What ever happened to Chrysler's TURBINE CAR? (Part 3)

(From Allpar.com)
The First Production Turbine Car

On March 25, 1954, Chrysler Corporation disclosed the development and successful road testing of a 1954 production model Plymouth sport coupe which was powered by a turbine engine. On June 16, 1954, it was demonstrated at the dedication of the Chrysler Engineering Proving Grounds near Chelsea, Michigan. This car marked the first attempt by an American automotive firm to install a gas turbine engine in a production automobile.

The engine was rated at 100 shaft horsepower. Although built essentially as a laboratory development tool, it embodied solutions to two of the major problems long associated with vehicular gas turbines - high fuel consumption and scorching exhaust gas.

The key feature which contributed to removing these technical barriers was the revolutionary new heat exchanger, or regenerator . It extracted heat from the hot exhaust gases, transferred this energy to the incoming air, and thus lightened the burner's job of raising the gas temperature. The result was conservation of fuel as well as lower exhaust temperatures. A gas turbine engine without a regenerator would have required several times the amount of fuel normally used in a regenerator-equipped engine . The extra fuel would be required to heat the gases to operating levels .

The regenerator also performed another important function. It reduced the exhaust gas temperature from about 1200 degrees Farenheit at full engine power to a safe level of less than 500 degrees Farenheit. Even more important, at idle the temperature was reduced to 170 degrees. By the time the gases passed through the exhaust ducts to the atmosphere, the temperature was reduced even further.

Almost a year later, the same basic engine was installed in a 1955 Plymouth. This car, although never displayed at public exhibits, was used for driving evaluation tests on Detroit area streets.