Chrysler Turbine car 1963

[Donny]

I spent all last night watching these movies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rF-IuWSjkA&feature=related and was wondering what these cars' technology would look like today if this system found wide-spread acceptance in society. My take is the heat exchangers might have evolved into liquid cooling for the incredible heat still abundant after passing through them. I like the idea of zero emissions, instant warm-up, multi fuel capable. The 'what if' is interesting to ponder on! Oh yeah, each part is 15 mins long, and there's 7 parts, very informative!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Not to mention, you're fantasizing about blasting one. lol

 

[Budnicks]

Turbine cars

I like the look of the Chrysler Turbine Fury cars too, my step father Bob knew a big wig car guy, with one in Antioch Calif., named Bill Pillan "or something like that" here's some stuff from 1962 lititure from, the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Fury of the 200 originally made only 9 known to still exisit...

 

[65belv]

Back when they were loaning these out to some regular Mopar customers for testing, a guy that lived about two miles from us would park it in his driveway the whole time he had it. I used to go by fairly frequently just to look at that rocket ship disguised as a car. What a great image even today...............................

 

[Montclaire]

They kept building turbine test vehicles through the 70s, I think the last one was a volare. EPA shut them down for emissions, as I recall, and said that Chrysler didn't have the ability to take it further at the time - it was as refined as it was going to get. You do have to wonder, with today's technology, what would be possible.

 

[detmatt1]

I think that big oil money folks smothered continuing research for this project to protect themselves. Yes, a conspiracy theory.

 

[b-star69]

I THINK THE NEW NUMBER IS 3 WITH ONE AT WALTER P CHRYSLER MUSEUM AND ONE AT JAY LENOS bigdoggarage.com AND THE OTHER WITH ANOTHER COLLECTOR.

 

[306Doba]

Imagine the engine swaps you could do haha. WTB: Used F-16 for parts, engine must be complete.

 

[Donny]

We cry when we see these cars crushed and destroyed when the real value and lessons learned are in their computers and data drives from that time. I think it was up to 1980 when they were still tinkering with the turbine engine, then they went bankrupt and that idea was deep sixed, enter the K car!

 

[Bear R.-]

can yo ubeleive it crushed um.and to top it off loaned them out! incredible cars.burns any fuel known to man.wow.these were a sweet ride.interiors were hot looking too.!
.and your right bstar69 3 in existence.jay's got one.God Bless.barry

 

[Cranky]

Actually, Chrysler didn't file for bankruptcy back then but did ask for loans....and Chrysler was forced to abandon the turbine engine as a precondition of U.S. government loan guarantees when the company experienced financial difficulties in the late 1970s, according to Wikipedia and that seems to hold true with other sources that I've read about and iirc, Lee's book talks about it too. Also, the money came from banks with the gooberment's ok on it all being guaranteed in case Chrysler did fail so it can't even be called a bail out like it was this time. So, with that info, I would safely say that the oil companies didn't have much if anything to do with the demise of the turbine. It wasn't received by the public all that well either.....

 

[Donny]

I stand corrected Cranky! Indeed Chrysler Corp. didn't file for bankruptcy, but was flirting with it in 1980. I remember that time well, mispoke and generalized statements don't always work in the details of life!

 

[1970GTX]

Funny enough they just featured Leno's car on Speed TV "My Classic Car" this morning. Jay fired it up and it was amazing to hear it.

 

[Photon440]

Such a fascinating car. From the early efforts in the 1950's, through the 1963 public experiment, right to the end of the 1970's, it always seemed like the jet car was just a couple years from entering production. Here's what the last model looked like before they closed the division down.

 

[egrand1508]

This is probably the best website for the Turbine cars. It was done by a guy who's family was one of the few chosen to drive the cars.

http://www.turbinecar.com/turbine.htm

 

[Photon440]

If you'd like to check out the owner's manual for yourself:
http://oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/Chrysler/1963/Turbine Car/Owners/index.htm

I had the original brochure. My dad picked it up at the Seattle world fair in 1962. Then I lost it somewhere over the years. I found a replacement on eBay.

 

[Donny]

that's a cool manual!

 

[65 Plymouth Satellite 426]

Last I Saw That Turbine Car Was At The 1964 New York World's Fair At The Chrysler Pavilion!

 

[roadrunner4sure]

Actually, you are not far off. The government kept funding the project quietly even when Chrysler started having problems. All the test engines, tooling, masters etc etc were eventually transferred to Williams International in Walled Lake Michigan. reason is that that little engine that you refer to was our first generation as well as its current variations of our cruise missile engines. Yes, the turbines engine wasn't clean enough at the time or fuel efficient enough for mass production in the general automotive population. However, the government looked at it hard for military vehicles as you never know where you are going to have to fight a war and logistically what local resources you may have to use in an emergency to fuel such said vehicles. Yes, they would run on most anything. We really don't give a **** if the tailpipe on a cruise missile is sparkle clean.... Lol. End of story..

 

[Donny]

Interesting! I wonder if the compressor blade found in the Pentagon wreckage on 9-11 that they say was from the plane the supposedly crashed into the Pentagon was from one of these Chrysler descendant engine?