A smaller version of the famous Spindle sculpture that once stood in a shopping center in Berwyn, Illinois, recently was unveiled along that city’s alignment of Route 66.
Artist Pete Gamen created a 23-foot-tall version of the sculpture and uses fiberglass go-karts instead of cars, according to WBBM. It stands in Paisan’s Pizzeria and Bar at 6226 Odgen Ave. (aka Route 66) in Berwyn.
Paisan’s posted a bunch of photos from the unveiling of the sculpture on Sunday:
The original 50-foot-tall Spindle, created in 1989 by artist Dustin Shuler, was dismantled in 2008 after the Cermak Plaza shopping center changed owners and was redeveloped, despite protests. The shopping center was about two miles north of Route 66.
The Spindle consisted of eight cars impaled onto a spike. The sculpture appeared in the 1992 hit movie “Wayne’s World” and was featured extensively on tourism websites and brochures.
A new Muffler Man also recently was installed up the street at Cigars & Stripes BBQ Lounge in Berwyn.
Both were paid for with a Route 66-related state grant before the highway’s centennial in 2026.
(Image of the new Spindle at Paisan’s Pizzeria in Berwyn, Illinois, being unveiled via Facebook)
Oh, that is very cool!