I went to the New York Worlds Fair on 1965 and saw the Turbine Car on display . I begged my parents to buy me the promo to which the answer was a polite no . I eventually built the model which I still have . Thanks for the trip down memory lane .
Steve another great video. When I was a kid in the 70's we weren't fortunate enough to have the internet to discover cars that weren't in the mainstream. I actually first discovered and fell in love with the Chrysler Turbine car because of Johan models. I of course read every car book and magazine I could, but by the mid seventies the Turbine was no longer mainstream reading. Johan was also instrumental in making me a fan of Virgil Exner, although I didn't know it the time. They also rendered those great Exner designed early 60's Chrysler products.. Johan models are extremely nostalgic for me, thanks for the great videos.
My first encounter with a Chrysler Turbine car was at Grossmont Shopping Center in La Mesa, CA in May 1964. My second encounter was in Anoka, MN when it drove past me. I heard it coming. That was during the summer of 1964. Over the years I have acquired two Jo-Han model kits and two 1:18 Turbine Car models. They are completely assembled and ready to roll. The wheels don’t look quite right, but are close enough. I also found a 1:43 model of the Turbine Car. It is pale yellow and it’s a convertible. It’s an obvious phantom. These models will have a special place in my model car display. It’s in the design stage. Rover England had turbine trucks and turbine race cars. They raced at LeMans years ago. GM had the Astro 95 semi with an available turbine engine. And so on……….
Sometime in the mid 60’s I was walking home from high school in East Greenwich, RI and about two streets over from my house there was a Chrysler Turbine Car parked in front of somebody’s house. Maybe that guy from Braintree was visiting relatives or something. But there it was big as life just sitting there. I could walk right up to it run my hands over the sheetmetal, peer in the windows, kick the tires, etc. It was strikingly beautiful. Even the driveshaft hump was in the shape of a stylized turbine. But unlike so many show cars of the period these were completely practical and for a MoPar product of the period completely clean styling-wise. Such a shame that so many were crushed. Thanks for a terrific video!
Hey Steve. My father was one of the lucky 200 to have had the Turbine loaned to them for 3 months at a time. The Jo-Han promo model that you displayed and talked about was also given out to those 200 people. My father received a complete case of 24 of them. I still have one, but sadly the original box is long gone. I am from Pennsylvania and we had it, I believe, from Jan-March. If he backed out of the driveway slow enough, it would met the snow completely beneath it.
I got to see one of these when I was about 11. My dad took me to a Dodge dealer near where we lived in Akron OH. I remember it was running in the show room with a nickle balanced on it's edge on the air intake.
Got to ride in a Turbine Car at Chrysler in Windsor back when. Loved the "jet fighter " sound. Nice review of the models, still got my promo packed away.
I have a jo han kit , i think its burgandy , havent opened it in 30 years but you make me want to build it, oh and next time you see Gary Lepante tell him big roy says hi....known that old man since the late 80,s allways been good to me, trucked my super bird out to colorado for me when i moved
A few years ago I had bought a kit version of the promo from the guy that has the tooling for a lot of the Johan kits and decided to do a what if, and build it as a street cruiser that’s slammed over Pegasus Sovereign-T (Astro Supreme replicas) and narrow white walls!
Family on vacation one street over from us in Dennisport Ma. had one to drive that Turbine Bronze paint, sound from that car was definate, " Jeston Sound".
It seemed a lot of different manufactures were toying with the idea of turbine power in the 1960's. Caterpillar Tractor Company in Peoria Illinois even built one but when it was deemed impractical they donated one of the engines to the high school where I had auto shop for display.
I saw an old 8 millimeter film of a family driving a white Chrysler Turbine Car. the only white one I ever saw. Any other I saw were the Turbine Bronze color you spoke about.
There was about three or four years ago one sitting in a car museum called Gilmore car collection in Hickory corners Michigan. Very cool car to look at.
