U.S. Gas Turbine Car Attracts Attention

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30302, 30 November 1963, Page 15

U.S. Gas Turbine Car Attracts Attention

Hissing like a kerosene pressure lantern, a strange new car appeared on Petone streets yesterday. More than 140 New Zealand journalists, motor dealers, members of Parliament and local councillors rode in and drove the vehicle, the Chrysler gas turbine car. The demonstration was held at the Todd. Motor Industries, Lti, plant at Petone. The car is visiting New Zealand a? part of a five-month tour which will take it to 23 cities In 21 countries. New Zealand is the fourteenth country the car has v sited, and in the next few days it will be loaded on the DC7 aircraft taking it on tour and flown to Sydney for further demonstrations. The car attracted a great deal of interest, and many persons crowded around it whenever it stopped. The unusual sound of its exhaust turned heads wherever it wait, and the styling also attracted attention. The demonstration route covered about three miles, and included some flat going, a hill with sharp bends, and some rough surfaces. Prospective drivers were first given a test drive in another automatic transmission car to make sure they knew what they were doing. Driving Technique Drivers soon found the turbine car needed a completely different style of driving from a conventional vehicle. Pressure on the accelerator did not bring an instant response, and so all acceleration for cornering had tn be done earlier than usual. The technique for accelerating was to hold the accelerator down until the desired speed was reached. Then the pedal could be eased. The car was fitted with an automatic transmission. The car is capable of 115 miles an hour, and the limit of the engine is about 45.000 r p m. The body of the car has been styled by the Italian designer. Ghia, and is finished in iridescent bronze, with the four semi-bucket seats and deep carpet in a similar colour. Even the built-in seat belts are this colour. The instruments include a special turbine temperature gauge and a rev. counter. The car is, of course, a left-hand drive model, which at first caused some drivers anxiety. Nearly all drivers expressed surprise at the smoothness

and freedom from vibration of the engine, and also at the deceptively swift acceleration of the car. "Nerve-racking Tour” Mr Byron Farwell, director of public relatione with Chrysler International, said touring the world with the car was “nerve-racking.” Planning for the tour started last February, and there were many problems with the schedules. For demonstrations Sundays had to be avoided in Christian countries. Fridays in Moslem countries, and national holidays in all countries. The reasons for the demonstrations were to show the company was a world leader in engineering and to test public reaction to the idea of a turbine car. The tour was also providing a lot of information on the car itself, and was allowing it to be tested in many different climates and at many different altitudes. People everywhere had shown tremendous interest in the car, which had given only one or two minor troubles —such as a chafed electric wire—on the trip. So far it has covered more than 5000 miles in demonstration runs.

Loading the car into the aircraft carrying it on the tour was a problem, as there was less than one inch to spare when putting it through the hatch. A special gantry was carried to make the job easier, and an airline loading expert travelled with the aircraft. Because the aircraft—a chartered one—could not be kept sitting on the ground, there was little time for relaxation. “It gets very tiring,” Mr Farwell said.