– photo courtesy of theoldmotor.com
This is a post I did a few years ago; I hope you enjoy it!
I am utterly impressed by the ingenuity of the, “Auto Wash Bowl” in the picture above. And what a wash bowl it was! First appearing in St. Paul, Minnesota, the bowl soon became a hit on the Chicago car circuit (circa 1924).
Chicago’s answer to bathtubs for big cars arrived in the form of a large basin-shaped construction. At a reasonable price of just 25 cents, an attendant would place a cover over the car’s radiator to protect it from the car cleansing! Car owners would then drive ‘into’ the bowl, complete several circular laps while the ridged concrete of the bowl removed some of the mud and dirt from the vehicle’s undercarriage.
– photo courtesy of picasaweb.google.com
Interesting the car in the above newspaper ad is referred to as, “Henry”, don’t you think? Ah, Mr. Henry Ford, methinks you’ve had more than your fair share of motorized monikers!
A resounding, “Everybody out of the pool” was heard (just kidding; but it would be rather funny, don’t you think?). For those who needed the deluxe cleaning, a quick drive out of the bowl and into a service bay was in order, where an attendant would take over to, ‘finish the job’ (I did say it was the, “Chicago Way” now, didn’t I?). *grin*
For those who wanted to jump in with both feet (and car), you, yes YOU could own your very own automatic, automobile bathing bowl:
– photo courtesy of picasaweb.google.com
Ah, Saturdays at the ‘ol Auto Wash Bowl; good, clean, car fun!
The Chicago Files 