If you search through classic car parts long enough, you’ll eventually come across some odd and inventive parts… and maybe even some that were ahead of their time. The car cooler is a perfect example of an unusual, but much needed, innovation.

Popular from the 1930s and into the 1960s, car coolers were sold as an add-on item. They were essentially swamp coolers for your car. No longer needed because of improvements with modern air conditioning and refrigerants, car coolers used evaporative cooling technology.  Looking much like a canister type vacuum cleaner, they were mounted on the passenger window of many classic cars, from Model A’s to hot rods to Volkswagens.

Manufactured by the likes of Thermador, Sears Roebuck, and Classic Aire, car coolers used either “ram air” or “fan powered” technology. The ram air method worked when the car was in motion, with air forced through the tube and over a water reservoir. The water evaporated to dissipate heat, and the unit then pushed cooler air through a vent and into the passenger side of the car. The canister held approximately one gallon of water which could last for 100 to 150 miles. Of course, the major downside to the ram air model was that it only worked when the car was driving forward. The fan powered model, which worked even with the car stopped or at very low speeds, was introduced later and solved this problem.

Many people take modern conveniences, like air conditioning, for granted. It’s February, and we’re expecting temps to hit 91 degrees here in Pomona today. I love my daily driver’s air conditioning, but it sure is fun to look back at where we came from.