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HH,
Those are interesting pictures. The first one looks like she is standing, compared to the picture of it in the car.

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Back in the 'early 60's I saw a very used Packard Henney ambulance, 40 or 41, with A/C and cold running water. Do not recall any other details

10-14-16

To Michael,

Thanks for Dwight's lead about a 1941 Packard with a cellarette bar.

I plan to contact him now.

Thanks,
Allen
Archiveman2977

Hi Allen

Although not high resolution scans, these images show the Cellarette supplement page tipped into my 1941 Data Book, to share with all the Packard scholars.

Steve

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Thanks for the Cellarette photos, what a quality piece of furniture or is it a appliance? None the less a very nice quality option.

It would really be interesting to know how many of those were actually installed.

Reading the description of how it comes equipped and the factory promotion of the convenience of having a ready supply of ice cubes for cocktails is a real reflection of the time. Imagine the outcry if one of todays manufacturers would actively promote cocktails at the ready for anyone in a moving vehicle.

As Tyler Fitzgerald said in "Its A Mad,Mad,Mad,Mad, World"
"It's the only way to fly"
Referring to the bar installed in his airplane.

Hi

The following paragraph regarding the air conditioning option for 1940, is quoted from the book The Classic Era by Beverly Rae Kimes, page 612:

"Air conditioning was available at $274. "Cooled by Mechanical Refrigeration in the Summer," Packard advertised. A continuously operating compressor was mounted up front on the right side of the engine, the lack of a clutch not being considered much of a problem. The faster the car was driven the cooler it became. During hot summer days Alvan Macauley's wife and grand-daughter had to wear fur coats in the air-conditioned '38 Packard that was built for him. A chloride compound was the cooling medium and corroded vital components over time. Despite problems, air conditioning was a first that commanded press attention. So did Hydra-Matic which GM introduced on the Oldsmobile only as a $57 option, and sealed beam headlamps which appeared on 95% of all American cars."


Has anyone seen documentation or photos of the Alvan Macauley air conditioned '38 Packard? It must have been one of the prototypes installations.

Steve

10-25-16

Hi Steve, 58L8134,

The Classic Era by Beverly Rae Kimes, page 612, inadvertently erred in stating that a (methyl) chloride compound was used for the cooling medium. This is partially correct. Packard initially used Freon 12 in its 1940 Weather-Conditioner.

Later, after WWII began, methyl chloride was substituted for the Freon 12 that was utilized in the war effort.

Packard issued two memo's according to this site's Packard Service Index:

SL VOL. 15 NO.22 11-15-41 Refrigerant (Methyl Chloride)
SC VOL. 18 NO. 6 1944 Methyl Chloride in...Systems


Yes, it would be interesting to hear more about the Alvan Macauley air conditioned '38 Packard.

Thanks,
Allen
Archiveman2977

The Henney history book mentions a lot of collaboration between Packard engineering and Henney on commercial chassis design but kind of skips over any combined AC work. Henney came out with their first AC ambulance in 38 with Henney and Trane collaborating to adapt the 1 ton Trane commercial unit to the ambulance and the Packard chassis. That was in answer to Miller coming out with a Kelvinator collaboration in 37.

It would be interesting to know if Packard was at all involved with Henney on their 38 ambulance AC offering for possible future car use or if that was entirely a Henney operation. Since the 38 Macauley car had AC did Henney build the Macauley car and could the AC have been the same Trane commercial unit used in the ambulance or was it an early prototype B&B unit.

If it was the same Trane offering, looking at the one illustration of the unit mounted under the floor in the ambulance that must have been some masterful packaging to get all the mechanicals either in the trunk or between the frame rails in the car. The Henney-Trane collaboration was short lived because as soon as the Packard B&B unit was available in 40 the Trane unit was dropped and the Packard offering was reworked for the ambulance.