The Chrysler Turbine Car: Engineering a Revolution | Full Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2023
- Starting in the 1950s, Chrysler set out to disrupt the automotive industry with a multimillion-dollar turbine research program. This documentary produced by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation chronicles those efforts and is told from the point of view of the engineers and mechanics that were responsible for the futuristic jet-engine automotive program as well as the historians like Steve Lehto (@stevelehto), Jay Leno (@jaylenosgarage), and Mark Olson (@turbinecar) that have spent decades researching this incredible aspect of American car history.
Mark Olson’s family was one of just 203 that were lucky enough to get the keys to a Chrysler Turbine Car from 1963-1966 as part of Chrysler’s incredible user test program. He drove one of the 55 Italian-bodied Turbine user test cars as a 16 year old and recounts the life-changing experience.
Hear how engineers from modern day turbine manufacturer Williams International have volunteered to work with original Chrysler old timers to help save Jay Leno’s Turbine Car, one of the last running examples from the Chrysler user test program.
This documentary was done in conjunction with the inclusion of Stahl's Automotive Collection's Turbine car (@stahlsauto9002) on the National Historic Vehicle Register in 2022. Along with Jay’s car, it is one of only 9 of those 55 user test cars to still exist and the documentary features a close look at what makes it so special. Through the National Historic Vehicle Register, the Turbine’s history will be documented and kept in the Library of Congress in perpetuity.
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The Hagerty Drivers Foundation exists to ensure the future of car culture. Please check out our website driversfoundation.org to learn more about our many efforts and consider a donation to support future projects like this. 
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I have to thank Hagerty for asking me to be a part of this. It was a lot of fun to talk about these cars on camera.
Great job representing the ethos of The Turbine Car and car culture as a whole.
Steve, it's always a pleasure to watch anything that you are involved in. You are such a great teacher and storyteller.
and I appreciate what you have brought to us on this AWESOME vehicle via your book. I saw these on the road when I was a kid and never got to get to get real close to one until it popped up at the Petersons out here in LA. your book is very good!
Mr Steve would you happen to have any copies of your excellent turbine car book I would love to purchase one from you if available
I thought that was you, good job on your part of this, you seemed to be enjoying yourself, lucky you.
As an 8 year old in 1965, my connection was family #169, the Hodges family of Norfolk, Virginia. The Hodges lived just two miles from my house and drove their Turbine car through my neighborhood several times a week. Through science and engineering it was a time when anything seemed possible, even landing people on the Moon. The day is fast approaching when none of the witnesses to the Chrysler Turbine car program will be alive - including me. Stay close to your dreams of a better future, and keep the people you love closer. Your friend, Eddie.
Thanks Eddie as I get older staying close to loved ones is alot more appreciated by me .
God Bless in Christ Jesus for allowing us to make fascinating machines with the wisdom and imagination he bestowed upon us and to love one another
I hate the others were crushed
@MRX-rr5xf Yeah makes no sense wasted art and technology
@@afterthought3341 Absolutely, and let me add what a joy for us to travel through time together.
The Chrysler Turbine project has never really died, not when you can get the original engineers to come back and get one to run again, it shows how much dedication and love they had for a very special automobile. Thanks to every one who put time into this, Jay Leno is truly a car guy
That powertrain lived on as late as F-Body cars. Eventually made its way to tank, not too bad
The 1981 M-body-based New Yorker was slated to get one also. If it did, I'd have got one and kept it through today. :)
Couldn't you had opened up a museum just to get one of these cars? Lol!
Why don't we all have access to this amazing technology?
So nice to see my grandpa Chuck Mashigan actually get credit for his design! Thank you for giving credit where credit has long been due!
In 1965, I worked in a carwash in a small town south of Boston. One day, one of the families chosen to have the Turbine car brought it in to be washed. My job at that time was to wash the windows on the inside of the car. So for a least a minute or two, I got to ride in the front and back seats. I still remember the owner starting up the car at the end. To this day, I still think it is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. The turbine engine was just the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. Thanks for the show
Thanks for sharing
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In 1965 in the Sudbury Park area of suburban Baltimore my older brother and I were walking home and a Chrysler Turbine car went by. All we heard was a quiet swoosh. We were flabbergasted since the Turbine car was in the news but a very limited production meant that chances of seeing one was a rare opportunity. We both looked at each other and at the same time said "WOW" that was a Chrysler Turbine. I have never forgotten that and never seen one since but I always hoped that the turbine would be mass produced.
