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The Pioneering Oldsmobile Jetfire: World's First Car Powered by a Turbocharged V8

When we think about classic cars that were powered by turbocharged V8 units, the first one that comes to mind is the Ferrari F40. However, the legendary Italian supercar wasn’t the first to employ this technology which debuted under the hood of a mass-produced model two decades earlier.
Oldsmobile Jetfire 7 photos
Photo: General Motors LLC
Oldsmobile JetfireOldsmobile JetfireOldsmobile JetfireOldsmobile JetfireOldsmobile JetfireOldsmobile Turbo-Rocket Engine
The 1960s was a decade when U.S. automakers thrived, which led to some of the most iconic vehicles ever built. It was also a time when European imports were beginning to gain popularity and creep their way into the market. Famous cars like the MINI or Volkswagen Beetle became appealing because they were small and way more fuel-efficient than domestic offerings.

Detroit’s Big Three continued to dominate sales, but the corporations saw this European invasion as a threat and started working on various projects to improve fuel efficiency, especially in their compact models.

The common solution envisioned by their engineers was turbocharging, a technology that was by no means new, but hadn’t been implemented in a mass-produced passenger car before. As early as 1962 GM was the first manufacturer to make it available to the general public in two of its models, the Jetfire and the Corvair Monza Spyder.

Oldsmobile Jetfire
Photo: General Motors LLC
There’s an ongoing debate about which of the two was the first mass-produced turbocharged car. Many argue that the Corvair was the first, since it debuted two weeks before the Jetfire, but since it had a flat-six engine, there’s no denying that the Jetfire was the first to use a turbocharged V8.

Although it had a very cool and unique name, the car was just a rebranded pillarless hardtop version of the first-generation Cutlass introduced a year earlier.

Its Turbo-Rocket engine wasn’t entirely new either, as it was based on the Buick-designed, all-aluminum 215 ci (3.5-liter) V8. However, it was extensively modified to accommodate forced induction, receiving new pistons, an enhanced ignition coil, a new, more efficient fuel pump, and a large volume radiator.

Oldsmobile Turbo\-Rocket Engine
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen on Wikimedia Commons
The small-diameter T5 turbocharger was developed by Garrett, a company that at the time only built blowers for industrial use. Boasting a 10.25:1 compression and a custom single-barrel carburetor, the engine could spit out 215 hp at 4,600 rpm and 300 lb-ft (410 Nm) of torque at 3,200 rpm. This meant power was increased by about 40% from the standard, naturally aspirated unit, without affecting fuel consumption.

Still, during the development phase, the high compression ratio combined with the charged load created issues with spark knock during hard acceleration, so engineers had to come up with a solution which by today’s standards seems weird, to say the least. With electronic management systems still decades away, a distilled water and methanol injection system was devised. Its only function was to cool the intake charge but the 4.7-liter reservoir which contained the mixture dubbed Turbo-Rocket Fluid could be emptied out in just 217 miles (350 km) if the car was driven hard. Many owners refilled it with plain tap water instead of the required mixture, a fatal mistake that damaged the delicate system.

While the Jetfire’s output was more than satisfying, engineers opted to use the same wobbly suspension setup and braking system from the standard Cutlass, making the car extremely unresponsive and downright dangerous at higher speeds.

Oldsmobile Jetfire
Photo: General Motors LLC
Mainly due to these issues, GM’s turbocharged wonder never sold well, and production ceased after the 1963 model year. The next American-built car to use a turbocharged V8 was the Pontiac Turbo Trans Am which made its debut in 1980.

Despite its flaws, the Oldsmobile Jetfire was a pioneering vehicle that helped introduce forced induction in mass-produced cars. The technology was refined in the decades that followed, transforming the automotive industry. Turbocharging started playing a critical role in modern times, when downsized, fuel-efficient and low-emission engines became the norm.

You can watch an interesting 1962 GM video promoting the fascinating car in the video below, posted on YouTube by US Auto Industry.

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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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