Route 66 - 100th anniversary car show - amboy california
ROUTE 66 - 100TH ANNIVERSARY CAR SHOW - AMBOY CALIFORNIA #route66 #car #automobile
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2026 CARSHOW - AMBOY CALIFORNIA - 100TH ANNIVERSARY CAR SHOW History Opened: 1938 Founder: Roy Crowl Originally started as Roy’s Garage, a gas and service station serving travelers on Route 66. In the 1940s Roy and his son-in-law Herman “Buster” Burris expanded it to include: a café auto repair shop small motel cabins for overnight travelers. During the peak of Route 66 travel in the 1940s–1960s, Roy’s was a major desert pit stop for gas, food, and lodging. The Famous Neon Sign The giant mid-century neon sign (visible from miles away) is one of the most photographed
Route 66 icons. It’s built in Googie architecture style, a retro 1950s roadside design style. Why the Town Declined In 1972–1973, the opening of Interstate 40 bypassed Amboy. Traffic instantly moved off Route 66. Business at Roy’s “went down to zero” almost overnight. Amboy eventually became a ghost town with Roy’s as the main surviving landmark. Modern Ownership & Restoration In 2005, entrepreneur Albert Okura bought the entire town of Amboy (about 950 acres) for about $425,000. His goal was to restore Roy’s and preserve Route 66 history.
The gas station and visitor stop reopened in 2008. Today the restoration is being continued by his son Kyle Okura with plans tied to the 2026 Route 66 Centennial. What It’s Like Today If you visit today you’ll find: Gas station Route 66 souvenirs Cold drinks and snacks Photo spot with the neon sign Motel cabins (still not fully reopened) Gas is usually very expensive because fuel has to be trucked into the middle of the Mojave Desert. Cool Nearby Things Near Roy’s you can also see: Amboy Crater – a huge black lava cone you can hike Old Route 66 pavement with painted shields
The Amboy ghost town buildings 💡 Fun fact: Roy’s has appeared in movies, commercials, and thousands of Route 66 road-trip photos because it looks like a frozen 1950s roadside stop.