Earlier today I was hanging out at Autobooks-Aerobooks, a bookstore in Burbank owned by my friends Chuck and Bettina. While I was there a regular customer dropped by driving his mega-cool '63 Chrysler . . .
Cool Old Chrysler
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No V-8 burble here, but it does idle smooooth - the owner kindly demonstrated balancing a nickel on the running engine. Sounds like a very large Hoover, somewhat higher pitched than my Kirby; all the guys at Vacuumland would love this car! Pardon me for the bad cellphone pic.
No V-8 burble here, but it does idle smooooth - the owner kindly demonstrated balancing a nickel on the running engine. Sounds like a very large Hoover, somewhat higher pitched than my Kirby; all the guys at Vacuumland would love this car! Pardon me for the bad cellphone pic.
Tail end of the car leaving, sounding a bit like a plane at takeoff - just the thing for the Jet Age! If Chrysler could have built these as regular production cars, even without the turbine engine, it would have given the Thunderbird and Riviera some real competition on style alone.
Also a link to Autobooks-Aerobooks, they're a great source for hard to find automotive books.
[this post was last edited: 2/12/2011-18:41]
www.autobooks-aerobooks.com
Also a link to Autobooks-Aerobooks, they're a great source for hard to find automotive books.
[this post was last edited: 2/12/2011-18:41]
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washernoob
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WOW! That thing is incredible! That rear end is crazy!
I love how everyone around is staring!
Thanks for sharing these pictures of a real classic!
I love how everyone around is staring!
Thanks for sharing these pictures of a real classic!
Good Grief, the Turbine Car!!
Most of those were deliberately destroyed BY Chrysler, I do not remember how many are left at the moment. It is one of my favorite specialty cars! There also was a 1955 Turbine Plymouth four door, and I'm sure that no longer exists. Wow!
en.wikipedia.org
Most of those were deliberately destroyed BY Chrysler, I do not remember how many are left at the moment. It is one of my favorite specialty cars! There also was a 1955 Turbine Plymouth four door, and I'm sure that no longer exists. Wow!
Chrysler Turbine Car - Wikipedia
It is extremely rare, and I'm surprised someone actually dared to take one out on the public roads.
I saw one at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance about ten years ago. It was extremely quiet when idling. In fact I couldn't tell that it was even on. It was parked in a display slot at the 18th hole, so I didn't get to hear it drive off, but it was still very cool. I think the one I saw was off-white.
Some of the styling clues made their way into production cars. The headlamp bezels in a much more sedate mode are echoed in the '64 Plymouth Valiant, as well as the horizontal grille (bigger bars and wider spacing). The side slab treatment of course made it into other cars but I'm at a loss to say which ones. The rear end I don't think ever caught on in production models.
Thanks for sharing those photos.
I saw one at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance about ten years ago. It was extremely quiet when idling. In fact I couldn't tell that it was even on. It was parked in a display slot at the 18th hole, so I didn't get to hear it drive off, but it was still very cool. I think the one I saw was off-white.
Some of the styling clues made their way into production cars. The headlamp bezels in a much more sedate mode are echoed in the '64 Plymouth Valiant, as well as the horizontal grille (bigger bars and wider spacing). The side slab treatment of course made it into other cars but I'm at a loss to say which ones. The rear end I don't think ever caught on in production models.
Thanks for sharing those photos.
Well . . .
The owner has a large collection of old cars and enjoys using them whenever possible. He's also a fixture on late-night TV so has the resources to support his hobby. A very nice and knowledgeable guy to talk cars with.
The owner has a large collection of old cars and enjoys using them whenever possible. He's also a fixture on late-night TV so has the resources to support his hobby. A very nice and knowledgeable guy to talk cars with.
More for those who don't go through links
1979 Chrysler Corporation catalogue for all turbine cars they ever produced, 1954 to 1979.
1979 Chrysler Corporation catalogue for all turbine cars they ever produced, 1954 to 1979.
washernoob
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WICKED!
Didn't even notice it was Big man Jay Leno! Way cool!
Saw a video of him talking of it on youtube. What a beautiful car. The interior is amazing.
Didn't even notice it was Big man Jay Leno! Way cool!
