Who recalls Chryslers Turbine car?

[Robert W]

Jay Leno owns one of them. After he drove it for some time, the engine melted. Jay fortunatelly found the son of the original designer and with the work of the firm the son owned, Jays car was better than new. If you heard of this car, watch the video since you may never have seen one of them running. If you never heard of this car, well, this might be educational for you.

 

[Chuz Life]

When I was a kid, I remember the grownups talking about one being in the Indy 500.

 

[excalibur]

Saw it at the NY Worlds Fair in the 1960s.

Then, when I was a kid, my dad drove behind one for a few blocks in Rye, NY. They loaned them out to certain people to drive around.

 

[toobfreak]

Jay Leno owns one of them. After he drove it for some time, the engine melted. Jay fortunatelly found the son of the original designer and with the work of the firm the son owned, Jays car was better than new. If you heard of this car, watch the video since you may never have seen one of them running. If you never heard of this car, well, this might be educational for you.

Batteries to Power. Turbines to speed. Damn those old-fashioned pistons, Nice tail lights.

Still, unless the thing has a bat ray out front and parachutes out back, I'm not impressed.

 

[Robert W]

Batteries to Power. Turbines to speed. Damn those old-fashioned pistons, Nice tail lights.

Still, unless the thing has a bat ray out front and parachutes out back, I'm not impressed.

What surprised me in Jay Lenos video is he had cops following him all during the video.
Lenos cars are in splendid condition.

 

[toobfreak]

What surprised me in Jay Lenos video is he had cops following him all during the video.
Lenos cars are in splendid condition.

Yeah, I saw that. I figure that was in part because the car is probably worth millions, plus the fact that apparently its major drawback is that unless driven modestly for short distances, the things gets so hot inside as to melt down. You can imagine what Leno spent having custom parts 3-D fabricated for it, so maybe the cop cars were also to form a traffic shell so that the rest of the traffic would go around him rather than be behind him honking.

What I've never been able to figure out is how a mediocre comedian like Leno (I never thought the guy was particularly funny), gets all these millions upon millions to afford his vast stash of rare cars on top of owning mansions and stuff--- in California. Makes me wonder what other comedians are doing wrong to not be so rich. Like John Candy, George Carlin, and Sam Kinison, or why I bothered to get a graduate degree and struggled all my life to solve difficult problems instead of just telling jokes.

Me, I never quite got the point of wanting to collect rare cars. I would rather just have 1-2 really nice cars, like maybe a Duesenberg and a Lamborghini, much as I never saw the point to huge gun collections, I would rather just have a few guns that really fill my needs and tastes. Point being that whether YOU collect them or not, someone else will. But you gotta admit, Leno sure has an incredible collection.

You know who else had a pretty nice car collection? Guitarist Jeff Beck. He was actually more of an antique car aficionado than a guitarist and mainly played music to finance his love of cars. He was mainly interested in buying and restoring old hot rod Ford Coupes and the like from the 1940s, and didn't own very many newer cars.

 

[Robert W]

Yeah, I saw that. I figure that was in part because the car is probably worth millions, plus the fact that apparently its major drawback is that unless driven modestly for short distances, the things gets so hot inside as to melt down. You can imagine what Leno spent having custom parts 3-D fabricated for it, so maybe the cop cars were also to form a traffic shell so that the rest of the traffic would go around him rather than be behind him honking.

What I've never been able to figure out is how a mediocre comedian like Leno (I never thought the guy was particularly funny), gets all these millions upon millions to afford his vast stash of rare cars on top of owning mansions and stuff--- in California. Makes me wonder what other comedians are doing wrong to not be so rich. Like John Candy, George Carlin, and Sam Kinison, or why I bothered to get a graduate degree and struggled all my life to solve difficult problems instead of just telling jokes.

Me, I never quite got the point of wanting to collect rare cars. I would rather just have 1-2 really nice cars, like maybe a Duesenberg and a Lamborghini, much as I never saw the point to huge gun collections, I would rather just have a few guns that really fill my needs and tastes. Point being that whether YOU collect them or not, someone else will. But you gotta admit, Leno sure has an incredible collection.

You know who else had a pretty nice car collection? Guitarist Jeff Beck. He was actually more of an antique car aficionado than a guitarist and mainly played music to finance his love of cars. He was mainly interested in buying and restoring old hot rod Ford Coupes and the like from the 1940s, and didn't own very many newer cars.

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View attachment 1254907

In his final years, he was a host of comedians, politicians and leaders in various fields.

 

[Robert W]

Yeah, I saw that. I figure that was in part because the car is probably worth millions, plus the fact that apparently its major drawback is that unless driven modestly for short distances, the things gets so hot inside as to melt down. You can imagine what Leno spent having custom parts 3-D fabricated for it, so maybe the cop cars were also to form a traffic shell so that the rest of the traffic would go around him rather than be behind him honking.

What I've never been able to figure out is how a mediocre comedian like Leno (I never thought the guy was particularly funny), gets all these millions upon millions to afford his vast stash of rare cars on top of owning mansions and stuff--- in California. Makes me wonder what other comedians are doing wrong to not be so rich. Like John Candy, George Carlin, and Sam Kinison, or why I bothered to get a graduate degree and struggled all my life to solve difficult problems instead of just telling jokes.

Me, I never quite got the point of wanting to collect rare cars. I would rather just have 1-2 really nice cars, like maybe a Duesenberg and a Lamborghini, much as I never saw the point to huge gun collections, I would rather just have a few guns that really fill my needs and tastes. Point being that whether YOU collect them or not, someone else will. But you gotta admit, Leno sure has an incredible collection.

You know who else had a pretty nice car collection? Guitarist Jeff Beck. He was actually more of an antique car aficionado than a guitarist and mainly played music to finance his love of cars. He was mainly interested in buying and restoring old hot rod Ford Coupes and the like from the 1940s, and didn't own very many newer cars.

View attachment 1254906
View attachment 1254907

Leno has this annoying habit of speeding up a small amount then pulling his foot off the accelerator. I used to ride to work with a man that did that same thing. Bugged the hell out of me.

 

[Robert W]

Yeah, I saw that. I figure that was in part because the car is probably worth millions, plus the fact that apparently its major drawback is that unless driven modestly for short distances, the things gets so hot inside as to melt down. You can imagine what Leno spent having custom parts 3-D fabricated for it, so maybe the cop cars were also to form a traffic shell so that the rest of the traffic would go around him rather than be behind him honking.

Leno has staff follow him to film him. I believe in the video Jeno addressed melting and what was done to solve that problem. He is so wealthy he can afford to live life as he wishes to live life. Somebody talked to him and he to them in the video in traffic. He shouted at the other car they used old fashioned pistons. Funny since Leno has so many of the same thing.

 

[toobfreak]

Leno has staff follow him to film him. I believe in the video Jeno addressed melting and what was done to solve that problem. He is so wealthy he can afford to live life as he wishes to live life. Somebody talked to him and he to them in the video in traffic. He shouted at the other car they used old fashioned pistons. Funny since Leno has so many of the same thing.

View attachment 1254920

Shame Leno is starting to show his age in that video, he is starting to look old and frail. Soon, he will no longer be able to work on these cars much less drive them, then it becomes a question of whether he sells them while he still can, or does like one person I know did, get sick and suddenly pass away, then his spouse is left liquidating the collection, probably not really knowing much of their history and value.

Hard to believe anyone would sink a half billion just in old cars that mostly just sit there, each maybe driven 1-2 times a year. Then there is the storage building, the mechanics and other staff--- it quickly becomes staggering.