The Gas Station - Ripe For The Museum?
For the first time, I am worried that gasoline is at the end of its life cycle. Gas pumps already have landed in the museum.
From a 1930s pump used to fuel Benito Mussolini’s private fleet of cars to a pump used for cigarette lighter refills; the Museo Fisogni in Milan is the most complete collection about the service station (as per the Guinness World Record 2001). Gas pumps even have their own genre in the world of collectibles. They are called “petroliana,” says the Wall Street Journal.
The Museo Fisogni , owned by Guido Fisogni, is in a warehouse near Milan (Italy), but it is looking for a new home. Next time you are in Italy, drop by. The only thing the museum does not have is gas for your car.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Check out this old station in Amherst NH. Go into google maps and search on "103 Boston Post Road, Amherst, New Hampshire, United States" and go into street view. I think the pumps still work. The roads leading into this village are really awesome as well. If you have any sort of classic car, this is a great place for a photo.
S-i-i-g-h. I too am of the Cro-Magnon era, and well remember getting my 20-gallon tank filled for a five-dollar bill. Pull onto the apron and over the bell hose. By the time I turned off the engine, the attendant was using a little squirt bottle and paper towels to clean my windshield. You could get your radiator and tires checked free as well. If you were there for an oil change (at your 2,000-mile interval) the oil was drawn from a barrel into a metal container with the pour spout anchored at the bottom. Unhinge the spout, and into the car with the oil. Oh, the memories!