How the Packard Motor Company pushed the idea of air-conditioning in cars without much success (4 photos)

Today we perceive air conditioning in cars as something in itself. taken for granted, because such systems exist in almost every car on the road. However, there was a time when air conditioning in cars was "the newest thing" and an unusual car accessory.





Since the early 1930s, cars began to be equipped with air conditioning.

At first, this was done only on individual orders for rich motorists. First documented installation order climate control was made in 1933.

November 10, 1939 manufacturer of limousines and luxury cars "Packard" - by the way, the favorite brand of I.V. Stalin - offered customers air conditioning as an advanced option.

Now climate control is put on the car directly on the conveyor. And in In the late thirties, there was no such possibility. From a car factory the cars were driven to the Bishop and Babcock Air Conditioners factory, where specialists have converted them.

The compressor of the first car air conditioner was rotated by the engine crankshaft



There were about 2000 buyers for the novelty

This is quite a large number, given that the first automobile "kondei" were, to put it mildly, inconvenient to use due to design features.

To begin with, the device was very bulky. The evaporator and fan took up half the trunk.

Also, turning off the air conditioner was a problem. Toggle switch on front panel turned off the fan. However, the compressor continued to work because it was driven by a belt from the crankshaft engine. Therefore, when the car was driving, the flow of cold air went into salon. The faster you drove, the faster the compressor turned, the more There was a cold air current.

The driver had a better alternative. Could have stopped turn off the engine, get out of the car, open the hood, disconnect the dirty belt, close the hood, get into the car, wipe your hands with rags, start engine and continue driving. And if you want to warm up, then connect the compressor in the same way. In general, you understand ...

Finally, since the evaporator and fan were in the trunk, and compressor under the hood, through the whole car there were pipes connecting them. For servicemen it was quite inconvenient.

Packard abandoned the system in 1941

In the pre-war years, the company remained the only manufacturer of air-conditioned vehicles, none of its competitors supported. So the first attempt can be considered unsuccessful.





In the postwar years, engineers redesigned the design air conditioners, making them more compact and easier to use. To In addition, with a change in fashion, trunks have become much larger. Only after air conditioners have become a familiar comfort option even in mass and inexpensive cars.