A brief history of jet powered cars | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

In the mid-1960s to ‘70s, for example, rotary Wankel engines briefly looked to be the way forward thanks to brave automotive pioneers such as NSU, Mazda and Citroën, with turbocharging finding widespread favour by the 1970s to improve performance and reduce emissions, via Saab, GM, BMW, Renault and others.

By the late 1980s turbo-diesel engines had become the latest must-have technology, ahead of their huge fall from grace in more recent times, led by the Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’ emission cheating scandal, with hydrogen, and more latterly hybrids, enjoying brief moments in the spotlight. These, however, will be ultimately phased out due to pending British Governmental legislation by 2030, when the sale of all new, traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) is set to be outlawed in favour of all new car buyers being strong-armed to choose a low-emission all-electric car.

In that more optimistic jet set decade from the mid-1950s or so, the prospect of jet propelled turbine power was briefly flirted with by a handful of car makers around the world (particularly for motorsport applications), ranging from Rover and Lotus in the UK, Fiat and Renault in Continental Europe, plus General Motors (GM) and Chrysler in the USA.

The advantages and appeal of a gas turbine engine in that idealistic age were (theoretically) easy to understand as a jet engine has no pistons, plus gas turbine units are usually lighter and have offer improved power to weight ratios than piston engines, as well as being able to run on a variety of fuels. Unlike a conventional ICE motor, a gas turbine engine works by using compressed air, fed through a combustion chamber into which fuel is sprayed, with the fuel/air mixture then ignited, the resultant gases produced being used to power a turbine. The turbine power produced is then used to run the compressor which pressurises the air fed into the combustion chamber, rather than also being used for propulsion. These exhaust gases then pass through a second ‘free turbine’ attached to a shaft to create the mechanical power used for propulsion.

Although a pair of American engineers working with New York-based Carney Associates had designed a compact gas turbine engine for automotive use in early 1946, it was a British car company that became the first to create a useable road vehicle powered by a gas turbine engine, by virtue of the pioneering work of UK aviation jet engine inventor Frank Whittle and his Gloster Meteor fighter jet aircraft towards the end of the second world war.

This British car company – the first to dabble in gas turbine power for a car – was the unlikely staid and conservative Rover, with the Solihull company developing its P4-based JET1 turbine powered speedster prototype over the winter of 1949/50, ahead of its March 1950 public debut as the world’s first car powered by a gas turbine engine, mounted mid-ships with exhaust outlets on the top of the tail. Rover subjected JET1 to high-profile speed trials on the famous Belgian Jabbeke dual carriageway in June 1952, where it officially exceeded 150mph.

Spurred on by the huge positive press benefits of its innovative jet engine, Rover continued with its turbine development, presenting its 105R T3 all-wheel-drive coupe prototype at the 1956 London Earls Court Motor Show. Rover’s final step in building a potential road-going turbine model was the T4 four-door saloon prototype, developed in parallel with P6 Rover 2000, two years ahead of that petrol model’s 1963 public debut. Although Rover’s plans to offer the T4 commercially in limited production were soon dropped, having spent a couple of decades working on gas turbine technology, the company did not give up on turbine cars completely, despite it being clear that the jet engine technology would not be suitable for a regular, affordable road car.

Rover’s turbine technology still held great promise for motor racing so the firm chose the Le Mans 24 Hours race to demonstrate its jet engine and gain more positive publicity. Rover joined forces with British racing car builder BRM and together they built the Rover-BRM Le Mans endurance racing car on a widened BRM frame, adapting a competition modified version of the same engine used in the Rover T4 prototype, mounted in the rear of the car. The Rover’s transmission provided a reverse gear, only because Le Mans race regulations required it, although there was no intention of actually using it. The Le Mans Rover-BRM had a large 48 gallon fuel tank, filled with kerosene, just like commercial jet aircraft. Designed by the gifted British stylist William Towns, who also penned the Aston Martin DBS/V8, Lagonda and versatile Hustler kit car, the Rover-BRM competed at Le Mans for three years, between 1963 to 1965.

For its 1963 24 hour race debut, the Rover-BRM was driven by Graham Hill and Richie Ginther, entered with ‘00’ race numbers as a non-competing invited entry. Had it been an official entrant it would have finished in a very credible seventh place overall, a very satisfactory result for a car using new and untried technology. For 1964 the car was damaged in transit so did not actually compete, but for the 1965 race, the Rover-BRM was finally classified as an official entry, wearing race number 31. Driven by Hill and Jackie Stewart, the turbine entry completed the 24 hour endurance race, finishing overall in a satisfying tenth place. Gas turbine power briefly returned to Le Mans again in 1968 in the form of the distinctive American Howmet TX sports prototype…

In that same year another British entrant, Lotus, dominated the celebrated Indy 500 race with Hill at the wheel of the wedged STP sponsored Type 56 all-wheel-drive IndyCar, powered by a Novi gas turbine engine. This Type 56 went on to briefly compete in a handful of Formula 1 races during the 1971 season too, with mix results.

