Victory Auto Wreckers, known for beloved commercials on Chicago TV, to close
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's been a staple on Chicago TV for nearly 40 years – a man with a beard and a mullet opens the door of an old teal car parked on the street in front of a suburban-looking house, only for the door to fall right to the pavement.
Early versions of the Victory Auto Wreckers commercial had a voiceover declaring, "That old car is worth money." A later one, featuring Dean Richards of WGN-TV and Radio on voiceover, modified the opening line to, "That old car might be worth money."
Prior to 1985, the commercials featured a man shaking his head at an old car in front of an apartment complex – with much the same voiceover.
In 2015, the company introduced a CGI version of the ad – featuring what looked like that same teal car with the door falling off.
In recent years, the company even added a jingle – and a CGI graphic of the company's logo showing a Tyrannosaurus Rex destroying the teal car.
Spanish- and Polish-language version of the ad have also aired over the years. Victory Auto Wreckers even held a contest in 2015 for emulations of the classic commercial.
And there was this one with the experimental space band Monk 9 portraying superheroes whose crime-fighting car breaks down.
But you won't be seeing the iconic commercials much longer. Victory Auto Wreckers, located in Bensenville, has announced it is shutting down for good.
Victory Auto Wreckers was founded at the end of World War II in 1945, and has been at the same location ever since.
Their last day in business will be Nov. 18.