Chrysler’s Turbine car is one of the most unique creations ever to have been made Stateside, yet as most ‘inventions’ which are ahead of their time, it never really caught on, primarily because it was just comparable to, and not better than conventional piston-engined cars.
Only 55 were ever produced, and they were built around bodies made by Ghia, in Italy, which underwent final assembly in a small plant, in Detroit. Jay Leno has one of these, and he recently did an extensive presentation of the car - he is one of just two private owners. However, in a similar manner to what GM did with the EV1, Chrysler recalled and destroyed 46 of them.
The car is utterly unique, and so-60s, in terms of styling, and with 130 hp and 576 Nm of torque it could crack 62 mph (100 km/h) in 12 seconds, or quicker depending on the outside conditions. Also, because it had no moving parts to speak of, it was extremely smooth in its operation, as Jay demonstrates with a glass of water, it was surprisingly quiet and contrary to popular belief, the exhaust gases coming out of the back were actually not that hot.
The car is utterly unique, and so-60s, in terms of styling, and with 130 hp and 576 Nm of torque it could crack 62 mph (100 km/h) in 12 seconds, or quicker depending on the outside conditions. Also, because it had no moving parts to speak of, it was extremely smooth in its operation, as Jay demonstrates with a glass of water, it was surprisingly quiet and contrary to popular belief, the exhaust gases coming out of the back were actually not that hot.
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