Chrysler’s turbine program was all but done by the late 1970s. After getting mixed reactions with the Turbine Car testing program of the mid 1960s, the company had returned to creating a few turbine-powered production cars for testing purposes. The last uniquely-bodied concept was the 1977 Chrysler Turbine LeBaron concept car, a T-top M-body LeBaron coupe with a unique nosecone, and the last turbine cars were pedestrian test vehicles used by the Department of Energy in and around the Washington, D.C. area that were being studied to determine if the turbine engine’s nitrogen oxide emissions could be reduced during use. Unfortunately, for those three Dodge Aspens and one lone Dodge Mirada, the program was cut during Chrysler’s revitalization that took place shortly after Lee Iacocca got the government to back loans to save the company.
A common question with Chrysler Turbine enthusiasts is “what happened to all of the engines?” Well, we can answer for one: it it up for sale on eBay! This is a seventh-generation “free rotor” turbine and a hollowed out TorqueFlite automatic display transmission. The “free rotor” part describes the engine setup: there are effectively two turbines in one, the gas turbine (the actual powerplant itself) and a turbine that is spun by the exhaust that isn’t directly connected to the gas turbine’s input shaft. A design that is popular in helicopters, this turbine would be one of seven made sometime between 1976 and 1977, and is believed to be a test engine that may have been installed in a vehicle. It doesn’t explain the shell of the TorqueFlite, and the seller admits that there are a couple of parts missing, but the turbine itself spins freely.
What do you think…garage art? Conversation piece? Bent on owning the most unique Dodge Aspen R/T on the planet? This could be yours!
eBay Link: Seventh generation Chrysler Turbine powerplant
Put it either in the back of a Baha Beetle or better still build a motorcycle or trike around it. Because this is a work of art and needs to be seen to be appreciated.
If this is 1 of 7 built…where are you going to find the missing parts? It’s an expensive paper weight.
Another engine for Jay Leno’s garage.
Knowing if Jay does buy the turbine, his shop will make it work!
Found what might be a suitable malaise era car to put it in…
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/5518210154.html
Or would you rather go with a turbine wagon?
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/5521038239.html
I would do my damnedest to get megasquirt the thing! =D
It would be useful for seeing if MegaSquirt can, in fact, be used at close to its theoretical 65,000 RPM limit.
Since it’s not piston driven, does it need high resolution? A 4 tooth wheel, or heck maybe even a single tooth wheel, would cut the number of readings down significantly if that would work. It’d be primarily fueling with maybe some spark?
As near as I can tell, there’s absolutely nothing timed to turbine shaft angle on a gas turbine.
such an exotic piece to have a NAPA brand oil filter….wonder if it’s a common part number?
and no, there is nothing wrong with NAPA parts, I just thought it would have an Oberg or some other specialty brand filter
Why didn’t you include the picture of the 77 Le Baron?….they are out on the internet. They are cool.