A closeup of Buc-ee's car wash logoAs cliché as the saying "everything's bigger in Texas" may be, it's an apt descriptor for the Lone Star State's beloved rest-stop staple, Buc-ee's. Launched in 1982 and boasting nearly 70 locations today, this Texas-born gas-station/convenience store franchise has become globally recognized for its surprisingly decent brisket, massive gas-pump lineups, supersized merch shops, and whatever the hell Beaver Nuggets are.Still, Buc-ee's is perhaps most famous for its Luling, Texas location, which is home to the largest convenience store in the world, spreading over a gargantuan 75,593 square feet. Buc-ee's size fixation doesn't end there — it also operates the world's longest automatic car wash. This scaled-up sud factory, measuring 255 feet of conveyor length, isn't actually attached to the biggest Buc-ee's mart but is located at a (slightly) more modestly sized Buc-ee's branch in Katy, Texas, about 110 miles east of the more famous Luling flagship. It's still quite the unique road-trip diversion. The world's longest car wash has big 'state fair' vibesA bird's eye view of Buc-ee's Katy, TX location car washThe longest car wash in the world isn't just, well, long. It's also unabashedly goofy, almost resembling a garish carnival ride on the inside. At the entrance, drivers scoot their vehicles onto the conveyor –- the same shebang you'll encounter at any automatic car wash. But instead of just the usual industrial brushes and sprayers, vehicle occupants are treated to brightly colored arches, flashing neon tube lights, rainbow-colored soap, and Buc-ee the beaver's mildly despotic portrait plastered throughout. The experience incorporates a whopping 17 industrial blow-dryers and over two dozen brushes, and the whole thing can accommodate up to 16 vehicles at a time.If you'd rather watch all of this hot scrubbing action from the outside, you're in luck: The car wash's exoskeleton is open-concept, so you can follow all of the "action" simply by strolling alongside the nearly football-field-long building. Considering how tough automatic washers can be on your car's paint job, you might be better off just spectating anyway.Buc-ee's doesn't plan to rest on its laurels, either. The brand plans to launch an even larger car wash in Florida by 2028. Until then, if you happen to be passing through Southeast Texas, consider stopping off at this curious Frankenstein's monster of American excess and vehicular hygiene. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.
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