Chrysler was not the first brand to have
onboard air conditioning; that honor goes to Packard, in 1940, and then to
Cadillac, in 1941. Chrysler offered air conditioning in 1942, and three 1942
DeSotos with the system are known to exist, according to Collectible Automobile (February 2007 issue).
http://www.allpar.com/corporate/airtemp.php
Dave Homstad
56 Dodge D500 (no A/C)
-----Original
Message-----
From: Forward Look
Mopar Discussion List [mailto:L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Charles Deyoe Jr.
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 6:30
AM
To:
L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [FWDLK] A Little Tidbit on
A/C
Not sure if this
is true but interesting story makes you wonder where people come up with the
information.
Chuck
Deyoe
1955
Chrysler
Subject: Fw:
A LITTLE TIDBIT
Here's a little factoid for automotive
buffs or just to dazzle your friends.
The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell,
Norman, Hiram, and Max, invented
and
developed the first automobile
air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946, the
temperature in Detroit was 97
degrees.
The four brothers walked into old man
Henry Ford's office and
sweet-talked
his secretary into telling him that four
gentlemen were there with the
most
exciting innovation in the auto industry
since the electric starter.
Henry was curious and invited them into
his office. They refused and
instead asked that he come out to the
parking lot to their car.
They persuaded him to get into the car,
which was about 130 degrees,
turned on the air conditioner, and cooled
the car off immediately.
The old man got very excited and invited
them back to the office,
where he offered them $3 million for the
patent.
The brothers refused, saying they would
settle for $2 million, but
they wanted the recognition by having a
label,
'The Goldberg Air
Conditioner,
on the dashboard of each car in which it
was installed.
Now old man Ford was more than just a
little anti-Semitic, and there was
no way he was going to put the Goldberg's
name on two million Fords.
They haggled back and forth for about two
hours and finally agreed on
$4 million and that just their first names
would be shown.
And so to this day, all Ford air
conditioners show -- Lo, Norm, Hi,
and Max-- on the
controls.
I can hear your groans from here. Control
yourself !!! just forward it.