My son collects Chrysler memorabilia and he has a small brochure for the turbine. Not sure if it’s a reproduction or not but in one of the big totes of 70’s to 90’s brochures he has it’s in there. A few of the old Chrysler retirees always say they should have offered it as a 383 powered car the public could buy
You have an outstanding collection Steve, I saw you at the Stafford Spring Speedway swap meet a couple of years ago looking at models for sale, should have said hello.
I grew up in Detroit Michigan...my friends father obtained a Turbine car..he had to have a notebook on the front seat were he had to write down milage and type of fuel he put in..one story was he ran out of fuel he was at s party store and yes...poured in booze into the tank ..he said " she fired right up " his take on this was gas stations would get upset about this. I have a promo car and a flat box n.o.s. and some bits and pieces ..good kit good story , brought back memories ../ T
RU-vid has some good documentaries and videos of the turbine car. I learned of the turbine car back as a kid my grandfather told me about it but got to see one in a Mopar magazine back in the 90's. They were a cool car it's just too bad they scrapped it because of the emission standards they had to come up with and that. I would love to take a ride in one
People forget that the Chrysler turbines ended up being used to this very day. In M1A1 Abrams tanks. Developed and made by Chryslers tank division. Lee Iaococca was want to say he should have sold the car divisions, and kept the tanks when having to restructure back in the 70s
The "RU-vidr" Steve Lehto wrote a great book on the Chrysler Turbine cars and helped find "THE GUY" who helped Leno with his restoration. Also Chrysler's expertise in small turbine power plants was one of the reasons they received a government "Bail Out" in the late 70's.....They were the main contractor on the XM-1 Tank powerplant....GM also had a XM-1 prototype with an Allison V12 powerplant.....The GM prototype was in a tank collection I was able to view many years ago....The now dispersed Littlefield Tank Collection in California....unfortuantley he passed away and the collection was disbursed. Did JoHan also make the Ford and GM "promo cars"??? Always wondered who made those.
Agree. A great kit. I rode in a Chrysler Turbine car a few years ago when we visited the Transport museum in St Louis. I also had a kit moulded in black, which I think was rare. I have a brochure on the Turbine car too. They did a world tour and one car to Australia. When I rode in the one in St Louis it reminded me of a jet taxiing along a runway. Remember also that Chrysler made the Abrams tank too which had a turbine engine.
Mags you're doing a story on the turbine car again that's cool Ilike I told you before my dad was lucky tk drive one that was at Patterson motors very in ottawa HD worked in the garage and the shop Forman was his best friend neat stuff mags
I call BS these cars were never sold to my knowledge rather Chrysler loaned them to people for a very short time to "try out" then they were destroyed. For your grandparents to have one kind of laying around would mean that they actually purchased one. I don't doubt for a minute that you sat in a very cool old Mopar in your grandparents' yard, Not at all. just think that you are mistaken on which very cool old Mopar it was.
He’s talking about a Turbine scale model, not the real car. And they weren’t uncommon…even now, dealer promos don’t command much money (check them out on eBay), because Chrysler released tons of them to help advertise the turbine program. They gave them away every chance they could and did so for a few years. How do I know? I have a couple sitting on a shelf.
@@TheWhitetailrancher I'm thinking they are talking about one of the models. However, one of the actual cars escaped being destroyed and Jay Leno owns that lone existing car and it is in good running order.
Fantastic video! I'd like to add a few corrections. The original JoHan "Gold Cup" kit, number GC-300:149 came out in 1965 and was molded exclusively in bronze plastic. The box art depicted a rear angle view of the car with a bronze & yellow background. The second release of the turbine car kit, number GC-300:200 came out in the late 1960s and was molded in bronze plastic along with a few other colors. The box art depicted the same rear angle view of the car but with an entirely blue background. The third release of the turbine car kit, number GC-300 came out in the mid 1970s and was produced all the way through the 1980s. Most appear to have been molded in white but I have seen other colors as well. The box art is very similar to the first issue but has a white boarder and the box is about 1 inch wider. The original turbine promotional model was offered in turbine bronze and white. For many years, it was said to be the holy grail of dealer promotional models. In the late 1980s, JoHan reissued the promo as part of their X-EL series. Shortly after the reproductions were released, a warehouse full of leftover original turbine promos was found, flooding the market. Original turbine promos can easily be distinguished from reissues by removing the chassis and inspecting the axles. Original turbine promos will have knurled axles while reissues will have smooth axles. Originals will also have a chassis fastened with 2 slotted screws while reissues will have either silver plastic pins or phillips screws.
