He never got past the third grade but, J.Roy Hunt is today revered as the founding father of the RV industry and a legendary cinematographer. His cinematic CV includes such movies as Beau Geste, an acclaimed foreign legion epic and ‘Flying down to Rio’ as well as ‘Brooklyn Buckaroos’ and ‘Parachute battalion’.
Due to the nature of his work, Hunt spent several weeks at a time away from home. He occupied hundreds of places while practicing his profession and he raced cars and motorcycles for a hobby. His strangest past time, however, was building RV’s.
1937 Hunt House Car
When it came to cars, Hunt’s taste was very discriminating. Early on, he worked on the design of the steam car and is rumored to have tried to purchase Howard Hughes custom built RVs’ which were used as dressing rooms during production.In 1937, Hunt purchased the chassis of a Ford truck. He then had a specialist fabricate a fuselage in 16 gauge steel and a flush fitting hatch as well as multi-panel windshield. This would soon become the first mobile home with a functional shower.
Hunt House Car Exterior
The Hunt house car served as a comfortable dwelling while on location.It had a disappearing toilet which folds into the wall to create more room in the shower.
In 1941, Hunt created an even more radical house car with a two cylinder steam engine and an aluminum body.
The vehicle was powered by white steam but was later modified to use a more efficient twin design created by a fellow car enthusiast.
The inventive RV lover produced a hundred ‘Hunt House cars throughout his life until his death in 1972.
Want a closer look at the 1937 Hunt house car? Check out the video below and tell us what you think!
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