The story of Turbo Titan, Chevrolet's long-lost gas turbine truck that almost made into production
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 лип 2024
- With the latest and greatest in gas turbine engine technology, lateral pop-out headlights, and the weirdness of twin-dial steering, this was Chevrolet’s attempt at creating the truck of the future.
But with Ford’s own Big Red promotional gas turbine truck already roaming the growing Interstate Highway system, what did Chevy bring new to the table of experimental big rigs?
Well, stick around until the end of this video to find out how one of the coolest-named trucks ever made - the Chevrolet Turbo Titan III - was built to revolutionize the way America hauled cargo around the country, how it came THIS CLOSE to becoming a series-production rig, and how it disappeared without a trace.
So let’s try to unravel the mystery and learn some new stuff along the way.
Thanks for watching & don't forget to subscribe: bit.ly/SubscribeToMotorHeads
_______________________________________________
The story of Turbo Titan Chevrolet's long lost gas turbine truck that almost made into production,chevrolet turbo titan,turbo titan III,turbo titan 3,chevy turbo titan,chevy gas turbine truck,chevrolet gas turbine truck,gas turbine truck,ford big red,cool car stories,new york world fair 1964,gas turbine,ford gas turbine truck - Авто та транспорт
My Dad was one of the Chevrolet engineers who worked on that truck in the 60s. In fact, he was one of a small handful who were allowed to drive it, as the turbine engine was pretty tricky. My Dad passed away in 2014, but prior to his death he shared his thoughts with me:
"At the time Chevrolet was getting very serious about turbine engines. Although this was highly experimental. The key advantages were power and fuel economy and cheap fuel (Kerosene). The driveability was outstanding, however, the driver had to be extremely careful about monitoring turbine temperatures. The engine could not be used for braking as in internal combustion engines. I have no idea what happened to the vehicle. Since it was one of a kind, I assume they kept it in storage or scrapped it.
As an added thought the disc steering wheels (the truck did not have a steering wheel--it had two small discs in front of the driver), if you remember, I had them installed on a passenger car for evaluation in normal driving situations (I do remember him bringing a car home with that dual-disk steering system. It could be moved over to the passenger as it was on a cable). This type of steering system was very novel at the time and required a lot of attention to normal driving. I kind of liked it but I do not think anybody else did!"
My Dad is the passenger shown in many of the photos you will find online. He and one other guy drove it to the New York World's Fair (I think in 1966). When they drove the Turbo Titan III into the show hall, the high temperature from the engine exhaust set off the sprinkler system. My Dad further noted that when they drove through Pennsylvania, they encountered a large hill that other trucks had trouble climbing. The Turbo Titan when over it "like nobody's business."
That is really interesting news and I can tell your Dad was passionate and proud of his work and wanting to share with you.
My Dad was an aircraft manufacturing engineer at Fairchild and ultimately made it to Plant Superintendent when Fairchild was building the A10. God I begged him to take me to the plant to see the first planes being assembled.
I never felt the satisfaction in my career as did our Dad's.
Thanks for sharing 👍
You had an awesome Dad :) mad respect, and (if you don't mind them a bit late) condolences to you for the loss.
I don't think I've ever before thought of a semi truck as 'beautiful' but that is the word that comes to mind here. Would be amazing if someone did the detective thing and managed to track down its ultimate destination... I'm sure it's mostly a matter of time, paperwork, and getting people to talk to people...
@@laserhawk64 Thank you very much. He was a real car guy and a terrific teacher.
@@darrylbarger3795 Thanks, Daryl.
@@vehiclenanny *My* father is a brilliant fellow with mechanical things... he can stare at nearly any given bit of clockwork or a linkage or whatnot, so long as it's almost entirely mechanical, and with a bit of thinking out loud, work out its contents and means of operation.
I may be a computer nerd -- I'm all hardware, don't ever ask me to program anything more sophisticated than a Honeywell thermostat! -- but ohhh what I wouldn't give for what he has!
The M1 Abrams uses a gas turbine engine, so even the army thought that turbines were viable for a vehicle during the 80’s
Because it weighs 60 tons, which is half again as much as a semi truck. A diesel for something that size with the Army's asks - supposedly it can go 60 mph off-road - would have been just too unwieldy. But the Abrams' fuel consumption is just astronomical compared to a diesel of similar output.
