By the mid-20th century, the Jet Engine quickly took over aviation and it's application to automobiles was pursued by Ford, GM and Chrysler.
The Chrysler Corporation's Turbine Car Program was seriously the most comprehensive of the bunch and even included private citizens as part of the development process. From across the United States, 203 selected families were given a Turbine car for six months of real world exposure, and I was lucky enough to live near one of the two households to receive a Turbine car in my city. The Hodges - family #169, of Norfolk, Virginia, received their Chrysler Turbine car in 1965 and regularly drove through my neighborhood several times each week.
In classic 1960's fashion, automobile development on this scale will never be attempted again. The world was a different place when I was a boy, and this another example of why the 1960's was a decade like no other! The Hagerty Foundation has just released an hour-long documentary on the details of Chrysler's turbine engine program. On behalf of everyone who was a witness to this great moment in automobile history, I want to share this story. It was a great time to be a kid.