These cars are so insanely special. Seeing the passion from guys like Steve Lehto & Jay Leno keeping the story alive is amazing. Great pick by the Hagerty Team.
The idea. Went nowhere
@@Jstme303shrinking the jet engine and pushing the power out a shaft went into the Abrahms tank ,powers many helicopters and is still an industry.
@@Jstme303 Of all the cars featured on Leno's channel, this one to me is still the coolest. I don't care if it didn't succeed, I'm just glad it existed. Be rest assured, the reciprocating piston engine has just been enjoying a stay of execution.
@@MattExzy yea so true.
@@afterthought3341 Sergei Brin's turbine motorcycle, historically seen on the Google campus sitting in various foyers, was powered by an Allison T-63 turboshaft variant. It was a monster, and very overpowered for its mass at, I believe about 300 shaft-horsepower. The biggest parts of the thing as I remember were the fuel tanks. Having worked on OH-6 helicopters in the Army, I recognized the powerplant. It was fun to poke around that thing!
Those men were a national treasure.
Anyone who thinks engineering is boring needs to watch this. It should be shown in every school in America because it will surely inspire kids to want to become engineers.
The goals of engineering back then were glorious and inspiring. Just the opposite today. Never in the field of human achievement has so much engineering and technology been marshaled to enable such low and crude outcomes.
Yes ..............especially when the look that was given about one's life's expectancy.😞
An excellent documentary.
I never knew engineering was considered boring to the general public. This is an excellent show.
I actually got a bit emotional seeing the guys who worked on the original project join the new generation to help repair Jay Leno’s car. Beautiful
Seeing these barely broken in marvels of engineering in perfect condition being destroyed is genuinely heart shattering. Can't imagine what the engineers were feeling.
They were prototypes - they aren't as thoroughly safety-tested as production designs. If Chrysler sold them, and one caught fire in a few years and burned a family alive, Chrysler would get the liability both financially and in the press. Plus they were full of commercially sensitive technology that rivals would have been interested to get a look at. The cars were not history at the time: They were just a legal risk that could be mitigated by destroying most of the cars, and giving the rest to museums after disabling the engines.
@@vylbird8014 I wonder if there was a way to have no liability though?
@Lanurus frikkin attorneys man. [And I say that knowing Steve may read it, but he has shown he's one of the few good ones]. I have 32 yrs in with a research and engineering firm that is global. Whenever you create something that is unusual and fascinating,, it hurts to have to destroy it because one group of people will copy it and another will try to find a way to sue you for it some way or another.
I watered up a bit to see them destroyed too. It's just wrong.
There's 55 people who would have signed up to take the greatest care of every one of those cars, and there would have been second and third tier co-signers. It's awful that it takes an outfit like Ferrari to set the standard for passion about protecting the concept under which their cars are created, such that if you desecrate one, they will sue you.
Oh well, that's the world we live in.
@@vylbird8014 Are you kidding? they were offereing the cars to museums for FREE! How many museums are in US? let alone the rest of the world. So where is liability there? Jay is lucky those guy's who built the cars are still alive. They'll be gone sometime and we'll all be driving grown-up electric 'bumper cars' . What the f*ck happened to the future we were promised?
As an engineer, I have seen it happening too many times..
The ending made me cry. I can’t imagine how happy those guys were to be together, to work on it one last time. Just unreal. Great show guys.
That was EPIC !
I just want to ask that anyone who has contact with the original engineers of this beautiful piece of art, to make sure that they're never lonely or forgotten and please never throw them away in some nursing home. The joy in their faces when asked to work on their legacy again got me right in the feels. When Mark Olson says he has a love for that car, I know exactly how he feels. Thanks for this video. I never knew about the impact of this car!
Bob is my uncle and shut up Boomer
I am 63 years old and since I was a little kid I have been obsessed with these cars . I actually teared up when they showed them being destroyed . I hope they get Jays running and I hope they figure out how to get spare engines for use down the road.
oh god me too, its the saddest thing to see such a unique piece of engineering in prestine condition being destryoed
That a museum would not want one of these cars was truly short sighted.
L up
Same with me, I actually had to turn away - it was deeply troubling.