@@joshbobst1629 only bad on fuel when not at WOT. And they go faster than 60mph ;)
@@joshbobst1629 meh 12v swap turn the pump up big single jingle that tank will stroll
True and Even the navy ships used gas turbines just A lot bigger of course
The AGT-1500 Gas Turbine engine in the M1 Abrams tank was designed in the 1960's for use in Tractor-Trailers. Back then they thought Turbine engine tractors would pull trailers to distribution centers and would only travel at high speeds on interstate highways. In those operating conductions using a Turbine engine makes perfect sense. It also made perfect sense to use in a Tank. Until then the diesel engines used in M60 Tanks had to be rebuilt at 500 hour's of use. The AGT-1500 can easily go 100,000 hours or more before being refurbished.
Now I can see where toy companies of the time got their inspiration for similar looking trucks :D
Often designers couldn’t convince their respective manufacturers to build their creations. That’s why toy makers benefitted from the designers passion. Many hot wheels cars are products of automotive designers.
Yes Hot Wheels trucks
Right? To me this truck just screams Buddy L :P
That front end with the lateral headlights is basically what every Mitsubishi looks like in 2021
Considering that diesel trucks of the time struggled to hit 200hp, 280 is actually pretty good, and the lower capacity probably improved its off-peak fuel consumption compared to Ford's 600hp idea.
Wrong. The Cummins NH220 and NHT262 were on the road by the late '50s, and the Detroit 8V71N with 65mm injectors was good for 318 BHP and it was put there (1958) way before this pipe dream was. Next myth?
@@desertbob6835 Just because you can fish out a couple exceptions that prove the rule doesn't mean it's not true. There were plenty of examples of 500hp trucks in the 80s, but the overwhelming majority at the time had 237 - 350.
@@joshbobst1629 Cummins had a variation of its massive 19-liter KT inline six -- which not only was an iron giant but also had a square 6-1/4" bore x 6-1/4" stroke -- that made 600 hp! In those days, even 500 hp engines weren't all that common.
Strange to see that yesterday Tesla launched a 3,000 HP battery semi truck.
@@Victor-vj5ds Lol, and no trucking company will buy it, unless they are going to use it for short haul or warehouse yard spotting.
Ahhh the good ole days,the only thing we had to worry about was what time dinner was.And whether Russians were going to bomb us.
We may have to start worrying about the latter of the 2 worries.
And the government wasn't afraid to spend money on infrastructure and services that benefited everyone.
we were ready then as kids, and we're ready now as adults...Wolverines'
Cold World...cold
That last part I dont think changed lol
GM continued development of gas turbine trucks into the late 1970s and early 1980s. I started working at Detroit Diesel Allison Division of General Motors in June of 1983. Allison had designed, developed, and manufactured the GT-404 engine for semi-truck use and it was still being tested when I started there. The GT-404 ended up being used to power generators in Patriot Missile Batteries for the military.
My first job as an engineering grad was working on the GT309 at Detroit Diesel Division of GM. The idle speed was 17,000rpm and max speed was 37,000. Detroit Diesel was not making enough progress on that engine; it did not go far without repairs. The program was transferred to Allison in Indianapolis, which had a far better skill set for this engine, BTW, the fuel consumption of the GT309 never got close to being a threat to the Diesels of the day. Good video.
Was that for combined fuel consumption? I reckon turbines are incredibly wasteful in stop-and-go traffic or sitting in a traffic jam. But using optimal turbine speed on long stretches should be in the region of a regular Diesel, no?
@@Immortal.. Gas Turbines only make sense when they are used as a constant speed power plant, like on aircraft and as quick starting peak power generators. Also keep in mind that the lower weight is critical for aircraft, but not for road vehicles since they would have had to add a heavy shield to protect the general public from a turbine failure....
GM's gas turbine car had a two cylinder engine that powered everything else so the turbine was only used for traction. And still the car was an insane waste of fuel. J. Leno built his own turbine car ans it is a total fuel pig...
I was at that world's fair with my parents at 11 years old and just kept asking my Dad if I could go thru the GM exhibit again and again. It was so cool.
