Purr-Pull gasoline looked just like it sounds – it was purple – and being a premium grade of fuel, part of it’s name came from the fuel’s good pulling power. Its slogan was: It will make a motor purr on the hard pull. According to the book, Little Giant of Signal Hill, the fuel was a mix of casinghead and manufactured gasoline colored with a purple vegetable dye. The United States Refining Co. produced it, and it was sold at Signal Products Stations. The casinghead portion of the mix came from the Signal Hill Oil Field in Signal Hill, California.

In these photos taken during 1930, you can see three members of the Venice, California Police Department posing with their vehicles. Shown are a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe and a pair Henderson KJ Streamline model motorcycles. The two-wheelers produced between the years of 1929 and 1931 were powered by 40 h.p. straight four-cylinder engines and were capable of reaching 100 m.p.h. Note the small airplane ornament that has been installed on the front fender of one of the motorcycles. You can view over 175 more vintage motorcycle photos here on The Old Motor.

The purple fuel in the Station’s clear glass visible pump cylinders must have been a sight to see at this location at 11520 West Washington Boulevard, in Los Angeles. The photos are courtesy of the USC Libraries. The postcard at the bottom of the post titled: Air View, Famous Signal Hill, is courtesy of the Boston Public Library. You can view over 150 more old gasoline station related photos here on The Old Motor.