Air Conditioning - First in a Stude?

[BigB]

Hi Stude-Friends!
A friend of mine asked me on our last trip to a Diner here in Germany, if Studebaker wasn't the first car manufacturer, that installed an air conditioning in one of its production cars. I couldn't give him an answer... So can you?

Best regards,

Bjoern

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Cruisin' through Germany: 1949 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe Starlight Coupe

[65cruiser]

It wasn't Studebaker, it was Packard.

1939 Air conditioning offered as an option in a Packard automobile

Packard Motor Car Company markets an automobile with air conditioning offered as an option for $274. The refrigeration compressor runs off the engine, and the system has no thermostat. It discharges the cooled air from the back of the car.


________________________
Mark Anderson
1965 Cruiser

http://home.alltel.net/anderm

[BigB]

Thanks a lot, 65Cruiser!

Bjoern

____________________________________

Cruisin' through Germany: 1949 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe Starlight Coupe

[Roscomacaw]

I think Nash was second. Coulda been Cadillac (too lazy to search) Studebaker offered it first in 1955. In sedans only.

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[raprice]

Just to add to what Mr. Biggs said, I think that Nash was the first to put A/C under the hood as part of their "Weather Eye" heating/cooling system. Earlier systems had the unit in the trunk. In fact, GM coveted Nash's system and a deal was supposedly made between Nash Kelvinator and GM. GM was sold the rights to make a fresh air system similar to Nash and Nash got to buy GM's Hydra-Matic transmission. In fact, my father's '50 Nash Ambassador had Hydra-Matic, the first year that Nash had an automatic transmission.
Rog

[Studedude1961]

One of the first Studebakers with air conditioning, if not the first, was the 1955 special edition "Ultra Vista Studebaker." These were sedans only and issued mid-year 1955 to celebrate Studebaker's adaptation of a wrap-around windshield which the company labeled "Ultra-Vista." I believe the Ultra Vista Studebaker came as an option package that included air conditioning (trunk mounted with clear tubes up either side of the rear window, electric windows and, if I am not mistaken, electric seats. There is a well-known ad showing these features. I have only seen one "Ultra-Vista" and it was a 1955 President in very forlorn condition on a car trailer at Pomona in the early 1990s. It would be interesting to know how many "Ultra Vistas" were built. They came in the President and Commander series only if memory serves. Does anyone participating in this forum own one or remember the ad?

Studedude1961
--1963 Cruiser

[Studedude1961]

A P.S. to the post above. I have a videotape of a tour of the Studebaker prototype graveyard at the former Studebaker Proving Grounds that showed a Starlight coupe with scoops under the "c" pillar that allowed air to be drawn into the trunk for an air conditioning unit. As far as I know no Loewy Coupe had factory (non-add on) air conditioning. I've never seen a factory photo of this car or feature but I do remember seeing it and hearing it described in the film.

Studedude1961
--1963 Cruiser

[BigB]

@Studedude1961:
Is there any possibility to get a copy of this videotype? I'd love to see these prototypes![?]

@all the others:
Every time I visit this forum I'm impressed again, how much you guys know about the Studebaker-Brothers and their cars! I'm enjoying it so much being in this club with so many great people, really!!!

Bjoern

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Cruisin' through Germany: 1949 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe Starlight Coupe

[whacker]

The first air conditioned car was Packard, in 1938. Douglas MacArthur bought one, and was famous during WWII for driving around Hawaii in it. What Nash invented that revolutionized the industy was the electric clutch for the compressor. Before that, the compressor ran all the time, with a valve that recirculated the freon back through the compressor when you weren't using it. Wasted a lot of power and made noise all the time. The electric clutch allowed the compressor to cycle off when it was not used. Nash was the maker of Kelvinator refrigerators, the division that actually came up with the idea.

[Transtar56]

"Sooner or later,you'll need a Kelvinator"

[Roscomacaw]

Studes - thru 1957 - used that non-clutched compressor setup. The shop manuals of that era claim there's an advantage to having the compressor run all the time. That being that it's seals are less likely to dry out from lack of use!
These systems were intended for use in sedans - but enterprizing dealers started shoehorning them into some C-K cars if they had customers willing to pay![] Remember, these evaporaters were huge, bulky things that were relegated to mounting in the trunk - beneath the rear package shelf. There'd be four holes in the Pkg. shelf. Two for intake and two for output. The two output holes had clear plastic "horns" that directed the cold air up the inside of the C-pillar and directed it forward in the cabin.[:0]

As to "Ultra-Vista", it only relates to the wrap-around windshield - not a special option package. This gleaned from Fred Fox's fine and detailed coverage of the '55 lineup in the Feb-Mar 1994 issues of TW.

