The door is closing on a 性视界传媒 auto shop that has motored along for 53 years.
The family-operated was opened by Bruce Iggulden in Newton back in 1971, and the shop has been doing business in Bridgeview since the mid-1980s.
Bruce and his younger brother, Glenn, are longtime 性视界传媒 guys who鈥檝e specialized in car repairs, parts and sales for many years, but they say it鈥檚 time to retire.
Well, kind of.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to retire from all this,鈥� Bruce said at the shop, 鈥渂ut retiring for me is doing what I want to do whenever I want to do it. I鈥檒l still keep the phone number and email address, and I鈥檒l keep the online site for awhile. I鈥檝e still got all the parts here in containers, storage.鈥�
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
A look inside 性视界传媒's Corvette Specialities, closing in Bridgeview after 53 years of business for Iggulden brothers Bruce (talking in the video here) and Glenn.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
STORY:
End of the road: 性视界传媒's Corvette Specialties is closing shop after 53 years of business, but Bruce Iggulden will keep driving his beauty '70 Vette. Listen to that rumble! (sound up)
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
STORY:
The auto shop site, at Scott Road and King George Boulevard, has been sold and slated for construction of residential towers, according to Bruce.
A retirement party was planned for May 11, four days before Corvette Specialties closed forever.
鈥淧eople wonder where they鈥檙e gonna go now for body work, and I鈥檝e got the same question,鈥� Glenn said. 鈥淚 have no idea who to tell you to go see. There鈥檚 nobody doing it. There鈥檚 body shops that will do some fiberglass repairs. There aren鈥檛 many young guys who want to do this anymore, it鈥檚 hard to find employees, really hard.鈥�
鈥� RELATED STORY, from 2017: Retirement time for 性视界传媒鈥檚 long-established 鈥楾om the Tire Guy鈥�
It鈥檚 the end of an era in Bridgeview.
鈥淥r maybe just the end of an error, I don鈥檛 know,鈥� Bruce, 74, said with a smile. 鈥淲e had more than 40 Corvettes parked here at one point, for sale or being repaired. I figure that we sold probably three or four thousand since the mid-鈥�70s. It鈥檚 a pretty long run.鈥�
As a 21-year-old Bruce started the business in Newton at a place with apartments located above the auto shop.
鈥淚 had a Corvette that I needed to get rid of because I couldn鈥檛 afford it, and I needed to paint it before I could get rid of it,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淪o I found a body shop that had closed down and I said, 鈥楥an I use this shop for the next two weeks?鈥� And he says, 鈥榊eah, fill your boots.鈥� It was peanuts what he charged, and I went in and painted my car. Then a guy knocks on my door wanting me to paint his old Ford. So that one job led to another, then another and another.
鈥淚 was always good at anything to do with my hands,鈥� Bruce added. 鈥淲e switched over to strictly Corvettes pretty much in 鈥�74, a few years later.鈥�
One location in Newton led to another, then another, and Bridgeview ended up being a final shop site for the Iggulden brothers and some of their longtime employees.
鈥淏ack in the beginning,鈥� Bruce noted, 鈥淚 made up my mind pretty early that there was nobody going to look after my retirement and that I鈥檇 have to have my own pension, because I don鈥檛 have a pension, and that I was going to try to buy the building I was in.鈥�
This chapter of Corvette Specialities may be done, 鈥渂ut we鈥檒l all keep dabbling鈥� in the business of cars, noted Glenn, who鈥檒l turn 67 in July.
鈥淚鈥檓 done here, but I鈥檒l still keep working on cars,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 taking Bruce鈥檚 car home to my place, and I鈥檝e got to finish building a windshield frame from scratch.鈥�
That car is an ultra-rare 1953 Corvette that the brothers are currently refurbishing.
性视界传媒's Corvette Specialities shop is closing after 53 years, but Bruce Iggulden still has his ultra-rare 1953 Corvette he鈥檚 refurbishing. Watch video for more.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
STORY:
鈥淚t鈥檚 the first year they made a Corvette, and this is the 260th car off the assembly line,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭his is the only one in existence.鈥�
Bruce has owned the special car for 50 years 鈥� 鈥渢oo long,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 taken us that long to get it done, and I spent 50 years documenting the car, proving what car it was. If it wasn鈥檛 for that car, there wouldn鈥檛 be a Corvette today 鈥� that鈥檚 what Corvette aficionados say.
鈥淚鈥檝e had that 鈥�53 as long as I鈥檝e had the business,鈥� Bruce added. 鈥淲atch that car when it goes across the block at Barrett-Jackson in two or three years, it will quite likely break a world record for price.鈥�
