Chrysler Turbine Car
| Chrysler Turbine Car | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler |
| Production | 1963 |
| Designer | Elwood Engel |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Concept car |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Chrysler A831 gas turbine |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 110 in (2,794 mm) |
| Length | 201.6 in (5,121 mm) |
| Width | 72.9 in (1,852 mm) |
| Height | 53.5 in (1,359 mm) (loaded) |
Chrysler Turbine Cars are automobiles powered by gas turbine engines that Chrysler made from 1962-1964. Bodies for the Chrysler Turbine were made by Ghia in Turin, Italy, with final assembly taking place in a small plant in Detroit, Michigan, USA. After a period of testing, the vehicles were reclaimed by Chrysler; all but nine were destroyed.
The Chrysler Turbine Car was the first and only consumer test ever conducted of gas turbine-powered cars. Of the total 55 units built (5 prototypes and 50 "production" cars), most were scrapped at the end of a trial period, with only nine remaining in museums and private collections. Though Chrysler's turbine engine project was terminated in 1977, the Turbine Car was the high point of a three decade project to perfect the engine for practical use.
Chrysler began researching turbine engines in the late 1930s, led largely by engineer George Huebner, who was one of a group of engineers who started exploring the idea of powering a car with a turbine after the end of World War II. Other members of the secretive Chrysler Research team that worked on automotive turbines included engineers Bud Mann and Sam B. Williams. After continually improving their turbine design, and most notably engineering a solution to heat exchanging-related problems in the form of a regenerator, the team's efforts reached an early state of maturity when they mated a turbine to a stock 1954 Plymouth Belvedere. Chrysler proceeded to test the Belvedere, and claimed that its turbine engine contained 20% fewer parts and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg) less than comparable conventional piston engines. The company publicly unveiled the Belvedere at its Chelsea Proving Grounds on June 16, 1954, in front of over 500 members of the press.
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