Chrysler Corp.’s experimental Turbine Car appeared at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show. It was billed as the first car created explicitly for the turbine engine, with a body designed by Elwood Engel and his staff at Chrysler, Ghia of Italy, hand-built 50 of the four-passenger prototypes. A total of 200 motorists from 48 states had three months each to test drive and report their experiences. Power was supplied by a twin-regenerator gas turbine that created 130 horses. Needing one-fifth of the moving parts, the turbine weighed 200 pounds less than a piston engine. It ran on just one spark plug, had no pistons, and operated equally well on diesel fuel, kerosene, unleaded gasoline, or jet aircraft fuel.
Source: Chicago Auto Show
From the Chrysler Corporation Press Information Service:
NEW STYLING FOR NEW POWER is embodied in the limited production Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car. Fifty of these cars are scheduled to be produced in the current phase of the Chrysler turbine program. They will distributed, beginning this fall, to selected users under a no-charge use agreement as part of Chrysler Corporation's consumer research program. Smooth, scupltured lines of the new turbine car give it a contemporary personality all its own. Roof of the car is black vinyl covered. Over-all length of the Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car is 201.6 inches. It has a 110-inch wheelbase. The latest Chrysler Corporation turbine engine delivers 130 horsepower, equivalent in over-all car performance to a V-8 piston engine of more than 200 horsepower, according to Chrysler turbine engineers. The car was styled and engineered by Chrysler Corporation and hand-crafted by Ghia of Italy.
FIRST TURBINE-POWERED PASSENGER CAR to be made available for use by typical motorists under normal everyday driving conditions is the Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car. Fifty limited production turbine cars powered by the company's new twin-regenerator turbine engine will be placed with selected users beginning this fall under a no-charge use agreement. Approximately 200 motorists will participate in the unprecedented consumer evaluation program with each motorist using the car for periods up to three months. The Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car is 201.6 inches long on a 110 inch wheelbase. The latest Chrysler turbine engine delivers 130 horsepower, equivalent in over-all car performance to a V-8 piston engine of more than 200 horsepower.
APPROXIMATELY 200 SELECTED MOTORISTS throughout the nation will drive the Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car as part of an unprecedented consumer evaluation program to determine market potential for turbine power. Under a no-charge use agreement with the company, each motorist will use the turbine car for up to three months beginning this fall. The Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car was designed for the company's twin-regenerator turbine engine. This new engine weighs only 410 pounds and delivers 130 horsepower, equivalent in over-all car performance to a V-8 piston engine of more than 200 horsepower. "Swept back" rear styling accents the smooth, sculptured lines of the turbine car. The Turbine Bronze exterior color - exclusive to the turbine car - complements the copper-colored interior, which features four individual contoured bucket seats and a unique full length console.
A UNIQUE FULL LENGTH FUNCTIONAL CONSOLE accents the elegantly styled copper-toned interior of the new Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car, which, powered by the company's latest gas turbine engine, will be distributed to selected motorists beginning this fall. The four individual bucket seats are of deep foam, covered-spring construction, covered in copper-colored genuine leather. Seats and backs are contoured for maximum comfort and safety featuring a "swept back" design. Heavy copper-colored leather padding covers the upper portion of the air foil shaped instrument panel. The lower portion is satin-finish stainless steel. Thick, copper-colored deep pile carpeting is featured throughout.
Images: Chrysler Corporation; Collections of The Henry Ford - www.thehenryford.org; www.motortrend.com; www.chicagoautoshow.com
