Worthington Ford to close at the end of the month

An era will end in Long Beach at the end of the month when Worthington Ford in Long Beach will close its doors for the final time. The Worthington family announced it has sold the Long Beach dealership the last remnant of a car empire that spanned more than four decades. 

Cal Worthington rose to local fame for his iconic commercials with "his dog Spot," which featured exotic animals such as a hippo, an elephant a tiger and more. He bought the Long Beach dealership in the 1960s

"It was just part of his natural humor to come up with something like that. To tease other dealers that would just use a puppy, it would seem kind of silly, so he just took it to the extreme," said Nick Worthington on his grandfather's iconic TV spots. "Everyone knows what you're doing, you're using a little puppy to try and get business. Well, here's an elephant, here's my dog Spot. And everybody just loved it."

At one point, Cal Worthington's car empire comprised 27 dealerships, selling over 1 million cars. The employees at Worthington Ford learned of the announcement this week. The announcement comes nearly a decade after Cal Worthington's death in September 2013.

"It was an extremely difficult decision, which is why it's taken us almost a half century to make it," Nick Worthington said. "The employees have been around here longer than I've been alive."

After the closure, the Worthingtons said they will focus on the family's other businesses including agriculture and real estate.

Long BeachCars and Trucks