Chrysler turbine engines

In 1954, Chrysler Corporation disclosed the development and successful road testing of a production model Plymouth sport coupe which was powered by a turbine engine.

[1] Tests of the Chrysler Turbine were first run in 1954 and proved successful enough to convince project lead George Huebner of the engine's viability for further development.

Likewise, new materials were developed to be resistant to the high temperatures of the engine's combustion chamber while remaining economical to manufacture at the scale of a mass-produced automobile.

Numerous factors of the turbine's performance were identified as superior to its piston contemporaries – particularly ease of cold starting, reduced noise and vibration, and a resistance to stalling under sudden load.

[3] In 1961, a third-generation engine (CR2A) was installed in a 1962 Dodge Dart, which successfully drove from New York City to Los Angeles, through snowstorms, rain and heavy winds.

The flow of the combustion gases between the gas generator and free power turbine provides the same functionality as a torque converter but without using a conventional liquid medium.

However, Chrysler went on to develop a sixth generation gas-turbine engine which finally met US nitrogen oxide regulations, and installed it in a 1966 Dodge Coronet, though it was never introduced to the public.

A smaller, lighter, seventh generation engine was produced in the early 1970s, when the company received a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for further development, and a one-off, special bodied, turbine Chrysler LeBaron was built in 1977 as a prelude to a production run.

However, by 1978 the company was encountering significant financial difficulties and new CEO Lee Iacocca needed U.S. government loan guarantees to avoid bankruptcy.