It’s been over sixty years, and the waiting continues. Oh, we’ve been patient and quiet about it, but make no mistake: we still want our jet car! Well, not exactly a “jet” propelled vehicle that would melt the headlights on the car behind us at a light. We want a turbine-powered machine as Chrysler promised us we’d have in our garages by the 1970s at the latest.
Today, with advancements of the last decades and fossil fuel engines being employed to extend the range of electric cars instead of directly powering them, this just might be a chance for Stellantis to put the spotlight on a revived Chrysler turbine once again. Better yet, our S.W. Gossin suggested just the product to showcase it. Get ready for the new Chrysler 300E/T.
Piston Engine Goes Boing Boing Boing But The Turbine Goes Hmmm
During the fifties and sixties, it seems like all of the Big Three felt that engines with pistons that bounced up and down were old-world. In their mid-century optimism, General Motors explored Wankel rotary engines, and Ford even teased us with a proposed nuclear-powered car (what?). To many of us, however, it was Chrysler’s work with gas turbine-powered cars that seemed the most promising and “jet age” exciting.
Chrysler presented us with a turbine-powered street car in 1963 that made us believe the technology was ready to go.
Though they were designed in Detroit, they were fabricated by Ghia in Italy, the coachbuilder having made a number of earlier concepts for Chrysler (and the studio had yet to be purchased by Ford). Notice the “turbine” motifs on almost every surface.
Look at the exhaust system on this thing!
The motor isn’t as large as you might think, and it sits way back in the engine bay:
Here’s a spare motor that was for sale at the same place selling the turbine car shown in the images above (which sold recently to a secret buyer at an undisclosed sum).
At least fifty hand-built examples of these bronze-painted coupes were loaned to members of the public for testing and whooshed around American suburbs so Chrysler could get real-world feedback in a manner similar to what General Motors later did with its EV-1 electric car.
It’s not nearly as loud as you’d expect, but it sure sounds cool as hell (if you’ve never heard one, you need to click on the short video below) . The 130-horsepower coupe took around 12 seconds to get to sixty, so while that noise might terrify some hemi-pilot at a stoplight, rest assured he could shut the turbine car down without issue.
Once the tests with the Turbine were done, the cars were returned to Chrysler and, just like the electric GM cars, in order to avoid future liability all but nine of them were destroyed, as this painful-to-watch video shows. Warning to sensitive viewers that love Italian craftsmanship; this sucks to see.
Unlike the EV-1, there were no documented cases of people protesting this mass destruction. Overall response from testers was that the cars ran smoothly and attracted a lot of attention, but fuel economy was abysmal even for the time, and the laggy spooling-up of the engine didn’t offer a payoff for this thirst.
Chrysler didn’t give up right away, though, A total of seven generations of turbine motors were developed over the next fifteen years or so with progressive improvements in function and economy. The key to better efficiency was something called a “regenerator” or “recuperator” that recirculated the hot exhaust and used it for a heat exchanger to pre-heat the intake air (sort of like the opposite of a turbo intercooler, I think).
One of the last Chrysler turbine motors was installed in a custom-bodied 1978 LeBaron coupe with a rather dramatic looking nose:
Check out the drop-down headlight doors! The Imperial that appeared three years later seems to have taken a lot of cues from this thing.
That unique nose appears to have been possible since the motor is set so far back in the bay compared to the LeBaron’s standard Slant 6 or 318/360 V8.
Oh, Lord, look at what they also tested a later turbine in! Talk about the last car you’d want to show off your space age engine. I bet the intense heat of the turbine accelerated the rusting of the front funders of this early Dodge Aspen.
Despite the improvements in efficiency of the later turbine engines by the late seventies, Chrysler was struggling just to stay alive; creating a new kind of power system was obviously not on the agenda. Today, however, the current owner of Chrysler (Stellantis) can’t afford to not try something new and different, and I have just the showcase for it.
I Got Me A Chrysler, It Seats About 20
In one of our recent Autopian Asks, editors and readers were asked what kind of new car they’d like to see appear at a current auto show. Our S.W. Gossin didn’t even flinch:
That’s a pretty specific request for a very rare and massive “sumo class” luxury muscle car with a 440 Chrysler V8 and a leather-lined interior. I’m not entirely sure what Mr. Gossin finds so appealing about these giant, somewhat oddly proportioned things with mile-long overhangs, but I must say that I feel exactly the same way that he does: I love them. 
source: Chrysler/Stellantis
The whole “fuselage” style of large Chrysler products from 1969-73 featured an “aircraft” style body that curved in at the roof (so-called “tumblehome”) and then arced outwards to eventually taper in again at the rocker panels; a profile that dramatically continued all the way down the sides of the car. It’s a clean and dramatic appearance that took on a menacing look with the 1970 Hurst-badged 300. Only 501 of these special coupes built complete with two-tone paint, snorkel hood scoop and “loop” spoiler on the trunk lid (oddly enough, despite the Hurst name very few came with a center console and floor shifter).
I love this thing so much that I did a 1980s tribute based on a Cordoba/Mirada platform that would have been launched around 1984.
My concept would have had a fuel injected 360 and even an independent suspension to replace the leaf springs:
I went straight-up 1984 with the interior, too. Notice the LeBaron K-car switchgear. “A door is ajar.”
Reviving such a big luxury sports two-door for today sounds like a cool idea, but why would we do it? I mean, the sedan and coupe market is kind of dead; the 300 sedan has been gone for several years, and the Charger that S.W. wants us to base this 300 on is hardly selling like hotcakes.
Have no fear; I can see a way to make this new 300 coupe a flagship for the return of the turbine. Still, why would this technology work any better today than in 1963? Read on.
