The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

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StoreLiker2006
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The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by StoreLiker2006 »

I wonder if anyone here has any pictures from 1981-83 of any of the very first Texaco "System 2000" service stations, which were built to showcase the company's current logo (red circle and white star with "T" cutout)?

The System 2000 motif had replaced the '60s-style Matawan motif.

Also, I want to find out whether any of the Matawan-design Texaco stations were converted to the System 2000 motif.

Thank you,



Ben Edge
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Bobi »

Search in google images! I think I had seen there this station.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by submariner »

This address in Brookfield, CT is listed as "Texaco System 2000" in several listings. It's currently a Shell (which many Texaco stations converted to in the early 2000s).

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safa ... CCEQ8gEwAA

Consequently, the article here: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... ZwP8rrTKxA mentions the System 2000 concept having a C-Store and Car Wash. If the Shell in Brookfield is indeed a former Texaco, then the 76 Station here in Imperial beach may be one as well, although all I know of it is that it was an Exxon up until 2009 when it was rebranded, and I'm sure the design of the Shell there is quite common for many brands in the 80s.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by submariner »

I researched a bit and found this. 1295 Third Ave. in Chula Vista was built as a standard Texaco System 2000 concept complete with car wash. As with many Texaco stations, this eventually was sold to Shell. I still can't find any period photos, but figure this in typical Black & Red and that's it.
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Texaco System 2000 Concept
Texaco System 2000 Concept
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Jeff »

I can't post from my cell phone but there is a Texaco in Anaheim on the northwest corner of Magnolia Ave and La Palma Ave. Still open just drove by it last week.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by StoreLiker2006 »

submariner wrote:This address in Brookfield, CT is listed as "Texaco System 2000" in several listings. It's currently a Shell (which many Texaco stations converted to in the early 2000s).

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safa ... CCEQ8gEwAA

Consequently, the article here: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... ZwP8rrTKxA mentions the System 2000 concept having a C-Store and Car Wash. If the Shell in Brookfield is indeed a former Texaco, then the 76 Station here in Imperial beach may be one as well, although all I know of it is that it was an Exxon up until 2009 when it was rebranded, and I'm sure the design of the Shell there is quite common for many brands in the 80s.
I can't read the full version of that one link unless I pay for it, but it does mention that at the time the article was written (7/1/84), there were two of those System 2000 units operating in Portland, OR already (supposedly those two opened sometime during 1983, if not earlier).

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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by submariner »

Jeff wrote:I can't post from my cell phone but there is a Texaco in Anaheim on the northwest corner of Magnolia Ave and La Palma Ave. Still open just drove by it last week.
That's a Texaco, but definitely a newer one with the c-store behind the canopy (which is the latest iteration Chevron-style).
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Ephrata1966
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Ephrata1966 »

Is it just me, or were taller Shell street signs/price signs from the 90's shaped just like their Texaco counterparts? These Shell stations were definitely Shell before the deal with Texaco.

Also, why did Shell leave the Philadelphia area (they had "ranch" stations there in the 60's/70's) but return by buying Texaco stations in the 2000s? I also am amazed that Texaco closed so many stations, some of which are still abandoned, instead of converting to Shell.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by jamcool »

In the 90s Texaco and Shell combined their retail/refining operations in the US into a partnership (majority owned by Shell)..in some markets Texaco was predominant, Shell in others.
The partnership ended when Chevron bought out Texaco. The Texaco share of the partnership was sold to Shell around 2003, who had the rights to use the Texaco name for 5 years afterward. At the end of that period, the remaining Texaco-branded stations owned by Shell were converted to that brand. At that time the rights to use the Texaco brand reverted back to Chevron, who uses it as a "secondary" brand (usu. non-Chevron owned stations)
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Super S »

Here in Southwest Washington, I remember nearly all Texaco stations were converted to Shell several years back. Most of those remain Shell to this day. However, a number of 76 stations converted to Texaco (and I know of at least one at that time that became a Shell) a few years ago as well.

I find it interesting that the Texaco name is making a comeback in an area where Chevron has a very strong presence.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Ephrata1966 »

Which country does Shell really "belong to"? The US, UK, or Netherlands? The situation in Houston is weird too. Shell has had stations there for a long time, but still ended up buying units from Texaco. Ironically, a number of Mobil stations on the North Freeway ended up becoming Texaco. More recently, a Shell near the Texas-Louisiana border was sold to Texaco (and not the other way around), getting a new Texaco color scheme, with white lettering on a red canopy instead of the usual red on black. The font is same as the old.