@@eddstarr2185
We shared the pain of destruction of these fabulous autos on video. A bright spot is the technology lives on in one of the best tanks to be made. Let’s hope our countries military will not be forced to go electric ⚡️. Short sighted bureaucrats 🖕off.
The tail lights alone on this thing deserve a video. They're cool as hell.
IKR? Though I think if the turn signals had been sequential flash... it would have NAILED IT!
@@nobody7817That came with, I think, the 65 Thunderbird. Now, they're required on new cars sold in the EU.
@@sess5206 A) 65 T'Bird as well as the 69-73 Cougars. B) No, not required in EUR. I live in Turkey, and previously in Romania, Germany, Kosovo, and Bulgaria. NEVER seen sequential flashers out here anywhere. I haven't been "home" (If I can call the US that anymore) in DECADES).
Thank you all, for making this documentary. My grandfather, Bud Mann, loved this project and Chrysler for nearly 50 years. I love listening to his stories…he is the reason I am an engineer!
In my younger days I worked at a small company called Budworths Engineering in Harwich Essex UK as an apprentice engineer. We specialised in gas turbines. We had a boat, a lotus racing car and an auster aircraft all using our gas turbines. Our bread and butter was small turbines powering fire pumps. I specialised in polishing and preparing the turbine blades, in those days with an air powered polish and grinding tool. Had lots of large companies trying to remove us from the scene. Good memories and this wonderful video brought back good times and memories.
When I was in Junior High one of our guidance counselors was one of the people who got one of these cars to drive. I got a ride in it once when he took me home from a after school activity. That experiance played a part in me deciding to work in the automotive service business. The first job I had at 17 was working for a Chrysler Plymouth dealer. 30 of the 45 years I was in the business was spent working for Chrysler dealers.
That's awesome! American cars only in my driveway..for life! 🇺🇸
Heck yeah. Workin' for the toxic entity that many of us call the Stealership. 😂😂
If you want to ensure your wallet remains light, take your car to the stealership. They'll overcharge you for the parts, overcharge for the labor, and probably scare you into additional repairs you don't really need.
Fortunately we're about to see a time where there's less of these greedy leeches as manufacturers and consumers are tired of being robbed by them. 😂
I actually had a ride in this car at the 1963 New York world's fair in Flushing, Queens. I stood on line at the Chrysler Pavilion for a quick ride on a closed track in this car. I remember the wild rear end, the turbine sound, and that copper orange paint.
That's amazing. What a great experience and wonderful memory.
Congratulations to all involved in the rescue of Jay’s Turbine Car. I’d especially like to thank Steve Lehto for bringing this documentary to so many people’s attention.
Is Jay Leno's car back up and running?
That was heartwarming, and amazing.
My dad a Chrysler turbine engineer seen in b&w still photos at Greenfield Plant in Dearborn, MI. We lived not far from there. Sam Williams invited my dad to work for him in CA when he left Chrysler & started Williams Engineering.
That is so cool that Jay's engine is being rebuilt with the help of the surviving original guys. In a way it is a blessing in disguise that the engine granaded. Now the knowledge, the processes, the skills can be redeveloped and passed down.
Everything would be better if more people were like you, I appreciate you.
This event was bad for Leno, but good for him too. He got a chance to meet these guys. This event was great for the company that he selected, they got a chance to learn and to meet these guys... but as a 60 year old Engineer--I KNOW this must have been a GREAT time for these original guys. I would LOVE IT if I could work on some of my old projects again... feel needed and appreciated, and bring back some part of Americana.... OMG this must have been a dream come true for them!!!! They deserved that one last bid on the project; and I couldn't be happier for them! Leno did a great thing.
As a small boy, I saw the Turbine Car at the DC Autoshow. I never quite got over it. It was quite an event to see it on our National Mall Last Year. Thanks to everyone involved here.
Those old guys couldn't be happier that Jay Leno roached that motor to get to work on it again 60 years later lol. Super intriguing documentary, extremely well executed and directed, I really enjoyed learning from this film.
A time where designers, technicians and engineers had no limits.
it was a time of large profits and little regulation (both needed to do projects like this) - government killed that
it's killing it in my industry now
Yes they were very bold, but I still can’t totally admire them because they made dumb choices. I’m an engineer to and I was doing a lot of research and development work and had quite a bit of success. But there were times when management idiots asked me to do things that were totally so stupid, and I just refuse to do them, and told them why. You can be both intelligent and stupid at the same time. The people on this turbine engine car project were foolish!