They Misspelled “Hypercar” Too
As we’ve seen, turbine engines generally have terrible throttle response, and the mashing of the throttle to get it going results in terrible fuel economy. Ideally, a turbine can start up and just run at a constant speed. It can’t do that when driving the car’s wheels, but it sure can if it’s used as an electric generator. A few companies have tried that in recent years.
A relatively current one was done by Ariel, makers of the bare-bones Atom. Their range extender electric product called the “HIPECAR” (yes, that’s in all caps) features four electric motors for a total output of 1180 horsepower and a zero to sixty time of just over two seconds. It’s all covered in what has to be the ugliest bodywork ever placed on a motor vehicle, but I’m guessing the whole non-aesthetic Mad Max thing is the point.
Yes, it really looks like that. If nothing else, they’re pushing the envelope with the design.
It also has a turbine engine in back to supply power to the batteries; Ariel has fun with the DANGER TURBINE EXIT stickers but supposedly it’s not nearly as searing hot as you’d think.
source: Ariel
As with the last Chrysler turbines, it recirculates the exhaust to reduce temperature and emissions while it lowers fuel consumption. Here’s how Ariel describes it:
Delta Motorsport has developed a 35kW micro-turbine system specifically for the Hipercar. The gas-driven turbine runs at a fixed 120,000 rpm, operating at a nominal 750V to maintain charge. The battery management system switches the turbine on and off, depending on requirements, and weighs less than 50kg, so it’s significantly smaller and lighter than a piston engine alternative. In addition, the combustion system incorporates a recuperator that limits emissions to well under legal requirements.
Also, let’s not forget that turbines can supposedly run on anything (famous demonstrations have shown tequila and perfume, for example) which means it opens the door for all sorts of alternative fuel options. I’m sold on this technology! Let’s get going on our Charger-platform EREV Chrysler 300 E/T!
Turbine-Charging A Charger
As Stephen requested, the latest Charger will serve as the basis for our basis for the revived 300 coupe. We’ll use the slow-selling EV platform and remove some of the batteries in front to make room for the recuperator-equipped turbine. The turbine could obviously run at a constant speed but I’d like to have it increase revs when you accelerate just to have the sound you get when 737 you’re riding in is finally cleared for takeoff. We all want to live that dream.
I’m not sure if there would be room in front for a frunk; it would depend on how big that turbine would need to be.
Honestly, it won’t take a lot of work to give a Charger the “fuselage” look. I’ll start with a very 300-style nose featuring projector lights hidden behind printed patterns on smoked-0ut clear and continue that arc-shaped profile down the side of the car, adding partially covered rear wheels. The two-tone paint with contrasting rocker panels and hood also highlights the air scoop intake for the turbine. I like the name “Turbine E/T” since it stands for “electric turbine” but also relates to drag racing definition as well.
The roofline is more upright in back than that Charger for more interior room, and the back has a “loop” spoiler not unlike the 1970 inspiration. This one I scribbled below has more luxury-oriented “turbine” style wheels.
Inside, I wanted to take the cabin of the 1963 Turbine as a visual guide since it’s so cool looking.
I’ve copied the Ghia-built car’s three-pod gauges in front of the steering wheel and the “turbine” motif air vents for the climate control. You can also see the half-round shaped center console and the odd “turbine” pattern I found for the upholstery inserts. Adjustable thigh supports on the seats are shown extended here. The large round buttons below the ends of the center screen are for start/stop (driver’s side) and glove box (passenger’s side).
Am I going overboard with the visual turbine shout outs? Absolutely not! We’ve waited over half a century for this technology to hit the streets again as a Chrysler, and we’re going to tell the world.
The Future Is Back!
I know that Stephen was looking for a hemi under the hood of a Hurst 300 revival, so I knew that if I was to dare substitute it with something different it had better be spectacular. A turbine-powered car would hopefully get that job done.
The fact that the public has rather decisively rejected the fake engine noises and rumble of the latest EV Charger restores my faith in the world a bit. However, if I suppress my Luddite tendencies, I’ll admit that an all-electric muscle car does deserve to succeed, and it should be a Mopar. Substitute the silly mock-hemi audio of the current EV Charger for real jet engine sounds? Now we’re talking. Would it work better than a standard piston engine range extender? Do we even care? The whole point is to put this dying Stellantis brand into the spotlight.
Just to have a 300 back in any form whatsoever, or even another Chrysler branded product beyond an aging minivan, would be a win at this point. Big coupes like this 300 I’ve shown might be sales duds today, but I can’t think of a better showcase of a revived technology that would show the world that Walter P’s brand is far from dead. We were promised jets, and it’s high time that we got them.
Top graphic base image: Stellantis
I like turbine wheels – can you tell?
Your best front end yet.
Amazing work Bishop and thanks for giving this silly suggest such an incredible ideation and incredibly detailed, beautfil and well-thought-out visuals!
The turbine twist no the concept makes a ton of sense with the way you put it. Thanks for being awesome, my friend.
Said it as soon as they announced the Charger EV.. it should have been a Chrysler 300.
As a styling direction for a new Chrysler, this is fantastic, it would make an even bigger statement than the 300 did back in 2004, and that was a car that sold to people who never imagined themselves wanting a Chrysler before. Hell, it sold to people who never considered a domestic brand before. They haven’t had a statement product like that since
Love it, but important question – can the center caps be used as ashtrays just as at least one of the original’s hubcaps purportedly was?
…when there was a time when they were ok letting the engine sound the way it is. We do turbine today and they’ll add speakers and make it sound like a V8.