Hello c300g, THANKS for watching - and writing! Indeed, the original issue was the best from a sharpness-of-tooling / absence of flash perspective. I bought one AFTER I had made the video (of course, it always works out like that) and treasure it now. I also agree with your new/old Turbine Promo statements. The one I show in the video is an original with the slotted screws and knurled axles. I enjoy making each and every video but - as you know - the main frustration is "what to leave out" either due to time constraints or mere lack of data / in-the-moment memory. That's why the COMMENTS segment is so important. Thanks again for writing, Steve Magnante
@@SteveMagnante I've noticed that the earlier production models are definitely sharper than later issues. Researching these old models can be very challenging. Very few books exist that go into a significant amount of detail. There are a few good Facebook groups that I've found very helpful. Promo Model Car Show and Scale Survivors are the best in my opinion. Passionate enthusiasts
I was surprised to learn Chrysler was still experimenting with turbines well into the late 1970s. With an interesting turbine car based upon the M body-version Chrysler LeBaron.
The reason Chrysler wasn't allowed to go broke in the late 70's is because they were primary contractor on the XM-1 Tank proposal....The XM-1 also had a variant from GM with an Allision V12 motor for a power plant.....
As a kid 12 & 13 I had 212 model cars I built, tarantula , orange hauler, boothill express red baron it set me up for all the crazy cars-trucks-motorcyles I build to this day. Age 63 and never been without a project.
Chrysler's Turbine Car: The Rise and Fall of Detroit's Coolest Creation is the name of Steve Lehto's book. Pretty cool stuff, as is chatting with Steve Lehto.
@@itsnotme07 yes, I wasn't going to write that as I don't like promoting others one someone else's channel. You are right he is a very interesting car guy.
I knew Chrysler kept working on the turbine development for years, I remember seeing either an Aspen or Volare at the Vancouver Auto Show, unlike the early 60’s version, the later was pared down, it only had a single exhaust. I had no idea they had a prototype turbine running in 1954, pretty impressive when you consider flat heads were still being built.
@ Steve Magnante An interesting note: like many, I too have heard that these were destroyed to avoid taxation/tariffs. But one theory is that Chrysler denounced this claim as to not seem like they were trying to get around taxation and import laws by destroying them (which might not be good for PR), and that the scrap yard video that exists was actually taken to provide evidence (to both the US and Italian gov’t) that they were in fact destroyed, thus avoiding the need to pay duties/taxes/tariffs. It makes sense, because why else would such a vivid video exist? Fast forward to more recent years when Chrysler ordered schools and colleges to destroy preproduction 90s Vipers they had been donated for liability purposes. As part of this, school administrators were asked to provide photo/video evidence that the cars were indeed destroyed. It makes you wonder, if Chrysler was scrapping Turbine cars themselves just for their own purposes, why document it in film?
I agree. The car bodies were crushed but I think the turbines had been removed. The physical car bodies were imported and subject to the tax but the powertrains were installed here. Those turbines were a fortune to produce and my guess is that Chrysler used them for continued development.
I remember a build featured in Scale Auto Enthusiast way way back where a guy converted one of these into a hover car with a mid century modern look to it. It was super cool
As I remember, the 50 cars were allocated one to each state. I was lucky enough to actually see one of these on an interstate near Cleveland, Ohio. What a beautiful car. I’ve been a fan ever since. They should have scraped the turbine and put this car into production, as I think it would have been a huge seller.
The Rover crew under Spen king , also was researching gas turbine vehicles at the same time , imagine if that had gained traction what we would be driving now ... Mind boggles .
