LOL, my grandpa actually had a pipe holder on his car, though I can't remember if it was this exact one. He had all kinds of strange gadgets bought and homemade, designed to make it so he had to stop for nothing on a long drive. He even kept an old coffee can on the floor to piss in if needed and dump out the window. I remember pissing in the can in the back seat and he'd dump it out. He died when I was 6, and I never got to fully realize what a strange guy he was! Brilliant machinist tho. He worked on the Harrier jump jet program when it was secret still, and I still have a few small Derringer pistols he machined.
Yes, wheel ants and termites was a very real problem in early automobiles with wood wheels. The same with horse drawn wagons and carriages. The Amish have a heck of a time with their wheels because of this.
I've been thinking of rigging up a system to spray water on the rears of my Corvair. Would love to do some burn outside without fear of damaging the transaxle.