How Jay Leno Resurrected His Chrysler Turbine Car
When you own an experimental car from nearly 70 years ago, parts are only the start of your problems when things go wrong. If anyone is going to be an example of problems like this it’s Jay Leno. The man has a collection that spans pretty much the entire existence of the automobile, and that brings about a whole host of unique problems to solve when things go wrong.
The latest example is the Turbine Bronze Chrysler coupe that was recently brought back to life after an unfortunate engine seizure some time ago. Jay bought the car directly from Chrysler and drove it around regularly for a few years before the turbine stopped one day and turned the car into a very fancy, very interesting, very expensive rolling paperweight. If you think whatever car you have is impossible to get parts for, now imagine the parts you are searching for are aircraft-grade and were produced as part of an experimental program 70 years in the past. There are no spare parts. None.
So what to do? Well, you go to the place that built the parts in the first place. Jay shipped the car to Williams International in Detroit, Michigan. The man who picked up the phone was Gregg Williams, the son of the man who was instrumental in the initial development and production. Williams International is still in the business of gas turbine engines and offered a space to repair the turbine engine from Jay’s car. Now they just needed to reverse engineer the powerplant to figure out what went wrong.
Instead, Jay and Gregg decided on an easier route and started making phone calls. Before long there were engineers from the initial development, many of whom were well into their 80s, who rallied to supply any knowledge and input they could. Jay mentions that these very engineers might have squirreled away blueprints and drawings that could help reproduce parts.
Even with the drawings, producing turbine parts is on a totally different level than making a short run of pistons or forging a crankshaft. The speeds and temperatures that turbines run at are radically different than those of standard automotive engines. Luckily Williams was able to step in with the production capability and material science to put Jay’s Turbine back on the road. Fascinatingly, according to Gregg, multiple parts were produced using metal 3D printing.
After it’s back together, the pair go for a cruise in the car and talk about some of the finer points of driving something that idles at 20,000rpm. The engine is also so well-balanced that vibration is nearly non-existent. It’s surely a wild feeling from the driver or passenger seat as the Turbine whirrs down the road, and luckily the car is running again so that even more people can experience the feeling firsthand.
Fantastic car, I just love how detailed and modern oriented the interior is …..
Did Chrysler have any other car with this distinctive front end because I ran across one a few years back stuffed in the corner of a barn somewhere down in the Hamilton region. I was looking for parts and the guy had a bunch of older 55-57 T birds. He pointed out the Chrysler as a turbine but frankly I had no idea at the time, what it was. I did not get a look at the rear of the car but those headlights stuck in my mind as being somewhat gaudy looking. Now I wish I could remember where it was.
You probably saw an early Dodge Dart. Look up a 1963 Dodge Dart, it has a similar face…
Still, IMO, the coolest car ever made.
I heard Mike Lamm, the writer for Car & Driver, Auto Week, and others was loaned one by Chrysler for his input, and drove it around for some time to give his opinion. I think he was one of few that got that opportunity.
I was age 13 in 1964. Dad, still in the Air Force, Mom & myself were on vacation going where I don’t remember and we stopped to see my favorite aunt & uncle. I don’t know why my relatives were chosen to test the Turbine car as they were a long time Buick family. I remember it was like yesterday, a memory snapshot on a clear sunny day, of our Heritage Burgundy 1963 T-Bird parked side-by-side with the Turbine in their driveway. If only I had had a camera to capture both those autos parked together on their beautifully landscaped driveway. My uncle let Dad drive the Turbine on some back roads for about an hour with me and Mom in the back seats. Dad, the Air Force pilot, drove a little fast, as I remember the stressed look on Moms face.
Happy Jay has this car and has preserved it.
The Mopar Nationals were held in Indy for four years 94’-97’ if I’m not mistaken and one year in particular as I was walking the grounds, the 64’ Turbine car idled by and was very quiet and smooth running. Of course I would have loved to have been lucky enough to get a ride in it and learn more about it.
I am a die hard Mopar guy, but I do appreciate many others as well.
Side note, there is documentation of Chrysler testing and demonstrating turbine cars back in the 50’s. I wish a documentary and a movie similar to the Tucker movie were made on all the Chrysler turbine cars.
Maybe Jay could make that happen …
Back in the summer of 1965, I visited my cousin in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, outside of Detroit. He was a senior at Bloomfield Hills High School. One of his friends was the son of Lee Towsend, who was the President of Chrysler Motors. On at least one occasion, his friend stopped by and picked up my cousin in the experimental Turbine car.