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Chrysler engineers had been intrigued by the idea of a gas turbine powered engine for years, even testing it on a ’54 Plymouth. But it wasn’t until almost a decade later that they thought they had overcome the problem of excessive exhaust heat. Using a design by Elwood Engel, very similar to the early 60’s Thunderbirds he had also designed, Chrysler had Ghia of Italy hand build 55 Chrysler turbines in 1963. Then 200 consumers were selected to test drive them for 3 months each. Their evaluation was simple and concise- it’s a failure. Despite a quiet vibration-free ride, the terrible mileage (less than 12 mpg), poor acceleration and still too much exhaust heat (however it is not true that it melted blacktop or set shoes on fire) were obstacles that could not be overcome. But the engine proved it could run on unleaded gas, diesel fuel, perfume, and even tequila, which the President of Mexico used on his and it ran fine.
All but 10 of the 55 Chrysler Turbines were destroyed after the Consumer Evaluation. This 1:18 scale precision die cast replica has all the design features of those remaining- folding bucket seats, turbine shaft console, jet like exhausts, and futuristic taillights, all topped off by a factory baked enamel Turbine Bronze finish. You can almost feel the heat.
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