Xander Wildeisen Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 https://youtu.be/lT0j5nxDriY 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Always loved the styling and just the idea of Chrysler's Turbine car. Unfortunate that most of them had to be destroyed because of funding rules. Such a beautiful car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Xander, thank you for sharing the video. Did you have a question about the turbine cars? If not, this would be a good addition to the "Photos and Videos" section of our forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 Was wondering if people on here had anything to do with it? Very interesting car, did anyone besides Chrysler make turbine cars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 9 minutes ago, Xander Wildeisen said: Was wondering if people on here had anything to do with it? Very interesting car, did anyone besides Chrysler make turbine cars? Rover in England. Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 3 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said: Was wondering if people on here had anything to do with it? Very interesting car, did anyone besides Chrysler make turbine cars? I watched my Chrysler engineer neighbor drive one for a while when I was a kid in 1963-64. I woke up every morning just to hear it start up. Never got a ride in it, but his daughter whom I dated gave me this book.... 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 Did you date her just to get to the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Xander Wildeisen said: Did you date her just to get to the car? Nope. I dated her because she was lovely and sweet. The book was the icing on the cake. Edited March 16, 2021 by keiser31 (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimKB1MCV Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Jay Leno covered the car in a bit more depth a while ago, interesting video, though. I had a smile when the narrator said "...and it drove just like a car." Gas turbine tech seemed to have grown a following by the '60s, perhaps fizzling out a little by the '70s. The marine industry had a brief flirtation with it in the '70s, at least one container(?) ship was running New York- Puerto-Riico for quite a while. When fuel prices escalated the enthusiasm seemed to deflate a bit. The USN loved them, probably still does, they require no warmup and I think maintenance consists of remove/replace. My last few (USCG issued) Merchant Marine licenses are endorsed ..and Chief Engineer of gas turbines of any HP. It was a giveaway endorsement. 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 There was a Chrysler turbine car that came to the Hershey national meet, probably in the early 1990's. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimKB1MCV Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Is it my imagination or does it look as if the Chrysler design people may have been drinking from the same gene pool as Ford's T-Bird design people in the early to mid 1960s? The roofline looks familiar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 13 minutes ago, JimKB1MCV said: Is it my imagination or does it look as if the Chrysler design people may have been drinking from the same gene pool as Ford's T-Bird design people in the early to mid 1960s? The roofline looks familiar. Elwood Engel was a Ford stylist from 1955 to 1961 when he went to Chrysler. This explains the similarity between Ford, Thunderbird and Lincoln styling of the early sixties and Chrysler styling a few years later. You see it especially if you compare the 1964 Imperial to the 1961 Lincoln, or the 1965 Chryslers to 1964 Mercury. The Chrysler turbine car and Thunderbird were the work of the same man. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Fiat and Rover built experimental turbine cars, no doubt there were others that were not publicized. Chrysler built more than anybody else, and came closest to putting them in production. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I still have a brochure that the Chrysler people were handing out when it was displayed at Western Fair in London, Ontario. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 (edited) I still have the brochure. two of the promotional models, and the VIP Badge from the New Your Worlds Fair in 1964, they survived all of these years and reside in the showcase in my office now. When it was still opened there was a turbine car at the Chrysler Museum, and I saw another one a few years ago at the Gilmore Museum, (could be the same one) Edited March 16, 2021 by John348 (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Dentist friend of the family had one, vaguely remember something about terrible MPG and needing kerosene ? ps to me looks more like a Dodge Dart than a T'bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 They would run on kerosene, diesel fuel or gasoline and did get poor mileage especially in traffic. Chrysler said at the time, that a lot of the people who were doing the beta testing would start them up to show their friends what they sounded like, and this wasted a lot of fuel but, there is no doubt they were inefficient when it came to mileage. Whether this was ever fixed I don't know, they kept building improved models into the early 80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 1 hour ago, padgett said: Dentist friend of the family had one, vaguely remember something about terrible MPG and needing kerosene ? ps to me looks more like a Dodge Dart than a T'bird. Check out the rear view....1958 Ford Galaxie experimental and the Turbine car.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Does this line up with Virgil Exner's employment history? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Virgil Exner started at Chrysler in 1949. He suffered a heart attack in 1956 and was away from work for some time. This is when others took over the design of what became the 1962 line of cars. He left Chrysler in 1961, being replaced by Elwood Engel who came to Chrysler from Ford. