 The Chrysler Turbine Car is perhaps the most iconic example. The project began in the mid-1950s with a turbine-powered Belvedere and morphed into a Chrysler of unique design by 1963. Mopar built 55 cars, 50 of which were lent to the general public as part of a user program. The project was eventually canceled and all but nine cars were destroyed. General Motors also toyed with the idea through the Firebird, a series of four prototypes/concepts it introduced between 1953 and 1959. Ford's efforts in this department aren't as iconic as the Chrysler Turbine Car or the GM Firebird, but it also meddled with gas turbine engines. Its most known project is Big Red, a turbine-powered experimental truck showcased in 1964. But it turns out that Ford actually put together its first turbine car almost a decade before that. Known internally at the aircraft maker as the 502 series, Boeing’s small gas turbine powerplants were used in a broad variety of applications, from helicopters to boats to submarine-hunting drones for the U.S. Navy. The 502-8C version chosen by Ford weighed around 330 lbs, was rated at 175 hp, and it was adapted to a ’55 Thunderbird in December of 1955. Total cost of the project was $188,000, according to an internal Ford engineering document. To avoid the need for a bulky and elaborate exhaust system, the Ford engineers simply routed the outlets straight through the front fenders, as shown here. It was essentially a Ford Thunderbird with the engine swaped. Developed between August 1955 and March 1956, shortly after the iconic Thunderbird made its debut, the project remained a secret until 2022, when it was unveiled to the world by Ford archivist Ted Ryan. According to a report sheet that was published alongside an old photo of the car, Ford's objective was to "obtain experience with gas turbine engine packaging and operation," as well as to obtain a "usable and reliable" turbine vehicle for "appraising the special advantages and problems" associated with this type of powerplant. The prototype itself wasn't radically different than a regular-production Thunderbird. While GM and Chrysler created unique vehicles for their gas turbine experiments, Ford simply stuffed a Boeing engine in the T-Bird's bay. The sheet mentions that the "conventional front-engine installation" was made using "production components," so there wasn't any wild engineering. Ford opted for a front exhaust system, so the Thunderbird had massive pipes running through the lower front fenders. The picture also shows an additional, sizable vent on the rear fender, hinting at some sort of cooling system mounted in the trunk. As noted in the report, the advantages of the turbine included “good power/weight ratio, good medium-speed acceleration, no vibration and relatively little routine engine maintenance.” That was on the plus side. However, the negative aspects included “serious acceleration lag on start-up…the undesirability of front exhaust and numerous other characteristics that represented problem areas.” As we know, the Motor City’s work on gas turbine engines for passenger car use never did prove out, but it produced some interesting experiments for us to ponder today. Source:
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Gas Turbine Dreams: The 1955 Ford MystereThe 1955 Mystere show car was originally intended to showcase Ford’s infant gas turbine technology, but it soon earned a more direct role in the company’s product plans. Next
Volga "Atom" Soviet secret project!En 1965 Soviet designers presented a prototype of the "Volga-Atom" based on the GAZ-21 Volga, manufactured at that time by the Gorky Automobile Plant. The story goes that the Volga Atom had a four-cylinder engine which used enriched Uranium 235 and that it was even successfully tested in the Russian city of Severomorsk. However, given that there is no documentary evidence to back these claims, this is most likely a myth. |
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