Chrysler Turbine Car
Posted: May 21st, 2017, 11:46 am
For about 3 decades Chrysler investigated the possibility of powering their cars with a gas turbine engine. Various engines and formats where tried over the years, the high point being between 1962-64 when the vehicle below was tested.
Using bodies hand built by Ghia in Italy, 5 pre-production cars where built, followed by 50 "production" cars. These where then tested in the field by members of the public and feed back taken.
At the end of the test period the cars where taken back and destroyed partly for tax and liability reasons, but also due to the total lack of support infrastructure to care for such unconventional vehicles. This has too be one of the greatest acts of vandalism and desecration ever.
9 did survive, 3 retained by Chrysler, 2 in private hands and the rest in various museums.
The engine without the air filter housing in place.
Unfortunately, as you see on the bonnet (hood) I used 400 grit wet n dry to smooth down the paint before swapping to 1200 grit for a better finish, it looked fine, but with a bit of car polish over the top, shows the streaks left by the 400 grit.
The correct Turbine bronze is apparently still available, but not on the right hand side of the pond in my local Halfords. The metallic bronze used is a Ford colour from a rattle can is a lot darker than the original but suits the model beautifully and made me think of it as more of a "production colour".
The kit used is the Jo Han kit which was apparently produced for Chrysler to give away in their show rooms during the period that the turbines where in the wild. The kits where periodically rereleased during the 80s and 90s, i assume this is the period my example hails from. Fit is excellent, the only filler being used to plug the gap between the exhaust pipes and the engine.
The kit features opening doors, in the third picture you can see the result of my opening the doors before the polish had time to properly cure.
This was my first Jo Han kit, I will be looking for more.
Comments an criticism welcome
Using bodies hand built by Ghia in Italy, 5 pre-production cars where built, followed by 50 "production" cars. These where then tested in the field by members of the public and feed back taken.
At the end of the test period the cars where taken back and destroyed partly for tax and liability reasons, but also due to the total lack of support infrastructure to care for such unconventional vehicles. This has too be one of the greatest acts of vandalism and desecration ever.
9 did survive, 3 retained by Chrysler, 2 in private hands and the rest in various museums.
The engine without the air filter housing in place.
Unfortunately, as you see on the bonnet (hood) I used 400 grit wet n dry to smooth down the paint before swapping to 1200 grit for a better finish, it looked fine, but with a bit of car polish over the top, shows the streaks left by the 400 grit.
The correct Turbine bronze is apparently still available, but not on the right hand side of the pond in my local Halfords. The metallic bronze used is a Ford colour from a rattle can is a lot darker than the original but suits the model beautifully and made me think of it as more of a "production colour".
The kit used is the Jo Han kit which was apparently produced for Chrysler to give away in their show rooms during the period that the turbines where in the wild. The kits where periodically rereleased during the 80s and 90s, i assume this is the period my example hails from. Fit is excellent, the only filler being used to plug the gap between the exhaust pipes and the engine.
The kit features opening doors, in the third picture you can see the result of my opening the doors before the polish had time to properly cure.
This was my first Jo Han kit, I will be looking for more.
Comments an criticism welcome