Meet A Turbine Car Builder From This 1964 Photo

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto) 03/16/2015 at 13:00 • Filed to: None

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One of the great things about writing books is that you get to meet people who did cool things. Like fly jet packs or build turbine cars. Once in a while, I meet them after the books come out. It's too late for them to make the book, but it's still pretty neat. The other day, I spoke to a guy in this picture.

In the early 1960s, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and lent them to the public as part of a huge experiment - and publicity stunt. The car bodies were built in Italy by Ghia and shipped to the US where the engine and trans were installed, along with a whole bunch of other stuff like wiring, and it was all done at a small facility on Greenfield Road in Detroit.

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The facility is still there but it is a bit run down. In fact, it looks worse today than it did when I snapped these pics.

When I saw it last, there was some activity there but in more recent times the building was abandoned. But in 1963 or so when the black and white pictures were taken, it was a beehive of activity. In all, a total of 55 of these Turbine cars were assembled (Chrysler built 78 turbine-powered cars over the life of the program - 55 were the Ghia ones) and most of them were hand-assembled in this building.

I wrote the book !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 2010 and have since heard from all sorts of people who have read the book. Many had connections to the story and knew people I had interviewed for the book. And the other day I got a note from a guy who said, "I think I am in one of the pics in your book."

He was referring to the assembly line pic above and said he thought he was standing in the far back.

He gave me his phone number and I called him. I told him that I had a much higher resolution copy of the photo and I could send him a clearer version of the worker in the back. At least, it would be a little clearer.

After seeing the closeup he confirmed it was him. That is Jerry Hornung at 19 years old who had just been hired to work at Chrysler as a driver - mechanic. He was based in Highland Park where there was some road testing done. Much of it was mundane, just putting parts on cars and taking them for drives. The drives might be in traffic or might involve running out to the Chelsea proving grounds

In 1963, he was asked if he might want to go over and help with the building of the Turbine Cars. Strangely, some of the guys with higher seniority didn't want to go. Jerry had the impression that some of the guys who'd been around a few years didn't like change and were just as happy to send the new kid over and have him learn the new project.

When he saw the cars being uncrated, he remembered liking them because the turbine bronze color of the paint was similar to the paint job on the '57 Chevy he drove at the time.

The cars were then brought into the building and placed on stands. Work would be performed on the car and then it would be picked up by an overhead gantry and moved to the next station. At one station, Jerry had to remove the interior of the car so that the electrical wiring could be installed. Since all of the cars were handmade, the interior panels from one car might not fit into another car (mainly because the holes for the screws would be in different spots). So Jerry would remove all of the pieces and wrap them and number them so they would not get confused with the pieces from another car on the line.

As the car got toward the end of the line it would get a rear axle and wheels and someone - in the foreground of the top picture - installed the engine and transmission.

Jerry remembers that the workplace was clean - the floor was cement but so smooth Jerry and the rest would often just slide under the cars without bothering to use creepers. And one day while Jerry was under a car he heard a co-worker come in and announce, "President Kennedy has just been shot."

One incident from his time there sticks in his mind: one of the Turbine Cars was taken out for a quick spin on a local piece of highway that had not been opened to the public yet. With Jerry in the passenger seat, the rear axle locked up. On the side of the road the mechanics looked at each other and realized that someone had forgotten to put gear lube in the rear axle. The car was brought back to the Greenfield Plant on a flatbed. They covered the vehicle with a tarp - workers on the program knew there would be hell to pay if too many people saw a broken down Turbine Cars hauled around on a flatbed.

Before he left Chrysler, he wound up over at Highland Park again and had another interesting assignment. A replica of one of Richard Petty's stock cars had been brought in and Chrysler was studying it, trying to figure out how Petty always managed to get so much more speed from his cars than other drivers of Chrysler products. Was it weight reduction? They decided to see how much weight they could remove from the car without it being too obvious. Jerry was warned not to lean on the fenders as he worked because they had been acid-dipped; they looked right but were thinner and lighter than stock. The engine was removed and Jerry stood in the engine compartment trimming off every single piece of metal he could spot. A screw stuck through a half inch? It got lopped off. A piece of metal overlapped at a weld an inch? It was cut. At the end of his shift, Jerry swept it up and weighed his work: he had saved two pounds.

