Photo: Facebook / Stahl’s Auto Museum
For many car enthusiasts, there is no greater sorrow than the thought of an incredible vehicle being stowed away in a private collection, never to be fired up and driven again. That’s not the case with this 1963 Chrysler Turbine car.
The Chrysler Turbine car is one of the rarest and most intriguing collectibles out there. One example, of the nine surviving ones, came up for auction in March this year and sold within 24 hours of the auction going live, for an undisclosed amount. The identity of the owner remained a mystery until last week, when the Stahl’s Auto Museum in Chesterfield, Michigan, went on live TV to announce they had it in their collection.
Speaking with Hagerty (hat tip to The Drive), Terri Coppens, the museum’s general manager, says that the car won’t be locked in a room, forgotten and abandoned. The public is already allowed to see it, with tickets going live on May 4, but the most unexpected bit revealed is that the car will actually be driven again.
“Have no fear, the car will be started and driven,” Coppens says. “We believe that all our vehicles need to be driven like they were built to be. It’s their purpose.” For that to happen, they first need to have someone come over to teach them how to start and drive it.
Between 1963 and 1966, Chrysler produced 50 Turbine cars, as an experiment into building an automobile that was cheap to run and maintain. It lent out the cars to private individuals all over the United States, so a total of 203 people were able to drive one for three months, in order to come up with a thorough evaluation of the driving experience.
While some results were very favorable, others (such as production costs, fuel economy, high emissions) were not. Chrysler killed the program, sending nine cars to museums and all the rest to the crusher. This one, which you can see in the video below, is one of the two privately owned in the world: Jay Leno has the other. It’s in proper working order and in impeccable condition, and most likely more than ready to hit the road again. Whenever that happens.
Speaking with Hagerty (hat tip to The Drive), Terri Coppens, the museum’s general manager, says that the car won’t be locked in a room, forgotten and abandoned. The public is already allowed to see it, with tickets going live on May 4, but the most unexpected bit revealed is that the car will actually be driven again.
“Have no fear, the car will be started and driven,” Coppens says. “We believe that all our vehicles need to be driven like they were built to be. It’s their purpose.” For that to happen, they first need to have someone come over to teach them how to start and drive it.
Between 1963 and 1966, Chrysler produced 50 Turbine cars, as an experiment into building an automobile that was cheap to run and maintain. It lent out the cars to private individuals all over the United States, so a total of 203 people were able to drive one for three months, in order to come up with a thorough evaluation of the driving experience.
While some results were very favorable, others (such as production costs, fuel economy, high emissions) were not. Chrysler killed the program, sending nine cars to museums and all the rest to the crusher. This one, which you can see in the video below, is one of the two privately owned in the world: Jay Leno has the other. It’s in proper working order and in impeccable condition, and most likely more than ready to hit the road again. Whenever that happens.
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