Saw a video of him talking of it on youtube. What a beautiful car. The interior is amazing.
What a rare treat!
My dad took me to see one at Dana Brothers Chrysler when one of them was loaned out in Phoenix. They had it paired with a new Imperial. A Chrysler spokesperson went over all the features of the car in comparison to the Imperial. Two things, even to a kid, stood out. The spokesperson balanced a dime on that air intake (the large box) in the engine, and then redlined the motor. The dime didn't move. He tried the same trick with the Imperial only using a silver dollar. He couldn't get the dollar to balance even with the engine at idle. This showed the smoothness of the turbine engine. Then we were asked if we would like to put our hands and feel the exhaust from the turbine, which was warm, but not hot. This showed off the regenerators they used to heat the incoming air into the turbine. I was sooo looking forward to being able to buy and drive a car like this when I was old enough to have a car. So much for that dream! Also, Jo-Han made of model of the turbine car. I had a couple of those kits and they were a real pain to put together. Very detailed.
My dad took me to see one at Dana Brothers Chrysler when one of them was loaned out in Phoenix. They had it paired with a new Imperial. A Chrysler spokesperson went over all the features of the car in comparison to the Imperial. Two things, even to a kid, stood out. The spokesperson balanced a dime on that air intake (the large box) in the engine, and then redlined the motor. The dime didn't move. He tried the same trick with the Imperial only using a silver dollar. He couldn't get the dollar to balance even with the engine at idle. This showed the smoothness of the turbine engine. Then we were asked if we would like to put our hands and feel the exhaust from the turbine, which was warm, but not hot. This showed off the regenerators they used to heat the incoming air into the turbine. I was sooo looking forward to being able to buy and drive a car like this when I was old enough to have a car. So much for that dream! Also, Jo-Han made of model of the turbine car. I had a couple of those kits and they were a real pain to put together. Very detailed.
toploader55
Well-known member
Good God !
I forgot all about that car. I was 9 years old when that hit the streets.
My Dad was so excited about that car. I can't remember, but was there a Model Name for that vehicle ?
Another example of American Engineering when we Made Things here in the U.S.A.
I forgot all about that car. I was 9 years old when that hit the streets.
My Dad was so excited about that car. I can't remember, but was there a Model Name for that vehicle ?
Another example of American Engineering when we Made Things here in the U.S.A.
cfz2882
Well-known member
turbine cars
i wonder if that car has an electroluminescent instrument panel like a lot
of early '60s chryslers had.
GM was experimenting with turbine cars as recently as 1987 then they built
the chevy"express"-big article on it in "popular science"that year
Car is apparently still in running order and gets out to car events from
time to time-it's kind of a mid'80s vision of a year 2000 future car LOL
Around 1960 ford was even thinking about powering a car with a tiny nuclear
reactor-very"jetsons"....
i wonder if that car has an electroluminescent instrument panel like a lot
of early '60s chryslers had.
GM was experimenting with turbine cars as recently as 1987 then they built
the chevy"express"-big article on it in "popular science"that year
Car is apparently still in running order and gets out to car events from
time to time-it's kind of a mid'80s vision of a year 2000 future car LOL
Around 1960 ford was even thinking about powering a car with a tiny nuclear
reactor-very"jetsons"....
thor
Well-known member
1964-65 New York World's Fair
I personally saw this car at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. I was 13 at the time, and was fascinated when I saw this beautiful model. The whispering sound of the turbine was just delightful. I would have to check on my family pictures to see if we any was taken of this car. You actually had a chance to ride in one of them (there quite many of them at the fair) but then you'd have to wait something like 2 or 3 hours in an endless queue; my father wouldn't even think of it!
Emilio
I personally saw this car at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. I was 13 at the time, and was fascinated when I saw this beautiful model. The whispering sound of the turbine was just delightful. I would have to check on my family pictures to see if we any was taken of this car. You actually had a chance to ride in one of them (there quite many of them at the fair) but then you'd have to wait something like 2 or 3 hours in an endless queue; my father wouldn't even think of it!
