ETC

As it turns out, vehicle wraps are anything but new

From Newhouse Automotive Industries comes the "very latest automotive sensation:" vehicle wraps. That was back in 1954, though, long before the "new" vehicle wrap craze took hold five or so years ago.

Newhouse's "Car-D-Cal" isn't like the wraps seen today that are usually stretched over cars whole. Instead, the Car-D-Cal was a spot treatment, applied over the roof, doors and even the interior for a little extra pizzazz. It's too bad the decals were only offered in plaid or polka dots (with more than 150 assorted size polka dots in red, green, yellow or white) - we wouldn't be surprised to learn that's the reason why wraps didn't catch on until the next century.

Car-D-Cal was a hell of a lot cheaper, though: $9.95 would get you 2,500 square inches of your desired design and color while $19.95 would buy twice as much vinyl. Newhouse touted Car-D-Cal as a do-it-yourself product, so early adopters presumably didn't have to pay for labor. Wraps today cost much more - a quick Google search revealed that they can cost anywhere from $2,000 and up, depending on the amount of material required to wrap the whole car.

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