I can't let mountainrev's slur against German engineering stand!

My first car was a 1959 Beetle, and the heat worked wonderfully. There were only two issues with it:

First, the air was heated in a "heat exchanger", a box which contained the exhaust manifold. Should a leak develop, you'd be breathing exhaust gases, which is not a Good Thing.

Second, you controlled the heat by twisting a knob, which pulled on a cable, which moved an arm connected to the heat exchanger. A door opened or closed, regulating the amount of air coming through. At least, that was the way it worked until the arm froze up, since it was located right behind the rear wheels, and salt water in New England usually got to them pretty quickly. So the joke among VW owners was "is your heat on or off?" because you'd loosen up the arm and set it at the beginning of the winter, then again at the end.

Still, I'd take that over something that dripped gasoline!

Protruding roof nails under the snow! Oooooh, the pain ...

Not for all the turkey in the world.

What mountainrev means by South Wind “gas” heaters he means gasoline powered. A tube was connected from the heater to the car’s fuel line. Raw gasoline came inside the car, via the tube, into the heater and you lit it up much as a camp stove.

One came on a 1934 Packard I bought and not accepting the dare it was the very first thing I took off the car before I drove it.

Russlet is spot-on with noting the effect of sliding down a two-pitched slope. I well recall my son sliding down a brass handrail in 30 Rock, which was all fine and dandy till the slope turned into a horizontal section, resulting in a very abrupt and rude halt.

... and raise you one. Not only will I slide down the roof, but I'll do it in the barrel I hauled up from under the stairs!

Well, not now, but 50+ years ago I would've slid ..................... !

A good dare, but doomed. There are two pitches on the stairway roof, and you'd be in for a nasty landing.

How about a hint for the caption please? (We’re not all as astute as you).

I'll have that window opened and be right down to ya in no time!
Happy Winter Solstice to you all,
Wormy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN2NBJmcS8o

South Wind made gas heaters for cars. The company was ultimately purchased by Stewart-Warner. They were still making them into the '60s as an option for Volkswagens, whose air cooled engines notoriously produced very little heat on their own.