It seems we were way ahead of where we've gotten
Thanks
"Way ahead?" Are you serious or delirious?
@@desertbob6835 technically Chevy /gmc doesn’t have anymore heavy duty :(
That's the problem about leaving your future in the hands of people you assume are smarter than you.
Oh, you'll have small portions of your dream future, doled out to you in thin slices, on their terms.
You’re telling me the world hasn’t moved at all since this time? Get real.
@nomo3o well I suppose you never saw how futuristic the display was.
So you have no idea what you are saying.
My uncle happened to meet the collector/owner that has the Ford turbine truck. He wanted to bring me to go see it but the owner didn't want too many people to come and know where he lived. I guess he was/is a private person that doesn't want the media circus that would follow if people knew where he and the truck are.
I very much hope the same thing goes for the Chevy but I somehow feel like the Turbo Titan III didn't survive.
GM has a long tradition of scrapping their unsuccessful prototypes unless somone gets to it first. A more recent example was their EV1 fleet, scrapped for fear that a competitor would get ahold of their proprietary designs...and probably on orders from Big Oil, soon to be "Little Oil." Electrics are indeed the future.
I just read that article on The Drive. Glad they found it. Can definitely agree with the owner wanting privacy. It's like someone saying they have the field of dreams in their back yard. ;) From the article, sounds like he has finished restoring it and it's been sitting ready to go for over a decade or more. A cross country road tour would be wonderful. He could hire a team to take it on tour. I'm sure they'd do it for free, or even pay him for the pleasure. And folks would get to see it in person.
@@desertbob6835 GM destroyed the EV1s because of liability issues. They did not want to be in a position to have to provide long-term product support for what was, essentially, a fleet of prototypes. This was the plan from the beginning, which is why they were not sold, but only leased to customers.
Please do more of these experimental and weird cars and trucks , these are awesome
Very beautiful truck! It is pitty that it is not survived even in the museum :( those 60's designs are so ebatiful, not like today's junk!
Eh I rather drives Traditional designed trucks From the 60s to now rather than something furtureish.
those who lived in the 60s : Those 20s designs are so (ebatiful?), not like today's junk!
@@neggas- 20s designs are beautiful as well
Definitely looks like the Heavyweights series of trucks produced by Hot Wheels. No doubt the influence of the GM concept trucks was the inspiration for the toys produced my Mattel.
At least one of the Hot Wheels original designers came from GM. He was also the reason Mattel was able to get the new Corvette out in toy form before the real thing came out.
Having used a dial steering wheel on many warehouse systems in an industrial setting I can say it is a superior form of steering for something small and requiring finesse. I'm not sure how it would have felt in a truck, and also duplicated for no reason.... but in something the size of a forklift or picker it works great.
Oh yeah dials are great but I genuinely could not imagine them in a normal car, especially since people like racing them, imagine slightly overturning your dial and your car rolls in the ditch.
These turbine trucks are amazing. Ford's big red had some features that are present in modern truck bunks.
This truck is much better looking than Ford’s crazy tall Big Red. Both are cool though.
Agreed. Big red was an oversized tall block, this turbo titan has the cool 50's truck style vibe to it, smooth and curved.
Yah kidding? I love the look of big red haha they both look goofy but kinda a retro future quirkiness that works
Big red had that comfort though
It was Chevy trying to copy ford again and again lol
Chevy is better than ford always
I miss the days when Detroit had an imagination.
Are you intentionally ignoring Tesla?
@@jamn2boost That would be the first I heard of Tesla having an engineering facility in Detroit.
@@shawnz241 I guess i took "detriot" for "automotive industry" you really meant the city. My bad.
@@jamn2boost All good my dude! There’s a lot of great American automotive engineering taking place outside the Motor City.
@@jamn2boost nice brain btw.
The good old days are gone. I was a kid then. The future look bright. Now look at it. The future looks damn.
Back then people looked at everything with wide eyed ambition. Whether it was space travel, robot houses or futuristic trucks! Now all people care about is what features the next one or two models of the iPhone will come with.
@@JD-wn3cc Some of us still want to accomplish big things. You generally can tell the difference by seeing who wants government paid Healthcare, transportation, etc. and who prefers to earn their money.
