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The similarity of newspaper reports is suitable to illustrate, that a week after presenting the car air condition to a broader audience at the Chicago Motor Show, PMCC enjoyed a great deal of attention all the way across the country.




source: 1939-11-05 The Odessa American
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When Packard ruled the headlines. If the image below is too large or unwieldy for your screen, try -> the attached PDF file.




source: 1939-11-05 The Indianapolis Star
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"Air conditioning? Certainly!... Cost? Not a bit of difference!"



source: 1939-10-12 Indiana Evening Gazette
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It makes me chuckle in todays world to realize how small towns used to (and maybe still do) make vehicles multi-task. The town I grew up in was no different.

In my town if you needed an ambulance whether for an emergency or just transport it was call the doctor or the hospital and they would dispatch the funeral home hearse -- but hopefully you did not need emergency services when the hearse was otherwise occupied in doing its primary function.

Anyway, a big black Cadillac with the name of the funeral home on the side and a red light that was presumably stuck with a magnet to the roof would arrive and cart you off. I often thought that once in the vehicle one could only hope the hearse and driver did not have a homing signal of some sort or a predisposition to go back to the funeral home because that was also the county morgue. Also makes me remember an episode of the old 70s show Emergency where the big city paramedics were in the middle of nowhere and the mouth open look of disbelief when the ambulance that arrived was the same funeral home scenario.

I don't believe that people had been insensitive before 1950s. The times were just harder then and even if ambulance services were reminiscent to goods transport nobody complained.

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Just in case that the above shown image makes you think, it is one of those Russian makeshifts, please find below the same but made in USA.

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Freon was the means of choice in 1939.


source: 1939-08-23 Indiana Evening Gazette
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Hi

The DeSoto ambulance in #197 was the lwb Suburban, a nine passenger model with the second and third row seating equipped for maximum flexibility. Seat upholstery was Delon plastic and side panels a wood-grain hardboard. Note the roof rack which was standard on the Suburban. With the seating folded down, a carrying deck with protective slats for cargo like a station wagon.

DeSoto aggressively pursued the commercial (taxi and livery) and professional (ambulance) segments with their lwb sedans. For the ambulance applications, a removable B-pillar on the right side could be specified to facilitate ease of access.

Almost any movies from the 1940's where a taxi appears is a lwb DeSoto Skyview. Checker was the other major player but seem to be less in evidence in films.

Steve

Steve (58L8134), thanks. The DeSoto Suburban pictured below shows an impressive front bumper and I have noticed the external rear door hinge. It's quite amazing, in fact, that there was a market for low priced ambulances, where patients lay next to the spare wheel, eight years after introduction of the fully equipped Packard, furnished with hot running water, autophone and A/C.

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