Jerry worked there for a few more months but left Chrysler when he had the chance to run a gas station. It turns out it wasn't such a great decision and he was soon looking for work again. With cars in his blood, he found work at the GM proving grounds in Milford, Michigan. He ended up making a career of it.

It's been more than 50 years since Jerry worked on the Turbine Cars but the memories of the program are still a highlight of his career. Vivid still are "the pictures in my head of the most unique vehicle I've ever been privileged to work on." And that's from a man who worked at Chrysler's Chelsea proving grounds and GM's Milford proving grounds.

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DerW220 > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:20

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It's always so interesting to hear the backgrounds of people like Jerry.

SteveLehto > DerW220 03/16/2015 at 13:21

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Thanks. It's amazing how much luck is sometimes involved in getting to do something historical like that.

Vincent Davidson > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:23

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Cool story.

Good for you for recording stories like this. They are important to automotive history.

SteveLehto > Vincent Davidson 03/16/2015 at 13:27

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Thanks. I always ask for "other" stories and find out that many people were witnesses to more than they think. I loved the story about the Petty car.

Yimmy_D_Yo > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:29

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Old people always have awesome car stories

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:31

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That turbine setup looks the right dimensions for a Corvair engine bay.

SteveLehto > Yimmy_D_Yo 03/16/2015 at 13:33

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I agree whole heartedly.

Thanks.

McPherson > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:34

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I met a gentleman who brought his Chrysler Turbine to a car show here in Ohio, perhaps four or five years ago. Pretty sure he lived in Michigan. Other than Leno's, I believe it's the only privately owned example.

Great piece, as usual, Steve.

ranwhenparked > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:38

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What an awesome job for a 19 year old car nut. Assembly, combined with occasional road testing of turbine cars. At the time, it must have seemed like as futuristic of a career as working in the engine room of the Savannah .

SteveLehto > McPherson 03/16/2015 at 13:42

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That would be David Kleptz. He lives in Indiana and yes, his and Leno's are the only two privately owned ones . Was that at the Glenmoor Gathering?

Forty61Graphics > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:42

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Awesome story... bet he's got a bunch of stuff he didn't tell about working there.

SteveLehto > ranwhenparked 03/16/2015 at 13:43

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There were a lot of cool jobs like that. A while back I interviewed a guy who was a test driver at Chelsea for Chrylser from the mid-60s forward. Hemis, Turbines, winged cars - you name and he drove it. For a living!

DrPain55 > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:48

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Great read as usual. Always enjoy the older days of automotive where the idea was "Eh we got the money lets see what we can with X and Y"

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 13:49

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Since all of the cars were handmade Italian , the interior panels from one car might not fit into another car

Fixed that for ya'!

SteveLehto > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 03/16/2015 at 13:50

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Touche'.

jimz > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 14:20

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I've been meaning to read more about the regenerators in this engine, since they're pretty novel. kind of spits in the faces of these dumb kids who think only Honda ever invented anything.

McPherson > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 14:20

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Yes Glenmoor, as you may know, now sadly discontinued. But relocated to Akron's Stan Hywet Hall with help from Myron Vernis.

Jarvis A. Furman > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 14:23

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Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

———————————> http://www.netjob80.com

SteveLehto > jimz 03/16/2015 at 14:34

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The regenerators were one of the major reasons they got the efficiency they did from these. This 4th gen. engine had two, one on each side (clearly visible in the top pic).

SteveLehto > McPherson 03/16/2015 at 14:35

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I was there that year and saw the Turbine (it didn't run that year though).

McPherson > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 15:21

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It was running great when I saw it. The owner and I were joking over the old wives tale of how stationary Turbines would catch grass on fire and melt asphalt. Ha.

Mr.Rogers > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 15:33

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I have a model of this car that my father received as a District Sales Manager for Chrysler. One of my most prized possessions!

SteveLehto > Mr.Rogers 03/16/2015 at 15:37

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I have one of those two, in the box and everything. Very cool!

Nauraushaun > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 15:38

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Great piece. I wish we had more of these sorts of stories. What tales could be told by the builders of Mazda's rotary engines? Or the bulletproof old Mercedes'? I'd personally love to hear intricate details from those who built my car.

