Old Painted Roadside advertisements: Lubricants

between Poitiers and Limoges (France);
viii.1998; pict. A. Guët

L'Huile de France
ANTAR pour automobiles

French oil - ANTAR - for motorcars

Etréaupont (Aisne, France); vi.1999

ANTAR 7 Km

Announces a service station.
Painted on top of a SIMCA ad.

near Chartres (France); I.2001;
pict. A. Guët

ANTAR à Chartres

ANTAR (founded in 1927) is rooted deep in the past of european oil exploration: the Pechelbronn oilfield in Alsace (N.E.-France). Louis XV granted the first concession, but oil was already mined unofficially from the 15th century. The Antar refinery stood for much French Oil during the 1930s-40s but lost importance against the Lacq oilfields (S.W.-France) during the 1950s. The Pechelbronn facilities were dismantled in 1970 and Elf took control over ANTAR.

Pechelbronn was the place where the first electrical log was run in 1927. Research of the subsurface by electrical measurements was pioneered by the Schlumberger brothers sponsored by their father.

The Schlumberger company has some nice pages about their history: The company's webpage. (Deep link to The history page; latest check 28.iv.2024)

There is a wonderful site dedicated to the ANTAR brand: antarama.free.fr (in French; latest check 28.iv.2024).

Dordives (N7, France);
v.2000; pict. M. Chartier

ANTAR - L'Huile de France

Look carefully and discover the Hotchkiss brand behind Antar. Accentuated on bottom picture

We have more Hotchkiss ads. It is a brand with a history.

Challuy - Nièvre (N7, France);
vii.2001; pict. M. Chartier

ANTAR - Tri Super
L'Huile de France

Chocques (France); 16.iv.2001

ANTAR - Tri Super

Again on top of a Simca ad.

Montigny La-Resle (N77, France);
viii.2003

ANTAR - Tri Super
L'Huile de France

N117 (France), 08.vii.2012;
pict. A. Guët

Notice that there's a Grottes de Betharram advert underneath.

Prat de Cest (France), 04.ii.2013;
pict. L. Parmentier

Valframbert, Alençon (France); v.1998

Paris 4^ième (France), iii.2001;
pict. A. Guët

St Jean de Chevelu (N504, France);
ii.2001; pict. M. Chartier

Frayssinet (France), v.1999

Cressensac (France), v.1999

IGOL - lubricants

The very beginnings of the IGOL company lie way back in time. In 1908 Maurice Cahingt ventured with his family business in the trade of lubricants. In 1949 he and a dozen of colleagues active in the same trade joined forces and formed a common structure, the Indépendants du Graissage Organisé Libres. The IGOL France network was born.

The rooster is commonly used as a symbol for France as a nation. That is probably why this bird was chosen as IGOL's logo.

Notice the freedom in the drawing: the eye, the wattle, the proportions, only the colours (of France) cannot be played with.

The murals all carry the 1950s logo where the bird is easily identifiable. The wooden panel of Cressensac shows the more modern logo of the 1970s which still reflects the original cock. The type has changed in lowercase with descenders. Later on the drawing deviates even more from the original, but the eye and the wattle can still be recognized by who knows the history.

The newest logo

Souppes-sur-Loing (N7, France);
v.2000; pict. M. Chartier

GARGOYLE Mobiloil
A demi-fluide

Paris 18 (France);
xii.1990; pict. P. Rigault

The upper half of the wall says:
GARGOYLE Mobiloil
Vacuum Oil Company - Société Anonyme Française

The lower half says, and repeats,
L'Huile de marque la plus répandue.

One of the predecessors of Mobiloil was the Vacuum Oil Company founded in 1866 by Hiram Everest. After a long history of mergers and acquisitions the company ended up as Exxon Mobil.

Gargoyle Mobiloil A stems from 1926 and came in returnable tins. They probably knew that people then preferred products in tins because of the many uses once emptied.

The mention demi-fluide is important. Before 1955 (the year of the first multigrade oil Mobiloil Special) car owners had to switch oil with the seasons. Gargoyle A, the summer oil, stiffened under low winter temperatures. The appropriate oil for the cold season was Gargoyle Arctic.

Paris 12 (France);
xi.1990; pict. P. Rigault

GARGOYLE
Mobiloil
Vacuum Oil Company - Société Anonyme Française

Paris, Porte de Clichy (France);
ii.2000; pict. C. Fiquet

The same wall ten years later.

Le Temple sur Lot (France);
viii.1999; pict. A. Guët

Huiles
LABO

Laroche - S^te Cydroine (Yonne, France);
x.2000; pict. M. Chartier

Huiles
LABO

Le Kremlin Bicêtre (France);
v.2000; pict. A. Guët

Garantie
LABO

During World War II Jean-Maurice Vacher founded the LABO industries in Clermont-Ferrand. The company's main purpose was the processing of waste oils from Michelin. After the war he moved close to Paris, renamed the firm to Huiles LABO, concentrated on lubricants and later also acquired Eyquem (spark plugs).

Jean-Maurice became also famous as Julien Vartet, writer of novels and dramas. He died in 2000 and left a substantial legacy. French newspapers in 2012 carried stories about the French fisc still waiting for the settling of the inheritance.

La Romagne (Maine-et-Loire, France);
v.2000; pict. M. Chartier

Huiles
LABO

Arras (62, France);
13.xii.2011; pict. J. Delcour

Huiles
LABO

Arras (62, France);
31.v.2014; pict. M. Tailly

Huiles
LABO

Orissa (India);
xii.2006; pict. H. De Meyer

Elf
Engine oils

Elf stands for Essence et Lubrifiants de France. It was created in 1967 by the French governement. Elf (by then Elf-Aquitaine) merged with Total (then Total-Fina) in 2000. The logo on the mural was in use between 2005 and 2013.

Elf India was founded in 2003.

Lubricants 3