What‘s The Gas Brand With A Torch In Its Logo & Are They Still Around?
Drive around the country, and you’ll see gas stations operated by dozens of different brands, with some brands being more instantly recognizable than others. One brand you might have seen more of in recent years has a distinctive logo with a torch in the center. That brand is Amoco, and in March 2026, it celebrated the opening of the 1,000th gas station in its current network. This marks a reversal of fortune for the brand, which until relatively recently was being phased out by its parent company, the British oil giant BP.
Amoco was bought by BP in 1998, but it had been in operation for over 100 years before its acquisition. The company was originally founded as the Standard Oil Company (Indiana) back in 1889, and it quickly grew alongside America’s burgeoning automotive industry. It became known as the American Oil Company in 1961, which was often shortened to Amoco. The company officially became known as Amoco in 1985. After it was acquired by BP in the late ’90s, the Amoco branding of many of its locations was slowly replaced with BP’s branding.
All the while, many Americans continued to remember the Amoco name fondly. The giant Amoco sign that sat atop a gas station in St. Louis had even become a tourist attraction, with locals convincing BP to keep it even when the gas station itself was rebranded. The sign remains in place today, and it’s now arguably one of the coolest old-school gas stations in America.
Amoco’s decline and recent revival
Eventually, BP decided that phasing out a brand with such strong consumer recognition was hurting the company rather than helping it. In 2017, it announced that it would start bringing back Amoco gas stations, and over the following years, it rapidly added to the network. In recent years, BP has kept the momentum going, adding around 160 new Amoco locations around the country in 2025 alone.
The revival of Amoco isn’t stopping anytime soon either, with BP noting that the brand now forms a key part of its long-term plan for the American market. So, even if you haven’t got a gas station adorned with the famous torch logo near you at the moment, there might be one opening nearby in the future.
Amoco might be one of the most well-known American brands owned by BP, but it isn’t the only one. The British company also owns the ampm chain of convenience stores, the Thorntons chain, and TravelCenters of America.