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[Studedude1961]

"Ultra-Vista" relates to more than just "the wrap-around windshield," at least according to one Studebaker advertisement that appears in an old 1970s book of Studebaker advertisements I own (and just spent an hour in the garage digging up). This book is called "The Last Years of Studebaker" and was available through Classic Motorbooks in the 1970s. I bought mine in 1973. The ad is headed "The Newest of the new! Ultra Vista Studebaker" and part of the text reads, "Here's America's newest surprise from alert, fast-moving Studebaker-the exciting Ultra Vista models--a breath-taking additional line of 1955 Studebakers!" The ad goes on to describe power seats, air conditioning and power windows "optional on all Ultra Vista Commander and President sedans." I have found no other reference to a stand-alone line of Studebaker Ultra-Vista's in print, including Fred Fox's article and if you will read my first post I referenced this ad only.

Unfortunately posting photos on this forum is big and busy so if you would like to see the ad and verbage, email me at RJayW2@aol.com.

[DilloCrafter]

Transtar56 said, "Sooner or later,you'll need a Kelvinator".

Let me tell ya, I'll need it here in Texas sooner and you'll need it in Canada later! It was 82 degrees in the Austin area today.

I also have that videotape of the Studebaker graveyard. It's somewhat interesting, but homemade, and boring in many places. At least it does have a section of a neat old factory film showing the 1950 Sand Car and Sand Truck on the proving ground.

I got the video from an eBay seller whose UserID is iavideovisions. Here is a link to completed items he has recently sold (although he is not currently listing anything at the time of this post): iavideovisions completed listings. If you are not an eBay member, you won't be able to see what's behind that link, since they make you log in to view any completed items. But you can email me if you want the seller's email address.

Here is the blurb that describes the video, in his listing:

STUDEBAKER DREAMCAR AND GRAVEYARD VIDEO. TWO AND 3/4 HOUR VIDEO. A VIDEO VISIONS PRODUCTION @1999. WHILE MOST AUTOMOBILE COMPANIES WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO DESTROY THEIR PROTOTYPE CARS, STUDEBAKER DID QUITE THE OPPOSITE. FROM THE LATE 1930'S TO THE MIDDLE 1950'S STUDEBAKER PARKED THEIR EXPERIMENTAL VEHICLES IN A WOODED AREA OUTSIDE OF SOUTH BEND. THIS AREA, RUMORED TO EXIST, HAS BEEN FOUND AND DOCUMENTED IN THIS VIDEO. THIS IS THE ONLY VIDEO EVER TAKEN OF THIS AREA. COMBINED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS IT REVEALS THE STUDEBAKER FIELD OF DREAMS. THIS AREA IS NOW KNOWN AS THE STUDEBAKER GRAVEYARD. IT IS UNLIKE ANYTHING IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY. PROTOTYPE CARS AND TRUCKS RESTING IN BRUSH AND TREES WAITING TO TELL THEIR STORY.OLD CAR MAGAZINE SAYS IN ITS REVIEW OF THIS TAPE "FOR STUDEBAKER FANS THIS FILM COULD BE A REVELATION, EXCITEMENT OF DREAM CAR DESIGN, AND THE COMMENTS ABOUT THEIR CONSTRUCTION ARE ENLIGHTENING. COMBINED WITH VIDEO FOOTAGE AND PICTURES OF THE CARS WHEN NEW. FOR ANY AUTOMOBILE ENTHUSTIAST THIS IS A MUST SEE, BUT A STUDEBAKER PERSON,THIS IS THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE." QUALITY IS EXCELLANT. ORGINAL PRODUCTION OF VIDEO VISIONS

[img=left]http://rocketdillo.com/studebaker/misc/images/Current_Avacar.gif[/img=left] - DilloCrafter


1955 1/2 Ton Pickup
The Red-Headed Amazon

[Studedude1961]

Supposedly there are two videos...one shot in the early 1980s and the one I have viewed and own (somewhere!) shot in the early 1990s. The 1990s version was well-described above as being boring in places. This is so mostly because the prototypes we've all seen still photos of were destroyed by time, the elements, trees growing through and falling on the cars and by what was broadly hinted at in the video as deliberate damage with a bulldozer. I doubt there is anything left of the prototypes today because none had frames or running gear and were sitting on the ground. What was filmed in the early 1990s wasn't much. I seem to recall seeing photos taken when the Studebaker woodie prototype was removed from the site by SDC members in (I think) 1969? The story goes the group hoped to return to save the "Sand Car" but never made it back. One of the more interesting prototypes explored adding a curved panorama windshield to the Loewy Coupe body. Studebaker did this using what looked like tin molded to revised "A" pillars. I believe photos of this appeared in Turning Wheels somewhere along the line. The result, had the curved windshield idea made it into production, could charitably be described as hideous.

Studedude1961
--1963 Cruiser

[Studedude]

quote:Studes - thru 1957 - used that non-clutched compressor setup. The shop manuals of that era claim there's an advantage to having the compressor run all the time. That being that it's seals are less likely to dry out from lack of use!

If only they knew! In more recent times, the compressor was made to come on with the defroster, to dry the air!

Dave's Place
Studebaker Emporium

https://www.davesplaceinc.com