Emilio
58limited
Well-known member
I saw one of these at Graceland in 1994. I always thought it was a cool looking car and I wish they produced these commercially, even with a regular engine. The write up at Graceland said that 40 were made, 20 destroyed, and 20 donated to schools and museums. But based on several websites I viewed this is incorrect.
Wowee, that brings back some fine fond memories!!
I was 10, my brother was 12 and Dad was the service manager at the London Ontario GM Dealership. Dad took us two over to the Chrysler Dealership after hours when the Turbine came through on a promotional tour. We got to sit in it!
Both my brother Jim and I saved up our allowances to buy the Johann 1/12 scale model kit which was a very pricey purchase ($14 iirc) because it was totally detailed, with steerable wheels, opening hood, trunk and doors. The front seatbacks flipped forward. AMT model kits were lame by comparison to Johann's exquisitely detailed molds.
Anyway, my brother painted his metalflake blue but I painted mine just like the real thing, in copper. Hours went into building car model kits, carefully trimming plastic bits with exacto knives, applying styrene glue with pins and toothpics to avoid any smearing, trimming away any seam lines, painting in the fuel, brake and electric lines - sometimes adding our own spark plug wires with wire strands and such...It was a nail biting exercise when we would paint the grill openings with Flat black then quickly wipe away the surface to expose the chrome grill mesh patterns. Good times. Spent an entire afternoon with a steady hand picking out all the un-plated chrome trims - the Turbine logo medallions, knobs and switches on the dashboard and center console, door handles, window surrounds and the fendertop crease strips pinstriped with silver and a 6 hair detail brush. (most of which has tarnished or faded away over almost 48 years) Then you had to fight the temptation to handle the model parts overnight or a few days until the paint had totally hardened, especially silver, copper, gold and metallic spray paints.
I was always one for 'improving' models. For the Turbine I didn't want dust getting inside the model through the 'glassless' side windows so I 'invented' curved side glass of plastic sheet that opened with the doors.
I still have my Turbine model, and many others.
Since then I've seen two Turbine cars in person, at the Henry Ford Museum and at the Walter P Chrysler Museum in Rochester Hills MI. I surely never thought I'd see one on the road until I did at the 'Eyes On Design' Concept Dreamcar show at GM Headquarters back in 2001 (where the Cadillac 16, Chrysler Crossfire and 300 sedan made their pre-public debuts) so it's squiffylicious to know Mr L keeps his running around LA.
The Turbine Car was every carboy's real tangible dreamcar in the 1960s. I mean, there were 50 of them out there in daily use, not just the amazing fantasy one-offs we would see at the Detroit Auto Show every year! Of course we knew they would never go on widescale sale for the masses but the styling definitely influenced other car makers.
Then along came Ford's impossibly low and sleek 1964 Thunderbird with the disappearing convertible top & wrap-a-round rear seat lounge and the Future looked bright for anyone that could afford it. This was FireBall XL5/SuperCar/Stingray/Thunderbirds Supermarionation design come to life! Quite a few Thunderbirds began appearing on the streets of London and that Thunderbird (along with the Lincoln 4-door convert) became my most wanted car of all time (other than snooty Mrs. Hays' ginormous 1965 powder blue Cadillac convertible that she parked in front of our house one day when she had a flat tire - I remember well how she came in to use our telephone, her platinum blonde 'Gabor' bouffant, white gloves, enormous breasts spilling out of her low cut matching powder blue afternoon cocktail dress trailing some stinky perfume as she swept her gaze around our humble home, whispering something to Mom that caused her to flee weeping to her bedroom after Mrs. Hays left in a tow truck. Whatever it was, Dad was fuming for weeks afterward and would snub Mrs. Hays at church meetings where he was on the Elders Council. We were told to 'Stay away from THAT woman' but all the men in the neighborhood were transfixed by her whenever she passed.)
But I digress...
I vividly recall Dad chasing a silverblue Thunderbird down on the hiway in the summer of 1966 - in our beige 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan, no less LOL, until it pulled into a Rest Stop. He convinced the guy to show his two boys how the top worked and I was forever affected by the engineering choreography right up to today.
A 1964-66 Thunderbird convertible gives me visual whiplash and I'm amazed how many there are around Stratford that come out of the farmer's barns for the summer vintage car shows down by the lake. If I had the spare change and a second garage that's the convertible Davy would be driving in the summertime.
