Chrysler's Turbine Car

October 15, 2010

Can you imagine driving down the road in a car powered by a jet engine? In the 1960s, America almost got the chance. Lehto tells the story of Chrysler's project to develop a car powered by a turbine engine. Chrysler assigned many of its brightest engineers to the project, supporting them as they struggled to solve the problems created by the nontraditional motor. Part of the development was an ingenious publicity campaign that showed the vehicle was far beyond a concept car. Over 200 lucky families were loaned turbine cars for two months, and many fell in love with its smooth ride. The engine could operate on alternative fuels without modification, and unleaded gas, diesel, kerosene, tequila, and even perfume were used to run the car! So what happened? A combination of manufacturing problems, financing, and bad timing doomed the project. Car enthusiast Jay Leno, who owns one of the five remaining vehicles, provides the foreword to the book. VERDICT A fascinating example of engineering and product development. Appropriate for large public libraries and all academic libraries supporting engineering programs. Motorheads will love it.--William Baer, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta

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