Читать книгу Lost Muscle Car Dealerships - Duncan Scott Brown - Страница 19

During the mid-1980s, Clippinger Chevrolet was headed by Norm Clippinger’s son. When Norm’s son died, Norm (who was then in his 70s) came back to run the dealership once again. In 1999, he sold the dealership to Dighton America Inc., which was owned by Ziad Alhassen. Norm Clippinger died on January 22, 2003, shortly after he turned 90.

Clippinger Chevrolet relocated to a new dealer row right along I-10 at 1900 East Garvey Avenue South, West Covina, in 2005. After a short time, the location closed and was briefly occupied by Hummer. By 2012, the Hummer dealer was closed and the property was up for sale.

The 1967 state-of-the-art Clippinger dealership in Covina is currently being used as an overflow storage lot for local dealerships. The vacant former locations of Clippinger Chrysler Jeep (298 N. Azusa Avenue) and Clippinger Chevrolet-Oldsmobile (137 W. San Bernardino Road) were placed in auction.

Wesley Willison, the grandson of sales wizard Willie, mounted a campaign in 2007 to save the 60-year-old neon Clippinger Chevrolet Sign that still stands above the 1967 mega dealership building.

A brand-new building at 1900 East Garvey Avenue South hosted Clippinger Chevrolet for a brief stint shortly after Norman Clippinger sold it. The building is now vacant.