@@mjoet731 Not to get political... but it was also a time of high taxation in the 50s and 60s. Big businesses could hide money from the government by dumping their profits into side projects like this that simply gave Chrysler publicity. In 1964 the corporate tax rate was 50% and today it sits at 21%. You see a lot less of this kind of stuff today.
I work for Williams International, featured in this documentary. The cutting edge technology combined with the knowledge and can-do spirit, I have no doubt that the folks here will get that turbine engine running again.
I saw one go by my parents house in the 60's. It was in Grosse Point Michigan, I was 7 or 8 years old. I can still remember the sound! It was a cool time, Motown music, muscle cars.
It’s incredibly frustrating to know that I’ll likely never drive a turbine car in my life, and we came so close! This was an absurdly beautiful car!
Just make one
@@snorttroll4379 You wouldn't download a car...
lol. I would!@@the_kombinator
@@snorttroll4379 and then 3d print it :D
yes.@@the_kombinator
I'm so glad Hagerty got to interview and record some of the engineers involved with the Chrysler Turbine Car directly.
Even 60 years on their love and passion for the project shines through and thankfully won't be lost to time.
We've got a beautifully maintained Turbine at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, near Gull Lake, Michigan! What a unique automobile.
I remember this Turbo car at the ‘64&65 NY World’s Fair and loved it too! Excellent tribute to an engineering marvel.
It was an honor to be part of the Countach Cannonball Run documentary! Love this. The 1950s and 1960s were amazing time for the automobile in America. So much incredible information in this documentary for us car nerds. 😊😂❤
It was painful to watch those cars being destroyed at the end of the publicity program. And even more painful to learn of the destruction of nearly 30 years of research and accumulated knowledge being shredded and trashed when the Turbine program was killed. To think that the still living engineers who helped create this technology 70 years ago are having to rely on memory and reverse engineering to restore this innovative engine is equally distressing and inspiring. What a moving film.
This turbine car was amazing. It sounded like no other car available at it's time .
This was fascinating to watch, thanks for making it!
What an amazing testament to the older gentlemen who came to help rebuild the engine. Hats off to that team of people who were part of the reason why the US auto industry was king at the time they were in their prime.
This was such a pleasure to watch. I immediately felt a connection to the characters and their passion for such a unique car. I love the mix of history and technology as the story unfolds. Great job.
I just sat here and watched the entire 1 hour and ten minutes documentary by accident. I started and couldn't stop, somehow this piece of video gave me a warm feeling I just had to hold on to.
Simple but great cinematography. Kudos to Tom Quigley, Mike Gallagher and Ian Mosley-Duffy.
My neighbor, (Clint Attwood), was working for Chrysler at the time, and was provide one of these cars. I was a friend of one of his sons (Craig), and he provide myself (as well as other neighborhood kids) a ride. I was around 12 or 13 years old at the time, and too young to appreciate just how rare of an opportunity it was. Thank-you for posting. This, and other similar video's let me finally appreciate the experience.
Having read Steve Lehto's book on the Turbine, it gave me a new appreciation of them I had known what they were and why they existed, but the book took it to a whole new level of appreciation. This video took it to the next level. It actually moved me to tears in parts with the passion that people still have for this project and these cars. Well done!
Crazy to believe that there was once a time when Chrysler was cutting edge.
It's awesome seeing Project Blue Jay and all the people come out to help rebuild the Turbine.
This is a magnificent presentation, a true masterpiece. Hats off to all who helped create it.
I have loved everything about cars growing up as a kid to then working in the auto industry as a lot boy to salesman to finance mgr. This story had be absolutely choked when the old engineers jumped onboard with the new team. This type of worksmanship, art and history should be documented and kept on display as milestone and testament to the efforts of everyone from chrysler, gm and the team at project blue jay. Amazing stuff and thank you for sharing this.
project blue jay made me smile. great team of guys right there!
that is such a beauty of a car in so many aspects.
Unbelievably great documentary. As a 30 year old diehard gearhead that tends to lean towards more modern vehicles, this is unabashedly one of the most moving, inspiring, and emotionally connected projects I've seen. What an amazing team of engineers, and to see their passion and even appteciation for their fellow team members is something that will stay with me.
