Springfield, Illinois - Lauterbach Tire Muffler Man

Two years have passed since the old dear was tragically and mysteriously decapitated (yet not knocked over) by the tornadoes that blew through here. His head isn't going anywhere without his body, as you can see from the Frankenstein-esque bolts in his chest. He does, however, need a new coat of paint...his skin looks a little sick. [Rebekah Jones, 03/25/2008]

One year after the restoration, and the Lauterbach Tire Man is still looking great. Luckily, the head was cleanly ripped from his shoulders by last March's twister, so the guys at a local auto repair shop who specialize in fiberglass were able to patch him up amazingly quickly. How lucky we are that a) they found the head intact and b) we live in a community that cared enough about this gentle giant to restore him rather than scrap him. [Chuck McCue, 03/26/2007]

A tornado hit Springfield, IL on Sunday night (March 12, 2006) causing heavy destruction to the southern end of town. While there appear to have been no casualties, the Lauterbach Tire Muffler Man did not weather the storm well. From a picture published in the State Journal-Register (the local paper), he appears to have been decapitated. I haven't seen the damage personally, but the bar next door lost its roof. [Patrick Pospisek, 03/14/2006]

[RA: March 30, 2006: The head has been reattached to the Lauterbach Muffler Man. Chuck McCue reports: "The city delayed the annual St. Patrick's Day parade until the 25th because of all the weather, and the City Power crew who 'rescued' the head displayed it prominently on the front of their float." March 15, 2006: Chuck McCue reports the head was found "about a block away behind what was left of the Barrelhead Restaurant and Bar. "]

Sad to report that it looks like Lauterbach Tire Muffler Man didn't survive the tornado that hit Springfield, IL last night, he lost his head. Still no word on if the big pink elephant, who was located in the parking lot of Goodwill, just down from Muffler Man, made it through the storm okay. [Martha Bussard, 03/13/2006]

[RA: Several people sent links to photos of the decapitated muffler man, still standing, and of his head being retrieved. Laird Carter reports the pink elephant was knocked over, but doesn't appear to be destroyed.]

An update to the update from 1998: The Giant Pink Elephant, which used to reside at the nearby Goodwill shop, is now located almost directly across the street from the Lauterbach Tire Man, at the Famous Liquors store. A great way to see two sights at once! The Giant Pink Elephant is holding a giant martini in his trunk [Doug Shevlin, 09/09/2002]