Video of destruction of Chrysler Turbine cars

[Vietnam Vet67]

 

[Earl Marischal]

What a waste.

steve

[MrObsessive]

I've had that vid saved on my hard disc for years now and I CRINGE each time I see it! As Steve said.........what a waste of such beautiful cars!  

Too bad Chrysler didn't just use the body style and simply put in a 318 or 383 as a competitor for the T-Bird.

IIRC, I thought I read somewhere that at least 10 of those still exist in some form or fashion and Jay Leno has one in his collection which was featured on his show a few years back. Sounds like a vacuum cleaner when running!

[Jantrix]

I could have happily gone my whole life without seeing that.😩

[Miatatom]

When I was in the Navy, stationed in Norfolk, Va, there was one I saw in Virginia Beach several times. Beautiful car, sounded weird. What a shame too destroy them.

[Tom Geiger]

2 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

Too bad Chrysler didn't just use the body style and simply put in a 318 or 383 as a competitor for the T-Bird.

Agreed! It was wasteful not to use such a cool design! Imagine how those would’ve sold!

Most folks don’t realize that Chrysler had a turbine program going back to the 1950s, only the test engines were planted in current Chrysler bodies. 

[Richard Bartrop]

According to Hemmings.  Ford actually got as far as setting up a factory for building truck turbines.

[Misha]

I’m unable to view the video, not for tech reasons but rather that it would be too heart breaking. I did want to read the comments though. I remember the Turbine being on tour of Canada and counting the days till it arrived at the showroom of Lakeside Plymouth in Regina, Saskatchewan. Rode my bike down early in the morning, what a thrill to see the bronze beauty. Unfortunately never heard it operating as it was on the showroom floor, yet I did pick up the promotional booklet on it. Couple of years later returned to the dealer when Dad bought a brand new 66 Satellite off the same floor. Great car memories of those early autumn days and seeing the mew models arriving.

Still unable to watch the video. Thanks & Cheers, Misha  

[MrObsessive]

Around 1965-'66, I can remember as a little kid seeing this car in our area. Mom and Dad had just split up, and she was seeing a fellow who was a "car guy". One day we were riding somewhere and all of a sudden he pulls into a shopping plaza parking lot. I can remember a bunch of people standing around this car and I had no idea what it was but I remember the shape of it. Sure enough, I would learn years later it was the Turbine Car which someone locally happened to have for those three months.

It must have been near the end of the program run as I thought I read that Chrysler ended it sometime in '66. Either which way, truly sad to see Chrysler trash all those beautiful cars in the end.

[slusher]

16 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

I've had that vid saved on my hard disc for years now and I CRINGE each time I see it! As Steve said.........what a waste of such beautiful cars!  

Too bad Chrysler didn't just use the body style and simply put in a 318 or 383 as a competitor for the T-Bird.

IIRC, I thought I read somewhere that at least 10 of those still exist in some form or fashion and Jay Leno has one in his collection which was featured on his show a few years back. Sounds like a vacuum cleaner when running!

Why did they crush them?  I agree they was beautiful designed cars. They should have put 318 or a 383 engines in them like you said...

[MrObsessive]

7 hours ago, slusher said:

Why did they crush them?  I agree they was beautiful designed cars. They should have put 318 or a 383 engines in them like you said...

Carl, I believe it had something to do with where the cars were built and the restrictions of such. Since the cars were essentially built in Italy, they were subject to a heavy duty fee (tax) after a period of time, which in this case was three years. If that payment could not be met, the cars had to be scrapped (or maybe sent back). Chrysler was only able to come up with the money for 10 of the cars and the rest were junked and scrapped as we've seen.

Someone who might have better details of what happened can jump in, but that's the basics of why practically all of them left the scene.

It is interesting that I think three of them ended up in private hands.

Edited May 23, 2020 by MrObsessive

[MrObsessive]

And here is Jay's Turbine Car.......

 

[Classicgas]

Yes what a waste. There are 3 currently running and 9 that exhist. Jay Leno has a running one, the Chrysler museum has one, and the other running one is in private hands in Indiana. There are lots of videos where you can hear it. A vacuum cleaner sound or a jet aircraft for that make. I have Johan's kit in the works.

[Mike 1017]

A lot of car companies sent prototypes , half finished, did not meet QC specs, and so on and so on. Also a lack of space and cost to warehouse cars that would never see the streets. Off to the crusher. 

What a shame. I also could not watch it to the end.

I wonder what kind of $ those cars would bring today. Any Mopar collector  would jump at a chance to restore one

Mike

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