Several years earlier, Fiat presented its 160mph Turbina in Italy in 1954, a futuristic coupe featuring a mid-mounted 300PS (221kW) two-stage centrifugal compressor, three can-type combustors, a two-stage turbine driving the compressor, plus a single-stage power turbine with a geared reduction to the rear wheels with no gearbox or clutch. The Fiat Turbina concept was soon shelved though due to high fuel usage and overheating problems.

A couple of years later, in 1956 Renault ran its turbine-powered Etoile Filante (shooting star) speed record prototype on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah to secure the world’s fastest car title at the time. This feat helped to boost Renault’s awareness and reputation in the crucial USA market, setting the scene for the conventional Dauphine, set for launch in America at the same time.

In the USA itself, where the 1950s jet age ‘dream’ came closer to reality than in most countries, leading car marker GM presented the first of a quartet of Pontiac Firebird turbine powered concepts, the rocket-inspired I XP-21 of 1953. This was followed-up by the jet-propelled Firebird II in 1956, with the third iteration presented in 1959, and ending with the none-functioning (but still claimed as gas turbine powered) Firebird IV prototype of 1964.

Arguably the most famous of all turbine-powered car from the 1950s-‘60s though was the Chrysler Turbine of 1963-64. Chrysler’s gas turbine project began in 1945, when the Detroit vehicle giant began developing a turboprop aircraft engine for the United States Navy, learning much useful knowledge along the way and beginning to examine the potential of mounting a turbine in an automobile. Chrysler began passenger car testing in the 1950s, initially on static benches, rather than placing engines in actual cars, with its engineers encountered numerous setbacks.

The turbine motor proved to have a tardy throttle response, burned fuel at an alarming rate and it cost a fortune to manufacture. It did have several advantages as well though. Notably, it was smaller, lighter, and more reliable than a comparable ICE piston engine, offering less pollution, smoother running, no need for coolant, and it was easier to start in colder climates than petrol engines of the era.

In 1954 Chrysler started testing its first turbine-powered car, a Plymouth-based prototype, using it to drive from New York City, across America, to the Los Angeles, with the turbine engine running well during the four-day trip, requiring no repairs, and burning unleaded petrol, plus occasionally, diesel. Motivated by the trip’s success, and undoubtedly encouraged by the press coverage it generated, Chrysler tasked its engineers to continue developing the technology with an eye on one day selling a turbine-powered car to the public. They ran additional tests, embarked on more road trips, and even installed a turbine in a Dodge pick-up truck.

Chrysler organised high profile presentation events across the USA to get the public excited for what was, at the time, realistically forecast to be the potential future of mobility. By 1963, as part of its serious, long-term and costly turbine development programme, Chrysler finally revealed its low-volume ‘production’ Turbine, with an initial build of 55 cars (including five prototypes) with appealing closed coupe coachwork styled by Elwood Engel (the ex-Ford designer of the earlier Thunderbird sports coupe) and built by Ghia in Turin.

Constructed over 1963-64, the Chrysler Turbine was more than just a show car. The majority of the 55 cars were sent out on a national driver programme, where 203 randomly-selected motorists got to use and assess them in true real-world conditions. The Turbines proved to run happily on low-grade fuel, plus they were light, surprisingly reliable and undemanding to maintain. The start-up procedure proved to be slow and a little eerie though, due to the Turbine’s jet-style ‘whooshing’ sound, and overall noise and emissions were an issue, with the latter ultimately sealing the gas turbine engine’s automotive fate as late as 1979.

After this extensive public testing programme, Chrysler recalled the 55 Turbines in the mid-‘60s, with most of the cars being scrapped. Nine examples survived though, with famed celebrity car collector and chat show host Jay Leno possibly the highest-profile owner of the model, with his Turbine being one of the few remaining runners, and reportedly one of only two examples now in private ownership.

One of the nine remaining Chrysler Turbines from 1963 has now just come up for sale in the USA, this car being one of the very few known to still be in running condition. This Chrysler has a well-documented history and has spent most of its life as a museum piece, although it has always been kept in full running order. No price estimate has been mentioned for the Turbine, but given its exceptional condition, rarity and running order, expect the final sale price to be well into seven figures, with a ‘spare’ engine/transmission unit also available as a separate purchase for around $100,000. Talk about an exceptional opportunity. Whoosh…

Le Mans image courtesy of Motorsport Images, final Chrysler image courtesy of Hayman Ltd.