There never were any "good old days" Just looking at the past with rose tinted glasses.
@@matthewmosier8439 Who do you think pays the government for that "government paid Healthcare, transportation, etc." genius? The people that would be using those services.
@@mechanomics2649 Not true. Taxpayers pay for all government expenditures. Many people pay no taxes but still collect services (in my experience the people who work the least generally collect the most government money that they possibly can).
That thing could inhale protesters like nobody's business.
For a futuristic truck from the past, it's quite a timeless design as it is sleek.
Wow those trucks look more future looking then trucks today
They were made for a future that never came.
Quickly becoming one of my favorite channels!! Interesting how similar in concept shape they are to the tesla, Nikola, and European trucks.
Awesome, thank you!
You could put this in a dealership and tell some 60 year old dude it’s a 2021 model and he’d believe you.
Actually all the leg work in current and future tec was done by that and previous generations. Your generation is just picking up the ball and carrying it forward. With the help of all the tools and platforms that you take for granted.
@@chasl3645 ok boomer
@@rallycar6922 You're just mad becouse you always got a trophy for things you didn't do.
Dont feel bad. My generation stood on the shoulders of the success and the failures. Just like yours does.
Proceeding generations didn't really create anything new. Most everything's already been thought of. Everything is developed incrementally over years of R&D. The one advantage the current generation has is the tools the support and the funding that goes into bringing these ideas to fruition. Had Tesla been alive today with all the tools and platforms that are available. We would be powering everything with silent clean magnetic wave generators. Maybe you should appreciate those that came before you because everything you take for granted was developed by them.
@@chasl3645 ok boomer
These turbine engines were great they could be ran on just about anything flammable, so really I think it was particularly due to the oil industry trying to stay on top. I'd love to see these engines today, with how far we have come who knows what our cars would be like today if this didn't die out, a true future would be here.
I wonder if a modern design could be convinced to run on hydrogen to keep the emissions in check. For a long haul cruiser a turbine engine makes more sense than a city vehicle (I seem to recall that Abrams tanks had this awful habit of draining the tanks on crews unaware that their consumption was largely the same whether they were moving or not), and I feel like transmission and turbine tech might have advanced a bit that some extra efficiency could be gained.
Speaking with someone who also tested this truck across the states. He told me the Peterbilt guys did not like the windows. They could not drive down the highway with their pants off, to stay cool, because it was easy to see into the cab.
& imagine their reaction to the '64 GM Bison truck.
Amazing to see the Titan's front design reflecting the fascias of so many 2020+ SUV's.
I really enjoyed seeing this. It’s a shame GM didn’t keep this for a museum. It’s always seems to be the case. Let’s crush it! And then think oh ya that might have been something to save 🤔
I kind of like the steering mechanism 🤔. Some truckers to this day still put a knob on their steering wheel.
Now I have a purpose in life: I must find the holy grail that is the Chevy Titan Turbine! ......Wish me luck.
At least Chevrolet reused the Titan name in it's Class 8 tractor...GMC's version was the GMC Astro. They were production trucks that featured some futuristic designs compared to the trucks of the day....cabovers with rounded corner aluminum cabs, panoramic windshields, wrap around dash, etc. Early models had passenger bus type mirrors versus the standard west coast style mirrors.
I actually had an AMT kit for a GMC Astro cab over in the 1970s. It had parts for both the normal engine (a Detroit Diesel 8V71T with a manual box) or the gas turbine with an Allison automatic.
I remember the turbine put in an Astro 95 configuration....I worked across the street from the Allison Plant, Maywood where the engine was built. You could tell the powerplant by the twin stacks on the cab. Must've been 2 feet in diameter.
The front looks like the backend of a Cadillac
The gm truck or at least the cab is in a wooded feild outside dallas texas
Duude, Lil Big Rigs or some other kit company should make a kit of these trucks, too. That shit would be siiiick
Fascinating! That would be really cool to drive one of those trucks! I had no idea such a truck ever existed.
The CHEV TITAN will show up , in driving condition , I feel it's been idling it's time away in a garage somewhere .
jay leno............
Just discovered your channel. Not even all the way through this vid and I am now subscribed. I put money on this channel gaining a lot of traction in the coming months. Keep up the good work👍
Awesome, thank you!
