You probably still have the jingle stuck in your head. It’s okay. Most of us in Southern California do. "Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal!" That banjo-heavy earworm was the soundtrack to a million late-night movies and weekend afternoons. For nearly fifty years, the Cal Worthington Ford Long Beach dealership wasn't just a place to buy a F-150; it was a cultural landmark.
But if you drive down Bellflower Boulevard today, things look different. The giant "Worthington Ford" sign that presided over the 405 freeway for decades is gone.
Honestly, it feels like the end of an era because it actually is. In February 2023, the Worthington family officially hung up the Stetson. They sold the flagship Long Beach location, which was the very last piece of what was once a massive automotive empire. If you’re looking for Cal today, you won’t find him—or his "dog" Spot—at the corner of Bellflower and Spring.
What Happened to Cal Worthington Ford Long Beach?
The short version? Time caught up. Cal himself passed away back in 2013 at the age of 92. He died at his ranch in Orland, California, while watching a football game. For a decade after that, his grandson, Nick Worthington, kept the gears turning in Long Beach. But running a massive, high-volume dealership in the 2020s is a different beast than it was in the 1970s.
The family eventually decided to pivot. They moved their focus toward commercial real estate and agriculture—Cal always did love his ranches—and sold the dealership to the Nouri/Shaver Automotive Group.
It’s now called BP Ford of Long Beach (the BP stands for Bob and Pete, the new owners). They’ve kept the same address at 2950 North Bellflower Blvd. They even kept most of the staff. But the soul of the place? That weird, wild, "anything for a buck" energy? That’s mostly in the history books now.
The Dog That Wasn't a Dog
We have to talk about Spot. It’s the law.
Most people think Cal started the "My Dog Spot" thing because he loved animals. Truth is, he did it out of spite. A rival dealer named Chick Lambert used to do ads with a real, well-behaved German Shepherd named Storm. Cal thought it was boring. He decided to parody it by introducing "his dog Spot," who was almost never a dog.
He brought in:
- Tigers (which he famously stood next to on the hoods of cars)
- A hippopotamus (which he actually rode)
- A killer whale
- An elephant
- A chimpanzee on roller skates
- A literal lion
It was chaotic. It was loud. It was exactly what you needed to get people to pay attention to a car commercial at 2:00 AM.
A Business Built on "Madman" Energy
Cal wasn't the first guy to act crazy on TV to sell cars, but he was the best at it. He learned the ropes from Earl "Madman" Muntz, the guy who pioneered the "I'm losing my mind with these low prices!" persona.
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But Cal had a secret weapon: volume. At his peak, he owned 29 dealerships across the West Coast and Alaska. He was selling over a million cars in his career. Cal Worthington Ford Long Beach was the crown jewel, the flagship that outlasted all the others.
He didn't just sell cars; he sold himself. He was a decorated World War II bomber pilot who flew 29 missions over Germany. He came home, bought a gas station with $500 he’d saved, and realized he was way better at selling the cars than fixing them.
The Transition: From Worthington to BP Ford
Change is hard, especially for a brand that feels like it belongs to the public. When Bob Nouri and Pete Shaver took over in early 2023, they knew they were stepping into some big boots. They’ve tried to pay homage—their current slogan is a riff on the old jingle, telling people to "Go see Bob"—but the vibe has shifted toward a more modern, corporate structure.
The reviews lately have been a bit of a mixed bag. Some long-time customers who had been going to Cal Worthington Ford Long Beach for thirty years are struggling with the transition. They miss the "Ron and Jim" days of the old management. Recent feedback on platforms like Cars.com and DealerRater shows a bit of friction as the new group tries to scale up sales volume.
There have been complaints about service wait times and the usual "new ownership" growing pains. But for the city of Long Beach, the dealership remains a massive tax revenue generator. It’s still one of the largest Ford hubs in the South Bay.
Why It Still Matters
Why are we still talking about a car dealer who’s been gone for over a decade? Because Cal Worthington was the last of the "Big Characters."
Today, car ads are mostly sleek shots of SUVs driving through a forest with a soft voiceover talking about "safety features" and "innovation." It’s polished. It’s professional. And it’s incredibly boring.
Cal was the opposite. He was a guy in a cowboy hat standing on the wing of a biplane mid-flight, screaming at you to come buy a Pinto. He represented a specific era of California—a time when you could build an empire on sheer personality and a few tigers.
Moving Forward: What to Know if You Visit
If you're heading to the old Cal Worthington Ford Long Beach lot today, here's the reality:
- The Name: Look for "BP Ford of Long Beach." If you're looking for the "Worthington" sign, you’ll be circling the block forever.
- The Location: It’s still at 2950 N Bellflower Blvd, right near the airport. Super easy to get to from the 405.
- The Service: They still have a massive service department, but it's busy. Make an appointment online rather than just rolling in, as they are focusing on high-volume throughput now.
- The Legacy: The Worthington family is still active in California, just not in the car business. They still own huge swaths of land and are heavily involved in the state's agriculture.
The big lesson from the story of Cal Worthington Ford Long Beach is that branding lasts longer than buildings. The dealership might have changed hands, but the "Go See Cal" ghost still haunts that stretch of Bellflower Boulevard.
To make the most of your visit to the successor dealership, verify your trade-in value through independent sites like KBB before arriving, as the new management is known for aggressive high-volume sales tactics. If you're there for service, specifically request a written estimate for any "swollen lug nuts" or "uncalibrated alignments," which have been recurring themes in recent customer feedback. Stick to your guns, and you can still walk away with a solid deal at the same corner where Cal once rode a hippo.