Newer vehicles are obviously better in almost any way. Efficiency, safety, and performance have all progressed.
But the art of design in automobiles is lacking, and their true longevity is also likely gone.
The old cars were sculpted. The new cars are designed with a computer.
The computer itself doesn't stand in the way, but they're limited to restrictions imposed by the governments.
If you look at many of the things that fail on vehicles today they're often related to things mandated by govt as well.
But the real thing I wonder about is all of the plastic lasting the ages that metal or aluminium have.
Even as a 21 year old, I have to agree completely. What a marvel of engineering, and an impressive documentary.
I rode with my father in the Summer of 1972 or 1973, in a 1973 turbine powered Dodge Coronet. I think it was late Summer of 1972, so it was a very new 1973 Coronet. It sounded like a jet airplane.
Those guys, that generation, they had no limits. Anything was possible. So much admiration for them.
This is by far the greatest automotive documentary ever produced. Kudo's to everyone involved, past and present.
I remember well the excitement in the 1968 Indy 500 hoping that the Andy Granitelli and Parnelly Jones would race the turbine again.
41 years old and never heard of this car. Wow. Learned something new today. 🤯
Hagerty once again making some of the best automotive content on RUclips. What an amazing story about a different era in cars, Detroit, and America as a whole.
My father brought one home when I was a kid, he seemed excited by it (he was a Chrysler executive). Only had it for a day or two.
I was beside myself to see the original team from over 60 years ago be able to have the chance to still be here to take on rebuilding the turbine engine they designed and built. It really brought tears to my eyes to see this. Thank you Jay and all the people that made his rebuild happen This show is one for the books. ❤
My dad was Lead Hand, of Tool and Die for GE Aviation 47 years.
I wish I could have talked him into passing that knowledge down to an up and comer, or a small turbine company.
But, when he was done, he was done .
My neighbor's father was an engineer on the fuel delivery system for this car. For 3 months he had use of one. The only issues were a slow throttle response and poor fuel economy.
It has good fuel economy at high end. Thats why turbines are used in power plants and jets instead. But I was thinking, in theory, you could do a hybrid of electric and turbines engine, where electric does the drive at low end and turbine high end, and you'll get your fuel economy up
In the real world, it got up to 5 to 6 mpg on the highway, per the man who had it for 3 months. Turbines are loved for longevity and low maintenance. At very high speeds, like aircraft, the piston engine can't compete. At slow speeds of a car or train, the turbine can't approach the economy of piston engines. Turbine/electric trains were a failure. Turbine generators are wonderful for reliability, but they love to slurp up the fuel. That wonderful sound makes it worth it ! @@theonlyjono
Hello Steve Lehto et al! My Late Father, Chief Warrant Officer, USN; Submarine Service was Finally allowed Out of the Navy in march of 1948. HE was a Mechanic Extraordinaire; Raced Motorcycles, Invited to Indy 500 for numerous Crews to go there. Owned his Own: Mobil Gas Station; #1 Business at Top of Fletcher Parkway to El Cajon, CA. IN 1956, on my tenth birthday;
we were driving East to Hattiesburg, MS to reunite with Dad's family there. WE were driving a 1955 Chrysler Imperial; which had to be one of the finest cars produced at that time. With Zero A/C installed by factory (1955) and my father's Naval expertise on HVAC, Dad installed a Carrier Box HVAC unit (in the trunk!). We had So much Air conditioning that we all, except for my dad
wore our warmest sweaters, as we passed many folks whose jaws were dropping at Our comfort and speed; Yes Dad was always Speeding; NEVER Ticketed; ever...TRUTH TOLD. I'm 77 in North Texas.
Great video, I'm glad they were able to get some of the original guys working on this project before we lose them. What a great resource. Good luck to all.
I pulled up behind one of these turbine cars at a stop light in the mid 1960s in Garden Grove California. I remember the interesting whine of the engine and smell of the exhaust. It was a beautiful car in my estimation.
What a great little movie!
Thanks so much for this great story ! Crazy that records of the engineering and blueprints were all destroyed....
I lived in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak from 1964 to 1970. One of these cars was driven by a man who worked for Chrysler and lived a block away from us. In those days more than half the people on the streets worked for one of the Big 3 auto companies. This car really stood out and got our attention.
