1963 Chrysler Turbine Car At The Chrysler Proving Grounds
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Step back in time a quarter of a century to the 1982 Chrysler Car Club Convention held at the Chrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Michigan. Check out one of the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Cars as it accelerates away from the camera at the Proving Grounds.
I signed up in 1963 to be chosen to drive one of these cars. Chrysler decided on how to apportion the cars to the public, based on driving habits, number of miles driven, etc.
Unfortunately, I was not chosen. I forget how many cars there were in the fleet. Before this, they had a turbine in a 54 Plymouth! :) Jack
Chrysler gave the turbines to people to drive for a few months as an advertising scheme. I recall seeing one of them on the streets of Jacksonville, FL back in 1964. Couldn't miss it.
I'm not exactly sure what all the exhaust consisted of but the car really isn't that loud. There's a little bit of a muffled turbine roar as the car accelerates away from you. It really is amazing. This was over 40 years ago that these cars were built. It's a shame that the technology wasn't developed further.
Most all of the 50-60 1963 Turbine Cars were indeed crushed but about a dozen survived. Many are non-running examples but there are still a few running and driving cars. The ones owned by the Museum of Transportation and at least one of the ones still owned by Chrysler (the one in this video) are two that run and drive.
I have some more footage of the Turbine Car that is owned by the Museum Of Transportation in St. Louis around here somewhere. That footage is in-car footage I shot riding in the back seat of the car at Gateway International Raceway a few years back. That was really cool and something I'll never forget. I'll have to post that footage when I run across it.
We changed all seals, push rods oil cooler front seal, main seal etc. Everything that came in the kit we used.
I agree, there is a movie from 1964 called "The Lively Set" that features the car in it. Check it out.
the sound of the turbine is SOO incredible!
but two questions: is the turbine (very) loud, especially when accelerating? and - if not - how did they manage to quiet the sound down? you know that?
thanks in advance, jonas
Novel idea that Chrysler had, but I'm glad it never "took off". The gas mileage and maintenance costs would economically cripple most people. It is still nice to see a piece of history that still runs.
I don't remember what the top speed on them is but it's really not too bad. I rode in the one that is at the St. Louis Museum of Transportation a few years back at the Monster Mopar Weekend and they really ain't all that slow off the line. I was thoroughly impressed.
@loufalce I believe the same person did the styling for both, then the bodies were built in Italy by Ghia in I believe Turin. One of my auto instructors took one for a shoert drive in the late '60s at a chrysler open house back when he worked for them. He said it was nice..
@JBofBrisbane
Most of those fuels you mention would cost in the same range of petrol(gasoline) - but you could I guess use low octane gasoline without additives that would be cheaper.
I think a modern version using a turbine driving an electric generator and a electric motor on the rear axle, with supercapacitors to soak up extra charge, with a computer controlling the rubine/generator while you control the electric engine to the rear axle would do very well.
Man you must have been excited.
Yes! This is history.
@52111centrumcz - Except that you don't need to run it on petrol (gasoline). Kerosene, JP-whatever, distillate, peanut oil, maybe even the lighter fuel oils. But yeah, it just wasn't suited to the everyday drive. I read that when you lifted off the gas, it took about 3 seconds for the engine to spool down, during which it was still sending power to the torque converter and the brakes were next to useless. Very scary sounding.
Trust me I know, my daily drive for the work was about 60 miles. I'd have to add two quarts a week, we changed the seals and it still leaks. We are thinking the oil cooler is shot internally.
What's the top speed? I can't imagine that thing being able to get out of the way of people in a rush. I'm about to install oil slick dispensers on the back of my 72 Beetle to get people off my back when the light turns green.
Front end looks like the back of a 1961-1963 T Bird, but thats not bad.
Correction. I love their cars.
@CarHunter In those days everyone automatically knew if a car said "Chrysler"
on it, it was going to be NOISY.
"Q U I E T" wasn't even in Chrysler engineers' vocabulary.
Chryslers had power and handling, but I never drove one, (including brand new),
that you didn't hear engine, wind and road noise from idle getting progressively
worse up to turnpike speeds.
At 80mph, (in those days the speed limit), you almost needed EAR PLUGS.
So a roaring, whining turbine might have masked some rattles!
@OneBadSuperbird
why were they crushed :(?
@vcval One is also owned by Jay Leno
Something bizarre from the Wiki page: "The engine would run on virtually anything and the president of Mexico tested this theory by running one of the first cars-successfully-on tequila."
Ahead of its time. Typical Chrysler. I love their cars!
i thought they were all crushed ???
Waaaay cool!
Build a turbine-electric hybrid...turbine wouldn't have to spin at such outrageous RPMs, and the temps in the hot section would take care of most pollution issues.
Cool
Interesting -
@OneBadSuperbird
It consumes fuel like a helicopter - which means several gallons an hour, no matter how much you drive. Which means especially in cities you would get atrocious mileage. With todays gas prices, unless you're very rich you coudln't afford it.
But at least, unsuccessful as it may have been, Chrysler tried--they didn't just say "Can't be done"-- They proved it COULD be done, just not yet. If it was tried now with modern electronic controls etc., it might be a success....
Man that's loud!
Such an interesting idea, but Chrysler made it look boring. It looks like someone duct taped the turbine to the trunk.
its like driving a vacuum cleaner :|
looks kinda like a t-bird
designed by the same guy
Why do Americans pronounce it "turban" ? (rather than turb*i*ne)
wow they are lovley and with running onalmost anything maybe they should look at turbine insted of hydrogen
hydrogen = good as a fuel
hydrogen = used to make electricty stupid and a waste
They were crused and used to make oil drills for the Middle East! LMFAO!