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Clippinger’s service waiting area and cashier office were on the north edge of the building past the showroom. A sign high up on the wall welcomed customers to “the Clippinger Family.”
The new building also included a dynamometer, which was handy for performance tuning. Mention of the dyno was made in advertisements in 1967, which stated that Clippinger had a complete high-performance department.
Having a dyno on-site made Clippinger a go-to dealer for performance tuning. A huge parts department also enabled the dealership to sell new cars with customer-specified add-ons, which were rolled into the monthly payments through GMAC.
Founder Hale Clippinger literally worked up until the day he died. He passed away in his sleep on Monday, October 6, 1969, two days after his 92nd birthday. His son Norman H. Clippinger took over the dealership at age 56.
Russ Davis Ford Fades Out
Gas Ronda’s accident set back morale at Russ Davis Ford. At the same time, muscle car sales were dropping and the dealership itself was in transition. As late as January 1971, Russ Davis still stocked very impressive muscle cars. A single newspaper listing included a 1970 Boss 429 4-speed, a 1970 Mach 1 428 drag pack 4-speed, and a 1970 Boss 302.
Around the end of 1972, Russ Davis Ford was taken over and renamed Ray Andrews Ford. This brand lasted through the 2000s, after Ray Andrews Jr. carried on with the business.
When Ray Andrews Ford closed, Clippinger Chevrolet ran the facility as a used-car outlet. Despite being re-signed as Clippinger Pre-Owned Auto Center, the front door under the 116 number address has a clear sticker that says “Blue Oval Certified” with the Ford logo below it. This is the only remnant of Russ Davis still on the buildings. Today, this dealership lot is vacant.
The empty lot of Russ Davis Ford looking east along West San Bernardino Road toward Citrus. This lot once was bursting with new Cobra Jets, Boss, Mach 1 cars, and other exciting used muscle car trade-ins.
The Demise of Clippinger Chevrolet
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.
CHAPTER 2
DANA CHEVROLET
Dana Chevrolet
Location: South Gate, California
Years in Operation: 1966–1971
Founder(s): Paul Dombroski and Peyton Cramer
Current Status: South-Lyn Auto Sales
Dana Chevrolet was a high-performance center back in the 1960s that reused the existing structure of a prior dealership. Inside was another story. The former Simpson Buick building was re-engineered to prep race cars and the lot was infused with high-performance goodies. (Photo Courtesy Dave Fillion Collection)
Dana Chevrolet shares fame with Nickey Chevrolet for being the earliest dealerships to create Chevrolet Camaro 427 conversion cars. Both dealerships also operated under similar partner dynamics. Each dealership had a behind-the-scenes, virtually invisible partner watching finances while the other partner courted the press with racing exploits.
Mild and Wild Dana Locations
Dana exploded onto the scene from nowhere specifically for the muscle car era, and it just as suddenly vaporized again. The reason for Dana being a flash in the pan was the unsustainable volatile balance between the two owners of Dana Chevrolet. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dana had two very different personalities driving the dealership.
Dr. Jekyll was Paul Dombroski. He was a respected car dealer with a carefully established conservative image. This enabled him to gain access to the required capital through the banks.
Mr. Hyde was Peyton Cramer. He was a major player in the Shelby American organization. That high-performance connection caused banks to reject his loan applications.
Dana Chevrolet’s “regular car” showroom was located at 8730 Long Beach Boulevard at the intersection of Laurel Place in South Gate, California. This dealership was formerly the location of Enoch Chevrolet. Ted Enoch has been a Chevy dealer for 31 years when he retired and sold the business to George E. Fuller and George F. Cashman in 1953. The Enoch run ended in June 1966.
When Paul and Peyton took over the dealership, they chose the name Dana Chevrolet after an avenue in Ohio that was known for the local street drag racing scene of Peyton’s youth. Dana emerged onto the scene and quickly established a presence in the West Coast muscle car scene by operating five different locations with vastly contrasting showrooms.
The Dana Chevrolet Hi-Performance Center facility was located down the street at 9735 Long Beach Boulevard at the intersection of Indiana Avenue in South Gate, California. This dealership was the former location of one of the Simpson Buick Co. lots, which had occupied the spot since the 1950s.
Partnership of Opposites
Dana Chevrolet Inc. and Dana Chevrolet Hi-Performance Center were reflective of the personalities of the two owners and also the sole domain of each. Paul Dombroski watched over the regular showroom at 8730 Long Beach, selling normal cars to normal people. The regular Dana showroom took in the trade-ins and made “bread and butter” sales under Paul’s direction.
Enoch Chevrolet was located at 8730 Long Beach Blvd at Laurel Place in South Gate, California. This mid-1960s photo of the dealership shows Enoch just prior to Dana Chevrolet’s takeover of the location. The building structure was retained when this became the “bread and butter” location of Dana in 1966. (Photo Courtesy Dave Fillion Collection)
Peyton Cramer rebuilt and branded the 9735 Long Beach location as a no-compromises, high-performance palace. Mundane matters such as financing or regular transportation sales were shunted off to Paul’s location. Peyton ensured nothing ordinary ever set tire within the confines of Dana’s performance outlet. Corvettes and other hot cars were sold and serviced alongside seemingly relentless full-scale race car preparation.
Paul