Was this on Brookwood st ? I walked by a house that had one of these cars in the driveway every morning on my way to catch the school bus on 12 mile.
A couple of years ago, I had converted 8mm films that my parents had taken in the 60s and 70s. I came across a couple of reels taken at the 1964 World's Fair in Queens. The big three automakers had very impressive showcases that you could see throughout. But the one car that flashed across the pictures that was unique: the Chrysler Turbine car in what looks to be in white. Very cool to see! Seeing that and then getting to see the history in this video is fascinating!
It strikes me that all the advantages that these guys describe for this motor, less vibration, fewer parts, lower maintenance, all apply to electric motors too. Even a similar whirr. Cool engineering
Utterly fantastic project and story. This awesome adventurous American ingenuitive, and spirit, passion, and can-do attitude gives me chills and and the same sense of awe and pride I had as a kid watching the Apollo missions. What an amazing idea and project! So well told too. THANK YOU for telling this story.
I was going to the Navy engineman school in 1966 at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center when Chrysler brought one of the turbine cars to our school. We got to inspect it though out. We did not get to drive it but we all got a chance to sit in the vehicle while it was runnig. What a great time in history to be a part of it. Thank you Chrysler.
Fantastic Documentary! Sad we're very rapidly losing these visionary and immensely talented folk. So many stories like the Chrysler turbine car waiting to be told and i hope we get to them while there's still the people around to help tell the story.
Thanks to computers, most of the younger people are incapable of actually doing anything that requires brains. The computer does it all for them.
Older engineers never stop finding solutions to problems......even after all the time and lost records they still have the passion.... great video
N
Damn this documentary has me smiling ear-to- ear start to finish. Was born in 1988 and I appreciate the hell out of this
One of the remaining cars is at the Stahl Automotive Museum in Michigan (near where I live). That car is shown in this video. I have been there many times since it was obtained and it is quite a car although in the style of the day a big car. Stahls has a RUclips video showing it after it was restored and first run around the parking lot. While a neat engineering experiment, like many of these designs.....they had to prove their value to the companies bottom line and in many cases taking such a "different" design and making it competitive with existing cars could be a career ending experiment. My late father-in-law was a top Mechanical Engineer at GM during this period....he told me stories of how difficult it was to get a new design into production. That being said....I think that these were the golden years of Detroit autos. While newer cars and engineering is a lot better today, those were heady days with flamboyant designs and not cars looking like most other cars.
The color of cars of that era could return but sadly we have 14 shades of silver, where is the salmon, turquoise, vivid greens, even fire engines aren’t really Red any more.
Best car documentary I have seen in a long time. Really interesting.
I remember hearing about this program when I was a kid, this video brought back so many fond memories! I was so thrilled with cars I was calling out the year, make and models when I was 4 and to this day I have photographic memory of the vehicles I see on the road. This video took me back to the 60's!
Here is a shining example of the craftsmanship and pride, no longer valued in our nation by the average individual. Every one of you, should be very proud, for the effort and enthusiasm you have shown in supporting this project.
One of my favorite movies as a kid (and still today 59 years later) is "The Lively Set" (1964) because it features the Turbine car in a road race. I instantly fell in love with this beautiful car, and was always sad it never became mass produced. I just rewatched it a few days ago so it is very fortuitous finding this video today. Thank you so much!
I had no expectation that I’d be so emotional by the end of this wonderful video. Thank you producers, engineers, Chrysler, Jay Leno, and all the other passionate people associated with this amazing story.
I was in the back seat of one of those when i was 4 years old. My dad had a friend that worked for Chrysler and he brought one to our house and gave is a ride
I had to come back and watch this documentary again. This is one of the best video essays I’ve found on this platform.
This is one of the best videos you all have done! Excellent story telling as well as looping in all the old engineering staff. Very well made, thank you!
Wow what an amazing documentary. Bravo Hagerty, this is the content I wish we saw more of. The Turbine car was freaking awesome.
Frank was my great uncle. I remember going to family reunions at his museum. Good man
What an amazing story.
I inspected one of these turbine cars in 1964 when I was 14. The car and its temporary custodian visited my small South Dakota home town. It was sitting on main street and the driver was in the cafe having lunch while I was looking at it. He came out and answered a few questions to the small crowd that had gathered. Then, he got in it and drove a way with a woosh that the car made.