On the topic of Philadelphia again, a ranch-style Shell in Marlton NJ converted to Texaco in the 80's, and is now an independent "Liberty" station. But the original Texaco in Marlton is a Shell now. Here are some other odd examples:

1. The Shell in Villanova PA was a Coastal.

2. The Shell stations in Aston PA, Mifflinville PA, and the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia all started as Mobil.

3. The Shell in Gladwyne PA (which sits in the parking lot of a historic A&P/Super Fresh) was a Sunoco, and due to zoning, the roof of the station has a funny shape and no Shell markings. It still has Sunoco price signs.

4. The BP (Amoco?) in Quakertown PA was an original Shell.

5. The Texaco in Clifton Heights PA became Exxon instead of Shell, but lately the station closed. A larger more modern Texaco (an original System 2000 station) less than a mile away is a Shell now.

6. The Texaco in Upper Darby PA converted to Shell in 2006, but closed shortly after. I knew it was converting to Shell before the event because a phone book published shortly before then identified it as a Shell! It since has reopened as Shell. Coincidentally, a very old Shell in Linwood PA was later Getty until it converted to Lukoil in 2007, but it closed soon after. I'm not sure how Lukoil decided which Getty stations would lose their name or not. Most Lukoil stations were actually Mobil, and as of a few years ago there was a MasterCard with both the Lukoil and Getty names on it. Ironically, the Getty stations in Conshohocken PA and New London PA (near Gettysburg, no pun intended) both started as Mobil. There also is/was a small Getty in the heart of Gettysburg that had the old (1964?) logo/color scheme until recent years. There was a Getty in King of Prussia PA which became an independent "US Gas" years ago, and preserved very old Getty C-store signage in the process. This station was in horrible condition until it became a Citgo last year. The old Getty elements are still intact though. Also, the Getty in Clifton Heights PA (almost next door to the Texaco/Exxon I mentioned there) got pay at the pump last year. A Sunoco was also between the Texaco/Exxon and Getty, but closed and got torn down for a drive-thru "Swiss Farms" convenience store. I think this Sunoco had an Exxon tire rack. And the "Eastcoast" station (was an old Gulf) a mile or two away in Springfield has a Getty diesel pump, because the Gulf didn't have diesel!

It also seems like the large Shell station in Camden NJ was a replacement for a small, older Shell in the heart of town, which is notoriously full of crime. The old station is now a "Gas Stop" and still has a Shell "food mart" sign. And the shape of the sign by the road makes it look like it was a Getty first. Has anyone noticed that the first Shell stations to get the "new" look (around 2000) are looking run down now, but the ones which were Texaco (became Shell circa 2005) still look new? You can go into Google Maps and compare the Camden Shell on Admiral Wilson Blvd with any Shell that was Texaco or another brand. The Shell on Jones Rd in Houston which closed in 2000 but reopened is in bad shape too. The yellow paint is looking bad. Same with a Shell in New Orleans which I saw on vacation last year.

And lastly, there still is an Amoco in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. I drove by it the other day and it was amazing how all the advertising posters there were marked BP.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Rob_L »

Ephrata, It's also possible that the (what used to be a )Shell in the middle of Camden was an ARCO location originally - Shell purchased the NJ marketing assets of Arco when they pulled out of their east coast operations in the 80's. They also had rectangular signs, similar in shape to Getty.

It's not that Shell bought any stations from Texaco (they were actually acquired in the 90's when Motiva and Equilon were formed via merger), but Shell had to brand all existing DIRECT SUPPLIED units to Shell (the locations that were supplied by Texaco wholesalers, or "jobbers" did not have to rebrand, as they could stay Texaco as long as the supplier was also a Chevron jobber) under the terms of the agreement with Chevron's purchase of the Texaco name and select assets. . Where it got interesting was that the Texaco stations at that point could no longer take the Shell credit cards that they had been able to accept since 2001, but they could accept the Chevron cards. In some markets, such as Tampa, some of the Texaco locations did remain Texaco, although they switched supply from Shell to Chevron. In other markets, such as NY, and NJ, ALL of the Texacos had to rebrand to Shell, as there were no Chevron jobbers there to provide supply.