Steve, thanks for the stories about the Turbine Car. Very interesting tidbits about Chyrslers Turbine program from 53 to 83. I bought the model from a hobby shop in 1977. It was molded in light Blue and I agree its one of JoHans best detailed models they ever made. One day in the mid 80s I paid a visit to NASA in Cleveland Ohio for a tour of their facilities from the Visitors center. In the parking lot on the compound in front of the entrance of the buildings, there sat Chyrslers 83 Turbine car with the gov't labeling on the doors! The car was weathered from being outdoors. The hood was off, in its place was a clear plexiglass screwed on to the engine compartment so that the visitors could see the Turbine engine in it which was partially filled with leaves from being unattended for so long! I wondered if this is the same car you saw that it may have gone on tour to many specific locations such as this NASA complex that I toured in Cleveland?
Hi Raymond, Steve Magnante here responding to you on March 27, 2022, several weeks after I posted the Turbine Car video. Your recollection of the Turbine Car at NASA's Cleveland, Ohio facility is why I'm writing. in my video I reference the fact I spotted a leter Turbine car with "Department of Energy" logos on the doors. That was very likely THE SAME CAR you spotted at NASA. I say this because my "tour guide" at the Chrysler warehouse that contained the D.O.E Turbine car was Brandt Rosenbush (long time Chrysler archivist) and he said to me: "we retrieved that car - pointing to the car marked DOE - from an outdoor storage spot where it was wasting away to nothing". Another thing, my memory of the markings spelling "Department of Energy" is about 90-percent reliable. There is a chance it said something else, but it was clearly marked in a "thank you" to some government agency that undoubtedly played some role of sponsorship. I wasn't allowed to take pictures (ARGH!!!) but I'm betting you and I saw the same car. That said, we can rest happily knowing it is "safe" or at least indoors now. The Chrysler warehouse in which I spotted it was NOT the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills. Rather it was in Highland Park on the former campus of Chrysler headquarters. The actual building i was in (as were about 50 other Chrysler historical specimens including a 1940 Thunderbolt dual cowl show car!!!) was a former radiator factory and before that, a seat plant - complete with remnants of ceiling-mounted mass-production rails and trolleys to move seat units from station to station during assembly. IF THE PLACE COULD TALK!!! OK, Thanks again for watching and writing, Steve Magnante
@@SteveMagnante wow Steve! Thanks for all that information! Yes, now I remembered the Government markings on the doors did say Department of Energy, thanks for refreshing my memory! The car was really sitting out in the parking lot in front of the building entrances with a plexiglass riveted over where the hood would be, filled with some leaves and you had full access to the car other than getting inside. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera on me to take pictures of it because I wasn't expecting to see a car in the NASA exhibits. Never knew it had connections to the bronze 1963 Turbine Car then. Thanks again!
Love these videos Steve, the history of scale modelling is just as fascinating as the real cars to me. I have the 2nd issue blue box Johan Turbine kit, surely one of the best model kits ever made. I also have a fascinating book on the Chrysler Turbine project
Wow! You have some great rare treasures there Steve! This is awesome! Keep it up 👍 love this stuff! Man that’s a shame! I wouldn’t want to see that video!😳
In 1982 a guy traded in his turbine Suzuki motorcycle for a new Yamaha Ventura. The dealer let me take it for the weekend. It was powerful, fairly quiet and a smooth ride. Wish I’d bought it, never seen another one.
I have done an unboxing of this model on my RU-vid channel. I have 2 of the kits molded in white. Mine are from JoHan under Seville Enterprises, the last version of the Johan company in the 1990's. I'm scared to build mine because of all the operational details. Maybe one day.
Hi steve im looking for a mopar project car could you recommend a boneyard 1970 challenger or cuda with a title i live in Massachusetts so east coast preferred thanks
Steve, I have a 74Ford Gran Torino Starsky &Hutch replica that Revell used as it’s blueprint to make their new model that came out several years ago. My actual car is on the box. I would love to send you a model. Where can I mail it to you. Let me know if you would like me to email you. Would love for you to have one! Thanks!
