Speed Shop Magnets

Based in Anaheim, Orange County Speed Shop opened its doors in 1949 as the post-war hot-rod craze was gaining momentum and quickly became one of the top sources for go-fast goodies on the west coast. They not only had a full-service retail business, but were quick to get into mail order and wholesale as well, distributing all the top brands to shops throughout the SoCal area.

The Bulloch Speed Shop official shop shirt.

vintage speed shop

Do you need parts for your '32 Ford Roadster? Then head over to the Traditional Hot Rods Speed Shop in Los Angeles! I started with a photograph taken at a local hot rod show and created the artwork in Photoshop.

JS Speed Center opened up in the late '50s in Westminster, California. Other than that they were a traditional old school speed shop, not much is known about them and all that remains is a few forum posts with vague recollections and some old waterslide decals.

Shelley's Auto Parts was an old school speed shop located in the Mission Hills area of San Fernando Valley. From the mid-sixties until the early '80s, they stocked a wealth of go fast goodies that any hot rodder or muscle car aficionado might need to make their ride go fast or just look like it.

If any single shop could be credited with the 'Ohio style' of hot rod design, it would hands down be Lobeck's Hot Rod Parts. Beginning in the early '70s in Cleveland, Ohio, Barry Lobeck designed hot rods and custom parts that would define the new traditional look. From custom-designed rolling chassis to complete hot rods and more parts than you can shake a stick at, Lobeck's did it all for the better part of four decades, leaving a trail of builds that are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.

It was Don Blair’s interest in racing the dry lakes that prompted him to opening a small business selling speed parts. If any business contributed to hot rodding in Southern California, it was Blair’s Speed Shop in Gardena where 25-year-old Don opened for business in 1946. From the early days of doing tune-ups and selling used parts to building legendary engines and complete funny cars, Don Blair left an indelible mark on the world of hot rodding.

American Graffiti Retro Movie speed shop

When it comes to old school speed shops, Detroit definitely had more than their share. Of course, that isn't surprising seeing as the city has long been home to the American auto industry, and is known as the 'Motor City' as a result. Custom Speed Enterprises (CSE) is one such shop, and was one of the city's longest running providers of go fast goodies. Unlike some others, the shop was a windowless space, so it was rather dark throughout, and kinda creepy by most recollections. Housekeeping wasn't exactly their forte, as just about everything was covered in dust, but their inventory was second to none, and could be counted on to have whatever you needed in stock.

Vintage Speed Shop Hot Rod, Nostalgia Dragster, Rat Rod - Salt stained distressed look

The year was 1946 when a small hot rod shop opened up on Gratiot Avenue in Detroit and by 1960, they had expanded to half a dozen stores throughout Michigan and were known as the 'world's largest hot rod shops.' Unlike a lot of speed shops, Gratiot Auto Supply locations weren't just fronts for mail order dealers - they had hardware on the shelves, so no waiting for that new set of headers for your small block to come in from Los Angeles - they were in stock and ready to rock. From cross members and frame rails to cheater slicks and crate motors, they stocked literally everything a guy would need to build a car from the ground up, something no other retail store could come close to pulling off.

Vintage Death Speed Shop Design. For those who love road movies, gasoline, speed and engine sounds.

A collection of automobile aftermarket stickers

Just a classic look, funny hot rod cartoon, full bold colors, a bit of distressed aged look, perfect for every car guy and gal.

Very cool detailed vector illustration cartoon of a custom hot rod muscle car, popping a wheelie, huge chrome engine, diamond plate background, grungy distressed vintage look, with the words Speed Shop Hot Rod & Muscle Car Parts and Service, sharp graphic for every car enthusiast

American Graffiti Paradise Road speed shop

Speed shop design

Sebulba still owes us money for podracing....