Currently, the main difference from Chevron to Texaco is that Texaco is 100% jobber supplied, and the locations are not directly supplied by Chevron, rather thru an independent Chevron wholesaler, while the Chevron locations are a mix of jobber(wholesaler) supplied, and directly supplied via Chevron. Chevron also does own and operate some locations, they do NOT own or operate ANY Texaco locations, nor do they own the real estate - ALL Texaco dealers and stations are independent businesses, and don't have any allegiance to ChevronTexaco other than selling their fuel.

In the past few years, Shell has also moved away from directly supplying locations as well, and almost all Shell stations are supplied by jobbers, I'm pretty positive that there aren't more than a few hundred locations nationwide, if that, that they actually own or supply. That's why you also see more Shell stations popping up here and there, and having other brands rebrand to Shell...
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Ephrata1966 »

Thanks for that bit of info. When would you say the Camden location got rid of the Shell name? And did original Shell stations ever have fast food places in them (such as Church's Chicken or Dunkin Donuts)? I know of several Texaco/Shell stations in the South that have these, but it seems like this concept was a Texaco innovation.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by TenPoundHammer »

Shell's been doing fast food combos up here since the early 1990s. One company (Forward Corporation) owns nearly all the Shells around here, and most originally had a diner called Forward's, while a couple around Bay City had a local chain called Dawn Donuts.

In the early 1990s, the diners were ripped out of every location and replaced with Subway (except West Branch, which kept the diner open as Lumber Jack Food & Spirits and added a Subway. And a Quality Inn. No, really.). Forward then added Subway and/or Taco Bell Express to nearly every other station they owned. In Hale, they bought a Citgo/Taco Bell Express across from the Shell station, and re-branded the Citgo as Marathon. The Taco Bell in it became Noble Roman's for a few months (as did the Taco Bell in Alger, which still has Subway) before closing. Most of the Taco Bells were gone by 2003-04, but the one in Pigeon lasted into 2009. (Au Gres also has Subway and formerly had Taco Bell, but it was never Forward-owned.)

In the late 90s, they also built a station on I-75 in Pinconning with a McDonald's in it, and re-branded their existing Pinconning station to Marathon not long afterward. With the mass exodus of Taco Bells, the Roscommon station (which had both Taco Bell and Subway) was rebuilt as a McDonald's combo, and Subway moved to a new location. Sandusky (Taco Bell/Subway) was also rebuilt with just a Subway, but the station abruptly closed. Now, the only Subway in Sandusky is in Walmart.

Most of the locations with Dawn/Dunkin' Donuts in them have been closed. I think the first to go was Birch Run, followed by Bay City (I-75 @ M-84) and then Essexville, which had just been rebuilt to have Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins. Birch Run and Bay City are still vacant lots.

On top of that, Forwards owns a lot of Subway franchises around here, including those in Walmart stores.

There are also a few non-Subway outliers. Sanford was built from the ground up in the late 90s with a McDonald's. One of the Midland locations has a Burger King in it, but I don't know if it was anything else prior — I do know that BK relocated from an existing store which is now a Tim Hortons.

The locations that never had anything in them are Bad Axe, Beaverton, Gaylord (both locations), Gladwin, Grayling, the other two Midland locations (M-20 and Eastman Rd.), Saginaw, Sebewaing, Sterling, and the other West Branch location on M-55. Saginaw is a former Standard in a residential area.

Gaylord is a real oddity, since Forwards owns two Shell stations there, plus every Subway in town except the one in the Walmart (they do own the one in Meijer) — yes, even the Subway in the Marathon across from the Otsego Ave. Forwards! They also own a liquor store next to the Otsego Ave. store.
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Re: The Very First Texaco "System 2000" Stations (1981-1983)

Post by Super S »

Which country does Shell really "belong to"? The US, UK, or Netherlands? The situation in Houston is weird too. Shell has had stations there for a long time, but still ended up buying units from Texaco. Ironically, a number of Mobil stations on the North Freeway ended up becoming Texaco. More recently, a Shell near the Texas-Louisiana border was sold to Texaco (and not the other way around), getting a new Texaco color scheme, with white lettering on a red canopy instead of the usual red on black. The font is same as the old.
There is an independent convenience store in Longview, WA, which operated as a Texaco for a number of years, then operated with no-name gas for a number of years with the black canopy with the signs removed. Within the past year, it became a Texaco again, with the new color scheme mentioned. When you think about it, it could be a low-cost way to update the appearance of many existing Texaco stations.
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