Yes, and I still build the occasional plastic model kit.
Alan, thank you for posting the Chrysler catalog report pdf. Wonderfully complete information there and I have printed out a copy to study and tuck away inside the box of the 1/18 scale official YatMing Chrysler Turbine diecast.
As far as I know a convertible version does not exist but New-Ray Toys put out a 1:43 scale one in Candy Apple Red for $2.99 maybe 4 years ago, that I found and pounced upon at Giant Tiger. Looks nice with the top off, beside all the Dinky and Corgi toys on the Lionel layout.
Dave.
I was 10, my brother was 12 and Dad was the service manager at the London Ontario GM Dealership. Dad took us two over to the Chrysler Dealership after hours when the Turbine came through on a promotional tour. We got to sit in it!
Both my brother Jim and I saved up our allowances to buy the Johann 1/12 scale model kit which was a very pricey purchase ($14 iirc) because it was totally detailed, with steerable wheels, opening hood, trunk and doors. The front seatbacks flipped forward. AMT model kits were lame by comparison to Johann's exquisitely detailed molds.
Anyway, my brother painted his metalflake blue but I painted mine just like the real thing, in copper. Hours went into building car model kits, carefully trimming plastic bits with exacto knives, applying styrene glue with pins and toothpics to avoid any smearing, trimming away any seam lines, painting in the fuel, brake and electric lines - sometimes adding our own spark plug wires with wire strands and such...It was a nail biting exercise when we would paint the grill openings with Flat black then quickly wipe away the surface to expose the chrome grill mesh patterns. Good times. Spent an entire afternoon with a steady hand picking out all the un-plated chrome trims - the Turbine logo medallions, knobs and switches on the dashboard and center console, door handles, window surrounds and the fendertop crease strips pinstriped with silver and a 6 hair detail brush. (most of which has tarnished or faded away over almost 48 years) Then you had to fight the temptation to handle the model parts overnight or a few days until the paint had totally hardened, especially silver, copper, gold and metallic spray paints.
I was always one for 'improving' models. For the Turbine I didn't want dust getting inside the model through the 'glassless' side windows so I 'invented' curved side glass of plastic sheet that opened with the doors.
I still have my Turbine model, and many others.
Since then I've seen two Turbine cars in person, at the Henry Ford Museum and at the Walter P Chrysler Museum in Rochester Hills MI. I surely never thought I'd see one on the road until I did at the 'Eyes On Design' Concept Dreamcar show at GM Headquarters back in 2001 (where the Cadillac 16, Chrysler Crossfire and 300 sedan made their pre-public debuts) so it's squiffylicious to know Mr L keeps his running around LA.
The Turbine Car was every carboy's real tangible dreamcar in the 1960s. I mean, there were 50 of them out there in daily use, not just the amazing fantasy one-offs we would see at the Detroit Auto Show every year! Of course we knew they would never go on widescale sale for the masses but the styling definitely influenced other car makers.
Then along came Ford's impossibly low and sleek 1964 Thunderbird with the disappearing convertible top & wrap-a-round rear seat lounge and the Future looked bright for anyone that could afford it. This was FireBall XL5/SuperCar/Stingray/Thunderbirds Supermarionation design come to life! Quite a few Thunderbirds began appearing on the streets of London and that Thunderbird (along with the Lincoln 4-door convert) became my most wanted car of all time (other than snooty Mrs. Hays' ginormous 1965 powder blue Cadillac convertible that she parked in front of our house one day when she had a flat tire - I remember well how she came in to use our telephone, her platinum blonde 'Gabor' bouffant, white gloves, enormous breasts spilling out of her low cut matching powder blue afternoon cocktail dress trailing some stinky perfume as she swept her gaze around our humble home, whispering something to Mom that caused her to flee weeping to her bedroom after Mrs. Hays left in a tow truck. Whatever it was, Dad was fuming for weeks afterward and would snub Mrs. Hays at church meetings where he was on the Elders Council. We were told to 'Stay away from THAT woman' but all the men in the neighborhood were transfixed by her whenever she passed.)