When I was born in '59 my parents had built the house I grew up in a few years earlier. It had central air-conditioning from the get-go and they used a local HVAC company called "Graf's Tin Shop". Louis Graf was a Chrysler Air-Temp dealer. That AC unit lasted over 35-years. Chrysler had excellent engineering coupled with quality workmanship in the fifties and sixties. I think that stuck with my dad as the first new car our family ever had was a Plymouth when I was in the eighth grade. It was a '72 Fury because our last used car had been a '65 Fury III which was beautiful and ran like a scalded dog. Something had happened to Chrysler in the early to mid-seventies. New government regulations on emissions caused all the car makers to install "anti-smog" solutions. Chrysler's engineering suddenly wasn't so great. That '72 (might have been a '73) Fury would stall every morning at red lights as my mom drove me to school. She would struggle to re-start it and often ended up flooding it. A new car that wouldn't go. This is where I personally started believing Chrysler automotive products were falling behind miserably. Yep, I was tardy sometimes which wasn't too pleasant as it was big-time frowned upon. I have to add this: "we could change an engine out in an hour". This can't be done today as we all know. My '04 Audi S4 6-speed just had to have a serpentine belt replacement (I only had 54K on it, but age is age). That belt replacement required the front bumper to come off, the radiator to be partially unbolted in order to tilt it forward, The wheels and inner wheel well buckets to be removed, and a few assorted electrical and plumbing disconnects. I was a full half-day + of labor. As modern cars have progressed in many ways they have become massive headaches to work on. Things like having to remove the entire motor to fix water pumps, oil pumps, and timing belts/chains/tensioners are common leading to excessive labor hours married to ever-escalating ridiculous prices for the individual components required. I consider repairability as part of top-shelf engineering which means over-engineering cars by cramming every conceivable component and sensor and various electronic aids in an engine bay means no easy repair access.is poor engineering. By the way I replaced the fan belt in a '87 GMC Jimmy for less than $20 and I had to hire out my Audi's serpentine belt replacement for a total cost of over $1600. Car companies apparently do not care much about this aspect, especially since it spoon feeds you to the dealer's service department where they can make even more $$$. This is a fantastic documentary. The man who was a young driver when his family was selected put it the way: "it changed my life for the better". Proof that wonderful cars have more to offer than transportation is something we need to get back to.
Big V8 fury? Probably had the thermobog carb. They were notorious for that.
Plastic float bowls would crack so easily.
And of course this was before the lean-burn of the mid-to-late seventies was another real loser Chrysler came up with.
I am not old but i miss tech that lasted like that AC unit, the oldest piece of equipment I have is a fridge that my great grandma bought in 1982 thats in my garage and working on the original cooling compressor... Its nuts that it has been on every day since getting it and it works like it was new. Nobody believes me because it sounds so nuts.
Wow that was fantastic guys,, really enjoyed that,,I'm almost 60 now and would have loved to have been involved.
This is the real life 1960s Batmobile, and probably what the Batmobile was modeled after.😊
The Batmobile dates back to 1941, the iconic George Barris car from the 1960s television show as based on Ford's 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car (hand built by Ghia in Italy)
So you could say there was an _"Italian Connection"_
Thank you, I didn't know that.
bicim
Seems to me a small turbine would be perfect for a series hybrid. The light weight and fuel insensitivity would be a perfect match.
Rotary is better.
Ironically, the smaller the turbine, the less efficient they tend to be due to the heat lost to the walls, and the difficulty of keeping air from leaking around the blades. There are some attempts at fitting them to semi-trucks since they can use a bigger turbine.
Thank you Haggerty. Giving this marvel and the minds behind it the documentary they deserve.
This documentary is incredible. What a car. It's sad how now it would never be made for other reasons than people had in the 1950's. What a beautiful car. So smooth ! What a different time the 1950's were. Imagine how cool it would be to see a Turbine at night with those modern blue LED headlights. Project "Blue-Jay" is incredible. To think only FIVE cars exist.
I grew up in a small (then) town in Detroit's Northern burbs...Franklin ,Mich.
Every summer the town had what they called the "Strawberry Festival" even tho there were zero farms in the area.
In fact a bunch of Chrysler big wigs lived nearby and at the 1961 or '62 festival they decided to feature one of these Turbine cars
front and center on the village green...just in front of the 1 room library.