A lot of folks know Carl's Speed Shop as a Daytona Beach motorcycle go fast landmark, but up until 1996, Carl called Whittier, California home. They say that location is everything, and this was especially true as Carl's namesake founder spent a lot of time making American iron faster and more powerful and when he wasn't turning wrenches, he was at the SoCal drag strips or out on the salt flats twisting the throttle and setting speed records.

Milners Speed Shop, American Graffiti, Hot Rod

Lucky Jones Novelty Hotrod Shop Design

Made in Flint, Michigan. Flint City Speed Shop.

Speed shop design

During the drag racing and muscle car eras, independent speed shops were a common sight in most every major city, and New York was no exception. Everyone wanted their car to go faster, or at a minimum look like it went faster, and Bronx Speed Shop was one of the places to help out with that. From all out supercharged racing engines and bombproof transmissions to polished mag wheels and chrome side pipes, Bronx Speed Shop was the go-to spot for countless New York gear heads over the years.

Parody Speed Shop Design. It's always faster down hill.

Vintage 1950's Racing

Like a lot of people in post-war America, Al Jerauld was an avid hot rodder looking for go fast thrills. He opened Jerauld's Speed Shop in the late '40s in National City, California. From catalog speed parts to many of his own creation, Jerauld's Speed Shop was the go-to spot in the San Diego area for go fast goodies. When he wasn't selling parts and installing them on customer cars, Al was a dry lakes racer who built and campaigned several cars over the years. One such lakester was the infamous Baby Bomb, which sported a destroked and sleeved '37 V8-60 Flathead with a tiny 88.75 cubic inch displacement that managed to turn some impressive speeds. Among Jerauld's many custom designed performance parts, many are still highly prized today.

Rocco & Cheater's Speed Shop was located at 316 1st Avenue North in Birmingham, Alabama. Brothers Rocco and Cheater Sanfilippo originally opened the business up as a general repair shop in 1944. The boys incorporated in 1946 and their shop quickly became a magnet for hot rodders looking to soup up their cars for the drag strip and for circle track racing. Rocco & Cheater's both sponsored and campaigned cars in numerous races, making them a common name among racers. Dominic, a younger brother, joined the business in 1954, and Domenic's son, Sam, took it over in the '70s, eventually bringing his son in as well. While the shop closed in 2007, rumor has it that the stock remains in storage and is occasionally opened up by appointment...

American Graffiti speed shop

Speed Shop near Milwaukee Wiscosin, 60's

While he had been making hot rod parts for several years prior, Bill Von Esser opened his speed shop at 3307 West Irving Park Road in Chicago back in 1947. He expanded his reach beyond the local scene through ads in national hot rod magazines that had people sending away for his first catalog in 1948. While he stocked go fast goodies from many manufacturers, his house machined parts were without question his biggest sellers. From high-performance heads for your flatty to custom Offy throttle bodies, Von Esser's parts were highly desirable, something that has only increased decades later.

In 1923, George Wight opened an auto parts yard on Gage Avenue in Bell, California. The shop was a combination of salvage yard and machine shop, and it catered to the race crowd in the early days of dry lakes racing. George began removing speed equipment from the junkers he bought. George sold the speed equipment separately under what eventually became Bell Auto Parts. Bell Auto Parts is one of the first, if not the first, speed shop in the United States and it didn't take long before it was the center of racing and rodding activities for the greater Los Angeles area.

Founded in 1964 in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwise was a chain of auto parts stores in the United States. In 1974, Nationwise partnered with Columbus-based engine builders, The Rod Shop, sponsoring a series of highly successful drag racecars. In stores, a Rod Shop section was created as kind of a speed shop inside of a parts store. In addition to go fast goodies from all the big names, Nationwise also sold Rod Shop branded performance parts. These parts were typically embossed with NRS (Nationwise Rod Shop), making them easy to identify by collectors, even decades later. The Rod Shop partnership ended in 1987, and less than a decade later, Nationwise became insolvent, and closed all stores on Sunday, October 15, 1995 at 3:00 PM.

Modern Hot Rods are just as Rad!

Watch Out For Motorcycles!