But I digress...
I vividly recall Dad chasing a silverblue Thunderbird down on the hiway in the summer of 1966 - in our beige 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan, no less LOL, until it pulled into a Rest Stop. He convinced the guy to show his two boys how the top worked and I was forever affected by the engineering choreography right up to today.
A 1964-66 Thunderbird convertible gives me visual whiplash and I'm amazed how many there are around Stratford that come out of the farmer's barns for the summer vintage car shows down by the lake. If I had the spare change and a second garage that's the convertible Davy would be driving in the summertime.
Yes, and I still build the occasional plastic model kit.
Alan, thank you for posting the Chrysler catalog report pdf. Wonderfully complete information there and I have printed out a copy to study and tuck away inside the box of the 1/18 scale official YatMing Chrysler Turbine diecast.
As far as I know a convertible version does not exist but New-Ray Toys put out a 1:43 scale one in Candy Apple Red for $2.99 maybe 4 years ago, that I found and pounced upon at Giant Tiger. Looks nice with the top off, beside all the Dinky and Corgi toys on the Lionel layout.
Dave.
washernoob
Well-known member
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Those 2 left models are amazing! Such detail! I assume they are die-cast metal?
The left-most is my Johann white plastic model kit from 48 years ago; the interior is still dust-free because of the side windows I put in. The one in the middle and the convertible are diecasts and kept in their boxes stacked up with all the others in a closet. I also have the complete 1980s Franklin Mint subscription series of 48 1:43 scale vintage diecasts. Someday it would be nice to have a china cabinet to display them all in...
I pick up any size diecasts on sale at flea markets and thrift stores whenever I see an interesting model, especially if it is a Concept Car I have seen in person, like the Chrysler PRONTO that became the PT Cruiser, or that blue 2000 Chevy retro pickup truck on the right with the retracting roof that Chev actually produced in 2002 for sale briefly, for instance. I am fortunate to have seen many dream and concept Icon cars on my travels and by attending the Detroit Auto Show and tracking down private & public car collections scattered everywhere across North America for decades now.
The red car is the Lexus Concept that Tom Cruise watches being built on an assembly line and drives in Minority Report.
Then we have the Chrysler Airflow, the Tucker, a little Phantom Corsair and the Blue Bugatti Atlantic in back. Far right, the Cadillac Cien concept.
Mmmm, now you've got me heading over to the Stratford Flea Market this Sunday afternoon, for the February Cabin Fever 50% off days...There's a guty there with a wall full of vintage die-casts and he has a Green Hornet Black Beauty in the original box!
Dave
I pick up any size diecasts on sale at flea markets and thrift stores whenever I see an interesting model, especially if it is a Concept Car I have seen in person, like the Chrysler PRONTO that became the PT Cruiser, or that blue 2000 Chevy retro pickup truck on the right with the retracting roof that Chev actually produced in 2002 for sale briefly, for instance. I am fortunate to have seen many dream and concept Icon cars on my travels and by attending the Detroit Auto Show and tracking down private & public car collections scattered everywhere across North America for decades now.
The red car is the Lexus Concept that Tom Cruise watches being built on an assembly line and drives in Minority Report.
Then we have the Chrysler Airflow, the Tucker, a little Phantom Corsair and the Blue Bugatti Atlantic in back. Far right, the Cadillac Cien concept.
Mmmm, now you've got me heading over to the Stratford Flea Market this Sunday afternoon, for the February Cabin Fever 50% off days...There's a guty there with a wall full of vintage die-casts and he has a Green Hornet Black Beauty in the original box!
Dave
dirtybuck
Well-known member
'55 GM Motorama Cars
Although this Chrysler was intact, there was a "resurrection" on two of the Motorama cars (Chevrolet Biscayne and Buick La Salle Roadster) which took place in the last few years. They are both on You Tube.
Although this Chrysler was intact, there was a "resurrection" on two of the Motorama cars (Chevrolet Biscayne and Buick La Salle Roadster) which took place in the last few years. They are both on You Tube.
dirtybuck
Well-known member
From the back, I'd never know that car was a Chrysler. Its styling looks like it could be the prototype for a Ford Thunderbird.
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