Chrysler Turbine car on display in Washington DC!

[chargervert]

My wife sent me a picture of the Chrysler Turbine car on display in Washington DC at the National mall. They have it in a glass display case. That's pretty freaking cool!

 

[chargervert]

I believe that this is the Turbine car that belongs to the Smithsonian museum. My wife has fond memories of riding in the Chrysler Turbine car at the New York world's fair in 1965 at the Chrysler Pavilion display. She said that it sounded like riding in a jet. This is her with her brothers and sister at the 1965 world's fair. She is the tall girl in the back seat! The prototype of the 66 Dodge Charger was also on display at the Chrysler Pavilion at the world's fair. It was the one that had the grille and headlights that looked nothing like the production 66 Charger.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Kool! I believe Jay Leno has the only running and driving example in his collection. Here it is in action.

 

[chargervert]

Supposedly only nine of them survived. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum used to have three of them. I believe that the one Jay Leno has is one of the three. I believe Jay has an extra engine in a crate he was able to purchase with his car. Believe it or not the Ford Museum has one as well. If you have ever seen the video of the rest of the being destroyed, it's pretty hard to watch.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Supposedly only nine of them survived. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum used to have three of them. I believe that the one Jay Leno has is one of the three. I believe Jay has an extra engine in a crate he was able to purchase with his car. Believe it or not the Ford Museum has one as well. If you have ever seen the video of the rest of the being destroyed, it's pretty hard to watch.

I saw the vid.

 

[chargervert]

Ford was also experimenting with turbine engines. I saw an episode of that show Bud Linderman hosted,Car and Driver where the showed a Ford cab over truck and trailer with a turbine engine in it. They were driving it around doing testing on it.

 

[chargervert]

My wife is going to DC on the 23 of this month to go see Elton John. She is hoping that the Turbine Car will still be on display at the National Mall and hopes to get more pictures of the car.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

The Ford truck I believe was called Big Red, and if I remember correctly it was found here in Weatherford Texas.

The Jet Age was the best time in America!

 

[F4R/T]

St. Louis museum of transportation has a nice one on display as well. Neat cars!

 

[69 Sleeper Bee]

I saw one running at the Mopar Nationals years ago in Indianapolis. Can't remember if it was in 96' or 97'

 

[chargervert]

I saw one running at the Mopar Nationals years ago in Indianapolis. Can't remember if it was in 96' or 97'

That is probably the one Jay Leno has, supposedly it is the only running example.

 

[Hey-O]

St. Louis museum of transportation has a nice one on display as well. Neat cars!

My friend that worked with me at Chrysler was in charge of keeping a eye on the one at the museum. The museum is about 5 miles from the plant and the car would come to the plant at least once a year for the plant car show. I was afforded the opportunity to play with it many times.

 

[Richard Cranium]

My wife is going to DC on the 23 of this month to go see Elton John. She is hoping that the Turbine Car will still be on display at the National Mall and hopes to get more pictures of the car.

Foxboro would have been a lot closer. Why didn't she see him there?

 

[chargervert]

Her oldest son lives there,so they are going to the show together. Her sister and nephew are going too. I was going to go too,but I gave my ticket to my nephew who really wanted to go.

 

[Slap Stick]

Not only does the National Museum of Transportation near St. Louis have a Chrysler turbine, the have a 1959 Ford CT-1100 medium duty cab over tractor with a turbine.

 

[F4R/T]

They also have a inop. Big boy sitting under roof too! And some really cool other stuff, if you have never been you need to check it out!

 

[440 PHIXX]

Well... I guess Jay doesn’t have the only running one.



The owner says 6 out of the 9 left run.

 

[chargervert]

It might be necessary to have a car that would run on almost any fuel the way things are going these days!

 

[Geff McCarthy]

FWIW, I saw the BRM turbine with Rover engine run at Brands Hatch in 67 or 68. It was quietly leading until the engine stuck on and it went into a safety bank.
I had a rover P6, sold as the 3500S here, that was designed to accommodate that turbine engine; hence the coil springs are horizontal and operate via levers.
Turbines generate little torque, and are very thirsty, despite CR of about 20. The innovation in the Chrysler was a rotating heat exchanger that captured some of the waste heat, improving efficiency. Jets and turbines are hugely expensive to manufacture, but last forever with almost no maintenance. It is routine for airlines to hang a few on the wings and leave them for 10,000hours. You know about each catastrophic failure, they generate headlines...
Yes, turbines will burn any fuel with no, or minor, adjustments. I filled up my A-10 Wart Hog at USN Moffat; since JP5 was heavier than USAF JP4, when I strapped in I had 500lb extra!
Rover never installed one, instead put a fine 2000cc OHC/4 sp, and later the Buick aluminum 215, hence the 3500 (cc) label.
I also saw this Chrysler turbine in my remote home town, Mechanicville NY, probably 62-3.
You may also remember Amtrak's turbine trains, a re-branding of an extant French turbo that ran from Paris to Calais before the Chunnel, now the "Eurostar" brand. Amtk contracted firm in Schenectady, I think, to overhaul theirs, but the company was incapable, and I think they were scrapped.

 

[Budnicks]