The first mass-produced car to offer air conditioning as an option was the 1939 Packard. Previously, you could only add on an expensive aftermarket AC unit that a New York city company provided, beginning in 1933. Their customers owned luxury cars and limousines. The Detroit, Michigan factory built Packard’s automobiles, then shipped those needing the AC upgrade to Bishop and Babcock in Cleveland, Ohio. Technicians installed the ‘Weather Conditioner,’ which also featured a heating unit. These first units proved to be a commercial failure because of their high price, unreliability, lack of temperature control, and its bulk. It would take more than a dozen years to sort out the problems before the Chrysler Airtemp was released in 1953 with a more reliable Frigidaire AC system.