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Incredibly Rare 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car Sells in Under 24 Hours

A very rare and incredibly valuable piece of automotive history found a new owner in almost record time. A 1963 Chrysler Turbine car, one of the two privately owned in the world, has sold less than 24 hours after the listing went live.
The 1963 Chrysler Turbine car sold within 24 hours of the listing going live 12 photos
Photo: Hyman Ltd.
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It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this 1963 Chrysler Turbine car proved a very hot commodity. Hyman listed it as part of the Kleptz Collection the other day and, within 24 hours, it had already found a new owner.

Hyman Ltd. owner Mark Hyman would not reveal the final price for the vehicle nor the new owner's identity, but he did tell Fox Auto that it was not Jay Leno. Leno is the owner of the other Chrysler Turbine car, and seven other examples are scattered in museums across the United States. There are only nine surviving cars of the 55 examples produced during the experimental run between 1963 and 1964.

Hyman also tells the same media outlet that this was “the most significant sale of a post-war automobile in recent history.” That refers to the fact that one rarely comes up for sale, but it could also be a reference to how much it ended up trading hands for, an amount that is undoubtedly in the seven figures.

The Turbine car was an experiment at a time when Chrysler wanted to offer a drivetrain that could work with a variety of fuel options, have better efficiency, and be easier to maintain and more reliable. It would run on anything from unleaded gasoline to jet fuel and even peanut oil and perfume, producing 130 hp and 425 pound-feet (575 Nm) of torque. The engine had some 80% fewer parts than a typical piston engine.

All the units produced were offered for public testing, ahead of a planned mass production run. Drivers reported fewer issues and higher reliability, but they also reported slow acceleration, higher emissions, hotter exhaust, and poor fuel economy.

All but nine cars were sent to the crusher when Chrysler canceled the project in 1966. Late collector Frank Kleptz had purchased the Kleptz example from Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, who, in turn, had bought it from the Harrah’s casino collection. It is a functional one after a thorough restoration. Hyman himself had taken it out for a test drive before the listing went live.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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