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Who had what was called Flow-Through or maybe Flo-Through Ventilation? I know it wasn't Packard so I hope it's not too out of place to ask it here but the subject just came up and not remembering is driving me crazy(ier)! I seem to recall it was Nash but not sure.

Studebaker had "Refreshaire" in 66 where air passed through slots in the parcel shelf and out through grilled vents above the taillights. I think most all of the new for 71 GM bodies had it.

Thank you, Ross. Sounds similar to what I am recalling but I believe it was in the late '40s or early '50s.

GM has patents starting with some by Fisher body in 33 and another in the early 70s for flow thru ventilation (by that name) where air enters, flows thru the passenger compt and exits thru vents in the trunk area.

Nash had the Weather Eye system which I believe was the first totally integrated thermostatically controlled heater and fresh air ventilation combination. In the early 50s Nash upped the ante when they introduced the "All Weather Eye" which had the previous offerings and was the first to also incorporate AC with the heater and fresh air in an integrated system that was inexpensive and compact enough to be included in lower end mass market cars. I remember in the early 60s a Rambler advertising campaign where they promoted AC as a standard built in feature on the Ambassador models and was available on even the cheapest models for a minimal extra amount which if I remember was quite inexpensive even for that time.

Remember the Predictor with the rear glass that retracted which Mercury "introduced" in the early 60s as the Breezeway ventilation system. Sort of like Chrysler "inventing" the lock up torque converter in the early 70s.

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As I recall, it was Ford that had the purpose-built, designed in system they called "Silent-Flow-Ventilation" which was introduced on 1964 Thunderbird. They included an interior air exhaust vent below the rear backlight window (look for louvers at the base of the glass). This system was a resurrection of an idea introduced on the Ford Mystere concept car.

It was eventually referred to (perhaps generically) as "flow-through ventilation" or even "flo-through ventilation." GM followed around 1969 with "Astro-Ventilation" when they deleted vent windows and began installing side vents (same as the A/C/ vents without the A/C) in the ends of the instrument panel.

Mercury Turnpike Cruiser of 1957 featured a flow-through ventilation via inlet vents at the top corners of the windshield and exit at the near-vertical power-retractable rear window. The air vents on the windshield seemed like a good idea but they worked poorly and let as much rain in as air.

However, the original intent of Packard Balboa was to have a flow-through ventilation that did not require the side windows to be lowered. Ventilation would enter the cabin via the usual vents and then exit via a partially-lowered rear window. Of course the power rear window mechanism never got installed, despite the fact that Creative Industries had one laid out.

Finally Packard had a working system on the Predictor. This time, the rear window actually lowered and the system was workable with the power hatches closed.

Thank you, all! I know about the Balboa and Predictor, of course, but was thinking of a production model such as those mentioned.

Hi Don,

Here is an excerpt from Richard Langworth's book Hudson 1946-1957.

On the 1954 Italia, page 100:

"Flow-through ventilation, the first in the industry, was provided via cowl air intake and exhaust grooves at the top of the rear windows - Frank Spring claimed that the air inside an Italia changed completely every ten minutes."

Later on page 104 in discussing the prototype X-161 sedan with Italia styling, Langworth describes a flow-through ventilation system that had been intended for that car too.

Paul

It was Ford, and was used to describe the fresh air ventilation system on a number of its UK models (most notably the Cortina). This was early 1960s. From what I recall, there was nothing particularly special about it, but in standard form these cars needed all the help they could get.

It's the sort of term which might well have been used elsewhere or by others. I don't know if it was actually registered or copyrighted by Ford. The "system" probably wasn't patentable.

Cheers Brian

If you call the GT40 a production model, it also had Flow-through Ventilation via eyeball vents at the end of the dash, vents in the seats and an outlet at the rear of the roof (but no opening windows). Didn't make any difference much below 200mph. I have an aircon fitted to mine, to make it drivable in normal conditions!

Cheers Brian