an older commercial strip worth the trip.
UPDATE: Eric’s Auto and its car-on-a-pole display are reportedly gone. The dealership’s closing date and the eventual fate of the elevated automobile remain uncertain. Fortunately, this photograph preserves a time when attracting customers involved putting a real car where nobody could possibly take it for a test drive. 07-26
ABC Auto
ABC Auto
Bond Auto
Eric's Auto (Gone)
