Many enthusiasts love the idea of a classic car. It’s easy to picture yourself driving up a beautiful piece of road with the sun out in the classic car of your choice. A smile hogging all the space on your face, and the car gliding down the road, with all your troubles left far behind. It’s a great image. But now you are coming off the road and have to drive home, and that sun that was tanning your arm hanging out the window is now baking you. At every red light, your body’s temperature gauge is overheating, same like the car. You forgot why cars have continued to improve since the days of these cars. Classic cars mean classic technology, which, after driving any sort of modern car, seems archaic. But as soon as you change one of these old parts for a modern counterpart, the car’s value can take a stronger hit than it costs for the part. This leaves many enthusiasts with the car of their dreams sitting in the garage 80% of the time.
Austin Caccavo was thinking about this very problem when he was looking at his E28 M5 in his garage. He and his friends, who owned classic BMWs, all had problems with their A/C, feeling like it clocked out every time they stepped in. They didn’t want to sacrifice the originality, and aftermarket repairs were extremely costly. So he decided he would solve this problem himself. So, out of his garage, and with a desire not to sweat through his shirt, A/C Solutions was born.
The company’s first product was a plug-and-play A/C kit that could be installed at home. This kit, made for the E28, was designed to have an easy installation. Like most changes to an internal part of the car, it will require some tools, a jack, hopefully jack stands, and patience in disassembling and reassembling parts of these cars. But if you follow the instructions that even someone who had never put a tool to a car could understand, you'd be done in one day.
Austin got this kit into his friend's hands, to which they rejoiced by driving their classics daily. But he knew other BMW owners had the same problems, and he took to all the forums, social media, and Reddit threads he could find to tell them of this new solution. He would even go out to in-person events like rallies and car meets to bring news that the heat could be beaten for a fair price.
All that grassroots marketing got him a lot of orders and feedback, which he took to heart. He would edit and change the design entirely to fit consumer demand. He sourced stronger components, simplified installs, and expanded support across more BMW models. These changes brought him to better materials and more rigorous testing methods, increasing what was already top-notch quality.
Needless to say, A/C solutions skyrocketed into the top solution for A/C fixes in classic BMWs. A space that had been left untouched for years finally had a champion to fight the heat without sacrificing the legitimacy of their ride. And Austin held tight to his title of number one, continuing to improve his product and business. He made sure to keep up his high-quality standards while expanding his output capabilities and continuing to improve upon his design. By doing so, he created kits for the E30, E24, E34, and eventually made his way into classic Porsche kits. But with all that quality came a higher price tag. While it is still below what other options were available that also kept the originality, it is still a non-trivial investment in your ride. The focus had shifted to quality and maintaining originality rather than price. But if you are looking to preserve the history of your car while not baking, it is a great option.
What had started as a problem and a garage turned into one of the car community's heroes. A way to enjoy your classic car daily and not just on one of the few days Mother Nature has a shred of mercy. No longer are classic BMW cars bound to their garage spaces by the pain of heat or value loss, because now they have a key to freedom.