Grand Opening of Robo-Wash – 1966

Since I featured the Grand Opening of Ace Car Wash yesterday, I might as well shine a soapy spotlight on their Colorado Avenue competitor as well: Robo-Wash. (Plus, the ad is timely. Robots have been in the news lately, increasingly seen as a menace to humanity – not only taking jobs away from humans, but possibly enslaving them at some futuristic date.)

The above ad appeared in the Journal on August 5, 1966. It's kind of neat in that it depicts the machinery behind the washing process. Similarly to the Ace Car Wash ad yesterday, it lists various prizes that could be won (all car washes) during the grand opening celebration.

Unlike Ace Car Wash, Robo-Wash apparently sold gasoline as well.

Robo-Wash and Ace Car Wash were really only competitors for a little while, since Ace became the car wash for George May Ford sometime around 1967. Robo-Wash kept right on washing into the mid-70s.

Chalk one up for the robots, I guess.

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Don't forget the visit the Agility Nut's website, which features roadside architecture from the 1920s to the 1970s, including three whole pages vintage car wash photos (including one devoted to Robo-Wash and its uniquely shaped buildings).