The Chrysler turbine car also ran on tequila
Towards the end of the Second World War, the USA, Great Britain and Germany developed turbine-powered fighter planes until they were ready for series production and use.
The evolution of jet aircraft for military and private purposes continued rapidly after the end of the war. However, other uses were also found for the turbines. They began to be used in automobile construction on a trial basis.
The British did so in 1950 with the Rover, followed immediately by the French with several Renault models, and then Fiat. Although these were only prototypes, record-breaking vehicles were also developed. It turned out that the turbine could at least power a car, apart from consumption, noise, air pollution and so on.
It was not until the early 1960s, around half a century ago, that the North American Chrysler Corporation made a more serious attempt at the turbine and produced a small series of 50 turbine-powered prototypes, with which extensive tests were carried out.
One vehicle was sent on a world tour and also came to Argentina. The then young motor editor of the Tageblatt took part in one of these demonstration drives at the Buenos Aires Autodrom. It was a typical US road cruiser, spacious, as the drive unit and transmission took up little space. The acceleration was the usual, the noise insulation good, otherwise nothing remarkable. Absolutely usable!
But like other attempts before it, this venture was also stopped. The piston engine continued its triumphal march.
This project had started out very promisingly. When the Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car was presented in Mexico, the manufacturer emphasized that the engine would "swallow" any fuel. So the Mexican president at the time, Adolfo Lopez Mateos, half jokingly, half mischievously demanded that the turbine be tested to see if it could burn tequila - and it did indeed do so without any problems! After all, schnapps burns just as well as gasoline or kerosene. Well then, cheers!
