Long before there was a motel in every town folks who traveled by car had to make do with whatever comforts they could carry in the primitive automobiles of the day. Normally that meant sleeping on the ground with, at best, protection from a canvas cover attached to the side of the vehicle. A few innovators went a step further, turning the car into a mobile bedroom. Henry Ford's remarkably versatile Model T lent itself to such conversions, becoming the first wheeled "camper" since the covered wagon. The car above, which caught my attention at the Model T 100th Centennial in Richmond, Indiana this year, is a charming example. It got the occupants off the ground, provided basic shelter, and included storage space for bedding, pots and pans, and the various paraphenalia needed when camping away from normal conveniences. Just to prove how practical it may have been in its time, the owners actually slept in their Model T en route to the event.

[Photo: Philip Powell]