My dad did have his car occasionally detailed back in the late 50's, with Simoniz! (I think he paid a guy $5 or $10 to do the exterior back then). My dad died in 1999 (at age 81), but he loved the way my cars looked in his final years.
I occasionally detailed his Cadillac before he died, but he would ruin the surface by then washing it only with water and drying it with a bath towel. And....I swear this is true....he rubbed a film on MOTOR OIL on the dash to keep the Florida sun from "cracking the leather."
His dash never cracked, but it sure smelled funny and sure was shiny.
Mike
