Chrysler TurboFlite

The Chrysler TurboFlite was unveiled in 1961 and showcased at the 1962 Chicago Auto Show. It was the last concept car designed by Virgil Exner for Chrysler. Powered by a third-generation turbine engine, the TurboFlite featured a unique design where the entire canopy lifted and lowered in sync with the doors opening and closing, and the headlights were retractable. A distinctive deceleration flap was mounted horizontally between the soaring tailfins. This project was a collaborative effort between Italy’s Ghia design studio and Chrysler’s engineers. Few concept cars exemplified the spirit of innovation better than the 1961 Chrysler TurboFlite. Referencing America’s fascination with space flight, the TurboFlite resembled a road missile, with its turbine engine envisioning a future where piston engines were reserved for devices like lawnmowers and snow blowers. Although the future predicted by the TurboFlite concept never materialized, the car left a significant influence on the industry, extending well beyond Chrysler’s product line. Like GM’s Firebird concepts from the ’50s, the Chrysler TurboFlite borrowed many stylistic cues from aircraft design. Its front area was reduced to decrease drag, and to further improve airflow, the headlights were positioned under the front edge of the fenders when not in use. Instead of a conventional roof, the TurboFlite featured a canopy that automatically rose and tilted upward when the handle was operated. This, combined with conventional doors, allowed easy access to and from the interior, although this design eliminated the possibility of using conventional windows. At the rear, a pair of vertical stabilizers rose from the tops of the fenders to form a “basket handle” wing, similar to the one that would later appear on the Dodge Daytona. The wing on the TurboFlite added aerodynamic load to the rear wheels and served as an additional brake, helping the driver drastically reduce speed by increasing air resistance. The engine, the Chrysler CR2A, used in the TurboFlite was significantly improved over previous versions, thanks to its innovative variable turbine nozzle design. This reduced the time required for the turbine to reach full operating speed from seven seconds to just one and a half seconds, producing acceleration similar to a conventional piston engine. The variable turbine nozzle helped reduce fuel consumption, and in an engine test (mounted on a 1962 Dodge prototype), Chrysler claimed it consumed less fuel than a piston-engine vehicle. Inside, the TurboFlite was equally impressive, boasting futuristic seating (finished in brushed aluminum) and electroluminescent lighting in the door panels and instrumentation. While some gauges (like the tachometer and speedometer) were conventional, the aircraft-style panel also included a pyrometer to measure the temperatures of incoming exhaust gases. The stunning concept car never reached production. Chrysler continued to develop the turbine engine for use in cars, but this too ultimately proved unsuccessful, as the engine’s drawbacks, such as high exhaust gas temperatures, outweighed its benefits.