Chrysler Turbine booklet

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37fleetwood

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I found this at a local swap meet this weekend, have any of you guys seen this kind of thing before?

turbine.jpg
 
Cool score, a great piece of history to own. Surprising to read it used coil springs in front instead of torsion bars.
 
The resemblance of the Chrysler Turbine Car to the Ford Thunderbird is remarkable, and not an accident, I understand.
 
Frankie said:
The resemblance of the Chrysler Turbine Car to the Ford Thunderbird is remarkable, and not an accident, I understand.
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Both designed by the same people. Ghia IIRC.

440outlawdart said:
never seen the book before but we have one of those cars in st.louis,very cool
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One of the professors here at the University has ridden in it. I've seen pictures of her in that car.

37fleetwood said:
I gave $2.00, do you think I paid too much?
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Not at all, but I doubt that it's worth what the one on ebay is asking. You might look under "Completed Listings" to see if/what they're selling for.
 
Frankie said:
The resemblance of the Chrysler Turbine Car to the Ford Thunderbird is remarkable, and not an accident, I understand.
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If memory serves me, the bodies of the turbine cars was done by an Italian company (possibly Ghia?).

That may also be the same company that had a hand in designing the old t-bird.

I blieve that all but 14 of the original turbine cars were scrapped/destroyed to avoid high tariffs on the turbines. Back in the 80's only two of the 14 that existed actually still were functional/running.

The two issues that they needed to improve for them to be nice daily drivers were:

1. Cooler exhaust

2. Better fuel economy


Chrysler had them nearly "perfected" and ready for public use, but the lease on the turbines ran out and they did not even get a chance to extend/renew it. (OPEC may have had a hand in that...)

They had good performance and could run on anything that would burn (like booze) if in a pinch. I wonder if you could get drunk off of smelling the exhaust if they were burning 151 proof rum as a fuel???? LOL!!!
 
Saw one of those cars in Topeka, KS years back at a Mopar show and I tell you it was pretty dang neat. It drove off and whistled like a little jet engine.
 
clinteg said:
Saw one of those cars in Topeka, KS years back at a Mopar show and I tell you it was pretty dang neat. It drove off and whistled like a little jet engine.
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They had one on display at the Mopar Nats when it first started at the Chrysler Proving Grounds in the early 80's.
 
Turbines are cool... Heh, heh, heh, heh... (In Butthead voice)
 
66plyValiant said:
jay leno has a turbine car
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...and drove it out to one of the Fling events in Van Nuys last year.
As a young teen years ago I saw one in our local San Bernardino mountains during the public testing period. It was just parked on the road outside of a cabin. I made my parents stop so I could walk back and check it out. Never did see any people around it but it sure was cool just to be able to look at it. Talk about ahead of it's time.
 
jos51700 said:
Both designed by the same people. Ghia IIRC.
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Ghia did make the turbine car bodies, but most of the major design work was done by Elwood Engle, whom Chrysler had hired away from Ford to replace Virgil Exner. Engle's move from Ford to Chrysler is also why the early '60s Lincolns and mid '60s Imperials look like siblings.

Autolit.com (linked eBay auction for $188 on "sale" down from $250) is Walter Miller's outfit. He's well known for large selection and ridiculous prices. :roll: $2 is an excellent price for it, and $14 (the other linked ebay auction) isn't overpriced, either.

I have one or two of those books and some other factory turbine material in my library. It's fun stuff to read about. There was an extremely good article on the whole 1954-1980 Chrysler turbine car program with lots of photos in Collectible Automobile, December 1986. That issue isn't hard to find (for example on ebay here), or from Collectible Automobile themselves.
 
Thanks, for the memories. In 1964, my parents took me to The World's Fair in New York City. I dragged them to the Chrysler pavilion, where the Chrysler Turbine Car, was the star attraction. After each demonstration, one lucky member of the audience would win a ride in the car! I was never the one, but I'll never forget that day.
 
Got to see and hear one run years ago when the Mopar Nats was held at Indy. Gigantic Kirby
 
I saw one years ago driving into building "T" at Carlisle. Very cool, i took some pics and have collected some things about the cars. Not sure if i have that book though?
 
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