One main draw for the fest was free strawberry shortcake...my brothers and I always tried to eat 3-4 each :))
At one point in the early afternoon, my oldest bro had snagged the drivers seat inside the Turbine...I was bugging him to let me have a turn in the cockpit and he wouldn't budge...so I punched his shoulder and his strawberry shortcake, complete with vanilla ice-cream and strawberry juice flew out of his hand and spilled all over the center console :((
I don't think we have ever run as fast before or since...he was yelling at me and I was laughing so hard I could barely breath...
THAT is my memory of this fantastic piece of auto history :))
Wish we had a turbine choice today. ❤
I agree.
@@sandervanderkammen9230 we have turbines for airplanes for less.
@@sandervanderkammen9230 you better look more closely. Certified I agree more $$$, but an experiment rated turbine is way less. You dint need a certified for a vehicle. Just a good rebuild.
@@sandervanderkammen9230 that's engine and transmission together with regen. It is am amazing engine Chrysler created. Aircraft don't use regen and only a simple gear reduction for a turboprop.
You are perfect just the way you are, I appreciate you.
Excellent documentary about a fascinating turbine car that Chrysler Engineering developed back in the 50s and 60s. I was very lucky to work for Chrysler on a similarly exotic engine, a 3-cylinder 2-stroke engine in the late 80s and early 90s. I was also very lucky to work with Bud Mann, featured in this documentary.
I saw this car at the NYC world fair. What an experience. Chrysler gave out scale models of this car. I now have three models.
beautiful video Hagerty, since you made this video I would like to give you the idea of making a video of the history of the Slant Six, Chrysler's longest-lived and most durable engine, a world icon, the engine that Chrysler sold all over the world. An engine with sporting achievements in the US, Argentina, Australia, etc., achievements in resistance, durability. The Leaning Tower of Power deserves recognition.
The Slant 6 was truly great engine. Too bad Chrysler didn't make a longer block version with wider bore spacing, so that it could be as large as 265 or more cubic inches.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Perhaps a larger Slant Six would have been an interesting version, although if you mean to get power with more displacement, I must say that if you know the 225 you can get a lot of power without any turbo or supercharger.
In my country, Argentina, we had the Dodge Polara RT with the RG225 Slant Six of 174 HP and 333 nm that I consider the best Slant Six produced by Chrysler worldwide in terms of performance, then we had the racing Slant Six that they came to produce 320 HP and maximum speeds close to 290 km/h, today there are Slant Six with injection that reach 400 HP without supercharging.
@@franciscodelvecchio2203 It would be more for increased torque, rather than increased horsepower. Souping an engine takes away low RPM torque. For a heavy vehicle, 225 cubes isn't very much. Think of how good a 265 cubic inch Slant 6 would be?
I remember seeing the car at the 1964/1965 worlds fair. It was on a small oval track that was cut in below ground level. Those where great all American times. Lots of pride, very little greed. Ford had an incredible pavilion. Cars ran on a cable of some sort and you picked a car, got in and rode in to a tunnel. You went in the dinosaur age, and went through time and came out in modern day. That was the year of the Mustang. For an 11 year old car lover it was incredible.
@theguyinmaine Walt Disney and his original Imagineer team, before they were even called Imagineers, created a lot of Ford's pavilion at that World's Fair!
This vid blows my mind. I have an old Chrysler book I bought around 79 when I aquired a Chrysler Coupe. It showed the turbine car. But I newer thought that some are still existing. And now this attempt to rebuild parts of this engine with the help of those pioneers is simply overwhelming.
Such an amazing machine and story, about the technology and the dedicated people involved in every aspect of it, from creation, to using and driving the car, to restoring the rare parts to their former glory. THAT is the most American thing I've ever watched showing what happens when enthusiastic and talented people can do when are brought together united by the same vision and passion. I almost cried.
Hearing Steve's voice on a car video shocked me at first.
So much goosebumps watching this, amazing. What amazing team it had and the amazing team working on Jay’s, the car community doesn’t have an equal.
Same here...I found tears of joy and comradery at the end
Fantastic video, watching those cars be crushed and lit on fire in the junkyard hurt. The one car looked like it had a quivering lip as it was taken to the crusher. So cool to hear from and document those who surrounded this project back in the day. Thank you for the wonderful content Haggerty.