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I got to see the Turbine in the Gilmore Museum up close in 2019. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 (edited) Of course, if you really want one, this one is for sale! Edited March 17, 2021 by Ozstatman spelling! (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wws944 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 There is one at the Museum of Transportation in St Louis. Leno visited some years ago, and signed it's engine compartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubilee Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 I started to tell my long winded experience with a experimental 352 Peterbilt turbine powered truck in 1972. But then I thought wait a minute, that’s a lot of typing and this is an antique auto forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 The front of the La Galaxie that keiser31 mentioned above also influenced the Turbine Car. Elwood Engel used quite a few Ford concept car motifs on later cars at both Ford and Chrysler. The Turbine Car came off looking a lot better than La Galaxie, in my opinion. If you're interested in Turbine Car history, Steve Lehto's book is very good. There are nine turbine cars left: Chrysler has two, Henry Ford Museum one, Detroit Historical Society one (it's always at Gilmore Museum), St. Louis Transportation Museum one, I think Peterson and the Smithsonian each have one, and then there's Leno's and the one for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 5 hours ago, Jubilee said: I started to tell my long winded experience with a experimental 352 Peterbilt turbine powered truck in 1972. But then I thought wait a minute, that’s a lot of typing and this is an antique auto forum. 1972 is considered 'antique'. Why not explain it, along with some photos?? Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 The Ghia Gilda Turbine car was built as a design exercise. It was in the Blackhawk collection for years and sold that Richie And Don's 2001 auction no reserve. It was unpowered. The guy that bought it spent a fortune putting a turbine engine in it. Here is a picture from 2017 when it was for sale at BJ. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 7 hours ago, Jubilee said: I started to tell my long winded experience with a experimental 352 Peterbilt turbine powered truck in 1972. But then I thought wait a minute, that’s a lot of typing and this is an antique auto forum. You can not get off topic on any post I start. The best and most interesting posts go in different directions. That's what keeps them going. Just in 24 hours I have learned a lot about turbine powered cars. Would love to hear about the Peterbilt. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 There’s a good book out there about the whole Chrysler turbine car affair. Seems I read in it that the engine could be removed and replaced in two or three hours, very modular concept. Anyone have any idea who bought the car that was at Hyman’s? It sold quickly, even though I’m sure there was a nice number before all the zeros on the price tag.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 I have the video of the Turbine cars being crushed. It's a VERY sad thing to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avanti Bill Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Hymans just sold one and I would love to know what it brought. It was in running order so they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 4 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said: You can not get off topic on any post I start. The best and most interesting posts go in different directions. That's what keeps them going. Just in 24 hours I have learned a lot about turbine powered cars. Would love to hear about the Peterbilt. Me too! I believe Ford and GM experiment with some big trucks that were turbine engine, and GM Truck & Coach had an experimental transit bus. Of course, there are the famous Andy Granatelli STP Indy race cars with Pratt & Whitney turbine engines: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/9103-jim-clark-and-stp-studebaker-special/page2?8864-Jim-Clark-and-STP-Studebaker-Special=&highlight=pratt Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 and then there was the 1969 Grand Prix with a steam engine (saw it around 1971 in the experimental plant off 109 bypass). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 3/16/2021 at 10:53 PM, Jubilee said: I started to tell my long winded experience with a experimental 352 Peterbilt turbine powered truck in 1972. But then I thought wait a minute, that’s a lot of typing and this is an antique auto forum. https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/32014-the-gt-601-gas-turbine-powered-macks/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) Ford had a turbine before Chrysler with a modified Thunderbird http://phscollectorcarworld.blogspot.com/2015/10/experimental-wonders-1955-ford-turbine.html Edited March 20, 2021 by Bleach (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Notice any similarities? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 The tach goes to 60,000 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 On 3/17/2021 at 1:59 PM, Avanti Bill said: Hymans just sold one and I would love to know what it brought. It was in running order so they say. Most likely one of the three museums currently adding major cars to their collections. Best guess, New England or Michigan. It’s certainly not the normal car for a collector to stick in a garage. Usually the secret gets out within a short time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) A regular Torqueflite automatic transmission was used with no torque converter. Craig Edited March 26, 2021 by 8E45E (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Ask nicely, and one of these three pretty ladies will take you for a ride!! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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