Springfield, Illinois: Lauterbach Tire Muffler Man

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.

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

The Lauterbach man has taken on a patriotic spin. Instead of a tire, he's now holding an American flag.

The Lauterbach Tire Man in Springfield, IL, is no longer "Gandalf the White," as previously reported. He now sports a standard brown beard and typical uniform, with "Lauterbach" painted in bold yellow letters down the side of his blue pants. He is also wearing a pair of nice tan hiking boots. I believe his shirt is white.

A while back I reported the Muffler Man on Wabash Avenue here in Springfield. Last time I drove by him, he had miraculously become Muffler Man the White. Yes, now he sports white raiments and a white beard. I assume, like the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, he has undergone a transfiguration into a higher, purer state of existence.