Coachbult.com - General Body Company



General Body Company - 1930s-1961 - Chicago, Illinois

General Body Co – Chicago, IL - High-top delivery van bodies on 1934 International for Marshall & Fields. Not only did they build the original Weinermobile, but also delivery vans for Oscar-Meyer. Also some streamlined bodies on Dodge in late 1930s. At least through 1960s.

Known builder of Fire apparatus bodies 1951-1961

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General Body Company – Chicago, Illinois – 1930s-1940s designed and built? Streamlined beer trucks in late 1930s – SIA#187pp52 (also built the 1st Weinermobile) …. General Body Co - (1930s – 1960s - Chicago, IL) – Fire truck Bodies & Weinermobile. In the fall of 1947 the General Body Company of Chicago was contracted to construct a large, custom-designed van for the Illinois State Museum. The unit was delivered to the Museum in September of 1948. During just over two months, Museum staff installed 21 exhibits covering a cross-section of topics shown in the Museum itself. The Museumobile was dedicated in December of 1948.

General Body Corp. (of Detroit, Michigan), Bender Body Co., York-Hoover Body Corp., Pierce-Arrow, and Hayes Body Corp., all manufactured travel trailers in the late 1930s General manufactured Stream-Lite trailers in the mid to late 1930s (1937). A Chicago Streamlite Corporation existed in Chicago in the 1940s, could be the same firm. Address 5001 South Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, Ill.

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General Body Co - (1930s – 1960s - Chicago, IL) – Truck bodies, fire truck bodies & the first Weinermobile. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile first hit the streets of Chicago on July 18th, 1936. Just a glimpse of the hot dog on wheels was guaranteed to bring the kids running. Carl Mayer, nephew of the company's founder, came up with the idea of building a 13-foot hot dog on wheels. General Body Company of Chicago, Illinois, designed the first Wienermobile, which featured open cockpits in the center and rear. General charged Oscar-Meyer $5,000 to build the prototype which was built on an International chassis and measured 13 ft from front to back. Five more Wienermobiles were built in the early 1950s, constructed on Dodge chassis and featuring sound systems and a sunroof. In 1958, designer Brooks Stevens incorporated the bun into his futuristic, bubble-nosed model. The current model was designed by automobile designer Harry Bradley and constructed in 1995 by Carlin Manufacturing of Fresno, Calif. The 27-foot long, 11-foot high, 10,500-pound Wienermobile includes high-tech audio and visual equipment, a computerized control panel, large windows and comfortable seats.On the road today, 12 Hotdoggers pilot six 23-foot long "Lamborwienies" or "Wienebagos." Each is fully equipped with a microwave oven, refrigerator, cellular phone and stereo system that plays 21 versions of the Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle. In the fall of 1947 the General Body Company of Chicago was contracted to construct a large, custom-designed van for the Illinois State Museum. The unit was delivered to the Museum in September of 1948. During just over two months, Museum staff installed 21 exhibits covering a cross-section of topics shown in the Museum itself. The Museumobile was dedicated in December of 1948. With this, the first fully self-contained traveling museum in the country became a reality, and the Museumobile began touring the state in 1949. The idea for this first display was to present a sampling from each department of the Museum. These exhibits lined the two sides of the bus and were viewed from a central aisle.

Carl G. Meyer's idea resulted in the development of a 13 foot hot dog on wheels, which transported the company's first spokesperson, "Little Oscar", through the streets of Chicago, Illinois, promoting Oscar Meyer's "German Style Wieners" and handing out "Wienerwhistle" toys to children. This "Wienermobile" was built by the General Body Company of Chicago at a cost of $5000 - a small fortune during the Great Depression. Featuring all-metal construction it was rivaled as a masterwork of design that year only by Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Water" house.

The years from 1950 to 1954 brought five new versions of the Wienermobile, one of which is currently on display in Dearborn, Michigan, at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village's popular Wienermobile Cafe. These vehicles, designed by Gerstenlager of Wooster, Ohio, were built upon a Dodge chassis and featured innovations such as a high-fidelity sound system and a sunroof. Even more important, perhaps, was the addition of a bun.