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Remembering the 1937 Hunt Housecar, the First Private RV With a Functional Shower

The name of J. Roy Hunt probably rings a bell only with film school students and diehard movie buffs. But it’s his contribution to an emerging market that he likely didn’t even imagine that we’re going to talk about today.
The 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroom 11 photos
Photo: OurAutoExpert
The 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomHollywood star Donnie Dunagana with the Hunt Housecar in a 1938 promo photoThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroomThe 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroom
J. Roy Hunt was a multi-skilled man, despite the fact that he never even finished third grade. He got his start in Hollywood as a cameraman and worked hard to a position of cinematographer and finally director. In his spare time, he would race cars and motorcycles, go hunting and... build RVs. That last hobby seems to bear no connection to his day job, but was directly inspired by his desire, if not need, to have the perfect home away from home, with all the creature comforts of one, even on the most isolated production set.

Hunt’s efforts culminated with the 1937 Hunt Housecar, which is widely regarded by RV historians as the first private RV with a functional shower. We’re talking about an era in which RVs – housecars, as they were called – were still an oddity, so to have one that integrated a functional shower and a separate bathroom was even more of one.

Hunt built an estimated 50 Housecars over a period of 10 years, but this one is the most famous, both because it was the first one and because it remains in impeccable condition. The predecessor of the Housecar was a Willys delivery sedan, to which Hunt added a bed, a folding table, a 110-volt generator, and a short-distance radio. The successor was a wilder interpretation of the Housecar, which he created in 1941: it had an aluminum body and a two-cylinder steam engine mounted at the rear. Neither vehicle exists today.

The 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroom
Photo: OurAutoExpert
The 1937 Hunt Housecar, which is shown in the video below and in the gallery attached to this story, comes from the David Woodworth collection. Woodworth is considered the world’s premier authority on historic RVs, and he found it in a junkyard, where it had been abandoned after it was converted into a hippie-mobile. He restored it and offered it to the Recreational Vehicle / Motor Home (RV/MH) Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. That’s Al Hesselbart from the Museum in the video.

The Hunt Housecar is based on the chassis of a 1937 Ford pickup truck, with bodywork by a specialist auto shop from Southern California. Hunt drew inspiration from the Stout Scarab and the Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion car in designing the bubble-shaped RV, which he clad with a fuselage-type skin made from 16-gauge steel. At a time when aerodynamics meant inspired by airplanes, it’s no wonder Hunt opted to infuse the Housecar with aircraft-inspired elements – such as the multi-panel windshield and a flush-fitting hatch.

Inside, the Housecar had a small kitchen right off the entrance, where the front passenger would have sat. It was small, but it had an oven, a toaster, a small fridge, and a pantry – and even an electric razor, which Hunt, always the practical man, offered as a standard feature.

Behind the driver was the bathroom, which was a dry one – another major innovation. Hunt achieved this by having the chamber pot toilet tuck away inside the wall, so you’d have enough room to shower. The sink, which was from a Pullman railroad car, also folded up to drain and to hide from sight.

The 1937 Hunt Housecar is the first private RV with a functional shower and a dry bathroom
Photo: Hemmings
The rest of the Housecar was occupied by the bedroom and a small dinette. As Mr. Hesselbart explains, the interior was cramped, almost as cramped as one of today’s vans, but it was comfortable and, more importantly, it had all the creature comforts of an actual home. The birch and oak paneling on the interior helped create the impression of an airer space.

Driving the Housecar was a challenge, and it had nothing to do with the poor infrastructure of the time. In order to create space inside for all the features, Hunt moved the steering wheel and the driver’s seat forward, but he left the gearshift behind. Mr. Hesselbart says shifting gears was an acrobatic feat, and you can tell by looking at the photos in the gallery.

But pulling a muscle from reaching behind you to switch gears must’ve been worth it once at camp.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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