Thread: Smiths Heater

They were an accessory that was fitted to plenty of different vehicles in the 50's and 60's, lots of base model cars and trucks came out without heaters.

There was one fitted to an Armidale based Series II that I often travelled in around the late 1960s.
They were a fairly common accessory there.

They were an aftermarket jobbie. Generally called a 'beehive heater' thanks to the shape. I had one in mine for a while - it melted the passengers right kneecap while I was frozen solid in the drivers seat!

Cheers,

Adam

Heaters were virtually unheard of in cars in Australia except for luxury English cars and the relatively rare European imports until the Japanese started importing cars with unheard of extras such as heaters and radios on base models in the 1960s.

Before this, if you wanted warmth in an Australian built car you either put on an overcoat or bought an aftermarket heater such as the one pictured.

It should be remembered that until about 1960, in NSW at least, driving with the driver's window shut was not an option, as trafficators or blinkers were not a legal substitute for hand signals. I can't remember when it changed, but this was the case when I got my licence in 1959.

The first two Landrovers I owned had heaters, being ex-SMHEA vehicles, but all the other Series 1/2/2a ones I have owned I have had to fit heaters. I don't think Series 3 had heaters until demisters became compulsory about 1973.

John