Most each auto fanatic is aware of in regards to the Chrysler Turbine automobile. 55 had been constructed by the early Nineteen Sixties, 50 of which had been supplied to the general public to be used by a brief program that resulted in 1966. Almost the entire automobiles had been destroyed, however do you know Ford additionally dipped a toe into the turbine world?
Feast your eyes on a really curious 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Ordinarily, one would discover a 292 cubic-inch V8 underneath the hood, making simply shy of 200 horsepower (149 kilowatts). However as the large exhaust outlet within the fender of this ‘chook suggests, there’s one thing radically totally different sitting between the fenders. In truth, it is a small gasoline turbine engine provided by Boeing.
Ford archivist Ted Ryan shared the picture of this prototype on Twitter, together with a snapshot of a doc outlining this system. The engine is listed as a Boeing 8c creating 175 hp (130 kW), and presumably, a soundtrack that ensures double-takes from each individual in a one-block radius. Whereas the Chrysler Turbine automobile had an exhaust system exiting out the again, this Ford prototype dumps it out behind the entrance wheel. Observations within the doc point out “undesirability of entrance exhaust” together with appreciable lag in start-up acceleration as design drawbacks. We will solely think about the sound and warmth skilled by the driving force on this jet ‘Chicken.
Did Ford uncover any benefits of a gasoline turbine engine in a first-generation Thunderbird? The doc talked about good medium-speed acceleration, easy operation, and a positive power-to-weight ratio. And with the turbine’s less complicated design versus a piston engine, there’s much less routine upkeep. Maybe with further growth – together with an exhaust not blasting anybody standing subsequent to the automobile – a jet-powered Thunderbird may’ve been a factor. After all, we all know it wasn’t meant to be. The Chrysler Turbine automobile definitely advanced the idea a lot additional, actually taking it to a degree of being streetable if a tad impractical.
We see that Ford finally paid $188,000 to create this one-off utilizing an already established automobile platform. Thoughts you, that is in 1955 phrases. If constructed right now, it will translate to just about $2 million. It is fairly a price ticket for what quantities to an engine swap. Manufacturing price ended up being a big issue that killed the turbine with Chrysler. It is potential that Ford got here to an identical conclusion again within the day.
Nonetheless, we actually like the thought of a Thunderbird truly meting out a little bit of audible thunder.