I feel like all of us invest so much time talking about the finished product, yet we often know so little about those who built them.

SteveLehto > Nauraushaun 03/16/2015 at 15:40

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And if you think about how many people work on projects like these. Sometimes if you look around just a little you can find a lot of people who know stuff.

It really can be amazing what you find.

borrusclitlicka > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 16:04

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Awesome read.

SteveLehto > borrusclitlicka 03/16/2015 at 16:27

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Thanks!

Nauraushaun > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 22:21

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I'm sure you're right. A lot of my favourite cars are made in Japan, the language barrier makes it a bit tough. That said, I live in Australia and quite a lot of cars were built within an hour's drive from my house. I'm sure there are some people around here with stories to tell...

C9200 > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 22:38

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What was the point of turbine cars in the 60's? We're they superior to piston engined cars or was it just a futuristic technology that Chrysler was a part of for marketing reasons?

SteveLehto > C9200 03/16/2015 at 22:42

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Fewer moving parts and they can run on any flammable liquid. Those are the two primary advantages. Chrysler engineers thought it was worth pursuing.

Stef Schrader > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 23:24

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Oh man oh man oh man. I love these weird cars. I wish they had been left to roam the roads after the test was done.

Roush > SteveLehto 03/16/2015 at 23:55

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Kind of like the company that builds the turbine engine motorcycles using surplus helicopter engines. Several years back, Popular Mechanics did an article on them. I think the bike was one that Jay Leno bought and he did the article. One of the funniest comments Jay made was when someone asked him about someone pulling too close to his rear end at a light. Jay's comment was that he would just dump the throttle on them if they didn't understand his warning. The heat exchangers in the exhaust could not handle the sudden heat rise and Leno said that the heat would melt a plastic bumper or grill. He even had a little sign on the rear with an arrow pointing down to the exhaust, saying "HOT EXHAUST!!", made to warn anyone from getting too close. I remember seeing the car in movie once. It was supposed to be in a cross country race ending in Las Vegas, I think. During the race, they had the hood rigged on the car rigged to fly off the car when it came loose. The movie was called "The Lively Set" and starred James Darren as the race car driver and mechanic that built the engine. Mickey Thompson was also one of the drivers in the movie.

SteveLehto > Stef Schrader 03/16/2015 at 23:56

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Nine survive. Two are privately owned. Chrysler has two that run. They pop up from time to time if you keep your eyes peeled.

SteveLehto > Roush 03/16/2015 at 23:59

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Jay also has another turbine car - two cars and the bike, all turbine powered.

The Lively Set is hilarious. But the Turbine Car is the real star.

dupST > SteveLehto 03/17/2015 at 00:53

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Steve - This was a GREAT book. I really enjoyed it and have recommended it to several gearheads who were interested in "what might've been". Glad to see even more here and hear Jerry's story. Thanks.

SteveLehto > dupST 03/17/2015 at 06:49

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Thanks!

BurnKinjaBURN > SteveLehto 03/17/2015 at 06:53

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Excellent read! What a lucky dog, 19 years old working on turbine cars. I miss the 'old' USA.

Asa Charles Reese > SteveLehto 03/17/2015 at 08:46

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I saw one of these cars in Youngstown,Ohio at a grocery store at Meridian Rd.When he shut it off is sounded like a vacuum cleaner shutting down.

hevnina57 > SteveLehto 03/17/2015 at 10:47

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Steve, Thanx for sharing my story with interested gearheads from around the world. I was privileged to say the least. Back then and now, meeting you and getting info from your book, and then being featured in your article. Quite an honor. The Good Lord has blessed me. Thank you and thank Him. Jerry Hornung

SteveLehto > hevnina57 03/17/2015 at 11:06

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Thanks for the note and thanks for sharing your story.

utxdoni > SteveLehto 08/08/2016 at 22:00

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Thanks for clearing that up. I could not understand the concept. Also wondering why they did not pursue the concept...Was it from grilling other peeps grills? ;)

SteveLehto > utxdoni 08/09/2016 at 08:15

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It turned out to be too expensive to manufacture the cars on a large scale. Otherwise, it very well could have worked.