[Chrysler300] 1963 Chrysler 300-T

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

The outpouring of personal experiences and accurate historical and technical information on the subject of the Chrysler Turbine Cars has been amazing and made for really interesting reading today.  As the Turbine Cars were created and produced during the heyday of the letter cars fifty years ago, I move that we now complete what was likely an oversight by Chrysler management and declare all 50 Turbine cars to be Chrysler 300-T’s and invite their owners into our little niche.  Even if the cars look more like a Thunderbird with a Dodge dart front end.  Identifying the Turbine cars as 300-T’s would also make these server communications street-legal!

 

One can only speculate on the success of the 300-T if it had been offered with any of the full array of Chrysler performance engines of the day.  Sure would have had to have hood bulges, though.  We might also recall the near-overwhelming success of Andy Granatelli’s 550 HP gas turbine-powered car that nearly won the 1967 Indianapolis 500.

 

Rich Barber

Brentwood, CA

 

From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Jasinski
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 2:34 PM
To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Chrysler300] RE: Reply

 

  

Burt said it was OK to share this with the group. You just can't beat getting information like this from someone who was there!

Bob J

From: Burt [mailto:northburt@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:northburt%40comcast.net> ] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 11:46 AM
To: Bob Jasinski
Subject: Reply

Bob,

You are right. There were two reasons we destroyed the cars:

1. To avoid Chrysler’s responsibility to support 50 vehicles in customer hands.

2. To get the bond back that Chrysler had to post to import the cars without paying import duty. I don’t know the size of the bond but it was based on vehicle cost which was substantial.

I was Chief Engineer of Vehicle Planning from 1962 to 1964 and the management didn’t know where to assign the responsibility for coordinating vendor body build (at Ghia in Italy) so they assigned it to my office. I had two people doing that follow-up – Dave Cahoe in the USA and Paul Farrago (sp?) in Italy. Follow-up means scheduling of parts shipments to Ghia, scheduling vehicle build at Ghia and scheduling complete body shipments to the USA – and shagging parts sometimes.

I drove turbine cars overnight/weekends several times. It was fun. I always cruised Woodward Avenue in the evening because the turbine car drove the performance car driver’s nuts. After idling through Ted’s Drive-In (Square Lake and Woodward) I usually had a caravan of cars following me – and challenging me to a drag race on Woodward Ave. I resisted because I knew that I would lose because most of these cars were modified and tuned for 1/4 mile drag racing. 

I also awarded two turbine cars in the 90 day consumer research program. One in Indianapolis (I think?) and one in Jackson, Mississippi. They were mostly publicity events with local TV and newspaper reporters present. All Chrysler learned from the 200 respondents was that people loved the turbine car – especially because it was unique looking and free. And...the respondents became celebrities in their community.

Burt Bouwkamp


From: Bob Jasinski <mailto:rpjasin@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rpjasin%40comcast.net> > 
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 12:42 PM
To: mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com>  
Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] Really neat article on the turbine car in Reminisce magazine


According to the recent book (2010) "Chrysler's Turbine Car" by Steve
Lehto, there were 55 built. 46 were destroyed, and per the book they
weren't destroyed to avoid import tax, that's somewhat of a myth. They were
destroyed because Chrysler did not want the liability exposure of having
that many unique cars out there potentially in the hands of the general
public that didn't have access to parts and service needed to keep them
properly maintained. They also didn't want to see the engines replaced with
conventional piston power either.

There are 9 left in existence. 5 of those 9 are in museums and are not
operational, the fan assemblies from the gas generators were removed. There
are 4 operational cars left, Chrysler has 2, Jay Leno has one (bought from
Chrysler in 2009). Collector Frank Kleptz (I believe he recently died) in
Ft Wayne Indiana, has the other operational car,. This car was bought from
Tom Monaghan, the Domino's Pizza guy, and he sold it to Kleptz at Hershey
some years back reportedly for $100,000.

Of the 55 cars built, the first 5 were prototypes and as such were various
colors, none of these exist. The 9 that are left are all identical cars,
painted Turbine Bronze Metallic, and have identically cut ignition keys.

I wonder what Jay Leno paid for his. There are videos on YouTube if anybody
has an interest, and there is an excellent Turbine Car site put together and
maintained by Mark Olsen of Minnesota, who was invited by Jay Leno to come
and visit his facility and take a ride in Jay's car. Mark was a kid when
his Dad got a Turbine Car to test drive back in the program days.

Bob J

From: mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Tony Rinaldi
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 8:21 AM
To: Ronald Kurtz; David Schwandt; mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.comClub
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Really neat article on the turbine car in
Reminisce magazine

There must be at least two that survived. Jay Leno has one and there is one
in a museum.

Tony

From: Ronald Kurtz <mailto:mark6268%40sbcglobal.net  <mailto:mark6268%40sbcglobal.net%20%3cmailto:mark6268%40sbcglobal.net> <mailto:mark6268%40sbcglobal.net>
>
Date: Tue, Jun 18, 13 Tue, Jun 18 - 9:55 AM
To: David Schwandt <mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net <mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net%0b%3cmailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net> 
<mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net> >, Chrysler 300 Club
<mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com  <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com%20%3cmailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com> <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com> >
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Really neat article on the turbine car in
Reminisce magazine

Hello, Dave:

I recall riding in one at New York's Worlds Fair in 1964. If I had the
money, I 
would have bought it then and there. If I remember correctly, only one
survives 
as copies were subsequently destroyed by Chrysler.

Look forward to seeing you again at Carlisle.

Best,
Ron
E #292

________________________________
From: David Schwandt <mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net <mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net%0b%3cmailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net> 
<mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net> 
<mailto:finsruskw%40iowatelecom.net> >
To: "mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com  <mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com%20%3cmailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com%3e%0b%3cmailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com%3e%0bClub> <mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com>
Club" <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com  <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com%20%3cmailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com> <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com> >
Sent: Mon, June 17, 2013 12:59:18 PM
Subject: [Chrysler300] Really neat article on the turbine car in Reminisce
magazine

 
Just happened across this while sitting in the Dr's office this AM

Dave Schwandt

http://www.reminisce.com/1960s/lucky-family-cruised-in-chryslers-futuristic-
turbine-car/

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