So that’s where the “Mammoth Car” of “Speed Racer” got its inspiration from.
i doubt it, it resembles big red way more.
I worked for Garrett Airesearch in the early 80s when they outfitted a Mack Cruiseliner and a Superliner with their GT-601 gas turbines developing over 600+ HP. These were road tested extensively under a full load especially in the mountains and performed flawlessly and were able to maintain the speed limit without bogging down like conventional diesel powered trucks. Truly a trucker's dream rig. I distinctly remembering the whistling whine of the engine as they rolled past.
Despite being a total success on the highway, they were shelved because of cost. Turbines require meticulous machining to manufacture and require heat resistant alloys which made them cost prohibitive, trucks that cost well over half million dollars in 1980 just couldn't compete.
You can see pictures of these trucks by searching for Mack GT 601 turbine. I believe these are also in a museum also.
I bet it would have been a fantastic long-haul truck, smooth and quiet engine
A turbine linked to a CVT would have made very interesting use.
CVT couldn’t handle the torque, though.
Interesting content. I didn’t know about the gas turbine era. Thank you.
These old truck ideas just get me going! Y’all remember the Tesla truck? What happened to that oldie? ;)
Yeah way way back when Tesla developed a truck ....damn almost in the Stone Age.
Not so oldie!
bet it caught fire while parked overnight at texas.
This looks like a truck they would have used in the Thunderbirds or Capt Scarlet.Derek Meddings designed vehicles that looked like this for those shows.
My brother in law dad worked on the turbine Corvette.
Nice 👍
My sister's mother's cousin's grandma's uncle worked on a farm.
My first visit and it's pretty cool
What an interesting video. Never heard of either of these. Keep up the good work.
In 1962 76000 lbs was a huge GVW , sadly GM seems to have always had a policy of crushing any and all suspended vehicles , programs and plans just like the Saturn Electric car which was returned on demand even though the lessors wanted to purchase them.
Interesting video! These trucks were cool! I know the 50s - 70s were the times when trucks were pretty fancy.
Greetings from Belgium!
Sounds like a fun project.
at 3:58 - one of the most nicest and subtle 'Please like and subscribe' plee's.
Great entertaining and informative video, thanks for sharing 👍
Very cool video!!
Both these trucks were/are awesome. It was a time when people could see cars and trucks that weren't clones of each other but had a personality on their own.
Very cool. Never knew they had a gas turbine truck. Learn something new every day. Remember reading not too long ago about an idea to build a small gas turbine powered hybrid since they are very fuel efficient for the power created and use them like an APU for an aircraft to charge on board battery cells. Be like having a 480v charging system on board and if the Tesla truck or something like the Nicola ever becomes reality, it'd be smart to have a powerful turbine powered apu for areas you can't recharge
How I love the esthetics of that ad, is like the records of the ww2 planes presentation.
Damn that spaceage styling was something else. Probably horrendously unsafe but is sure was pretty
Loving the styling of these trucks. While cars have changed dramatically over the decades, trucks seem to be pretty much the same as they were 30 or 40 years ago. Can you imagine trucks like these with a modern Hydrogen Cell powerplant? Cool!
As for what happened to thge Turbo Truck, well, while Ford often gifted their outmoded prototypes to collectors and customizers like Barris, Chevrolet had a nasty habit of scrapping their prototypes. Fortunately, their gas turbine cars, the Firebird 1,2 and 3 versions all survive and are well cared for.
Off the top of my head I think this could be made useful in daily hauling by making it turbine-electric, like a diesel locomotive. It would then be able to use the electric motors for "engine" braking and energy recovery. This would also allow the turbine to remain at an efficient rpm, while the electric motors handled the acceleration, deceleration, and running at speeds where the turbine could not be used efficiently
I met a man named Weigel that worked first hand on turbine trucks. The differentials and transmissions were the failure points most often especially going up grades.
Reduction gearing problems I can understand, but why differentials?
@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 I guess they couldn't handle the turbines torque it makes more sense cosidering he mentioned while going up a grade thatd have to put some extreme stress on it.
Nice job! Very cool video.
Thank you very much!
Not gonna lie. Driving a big truck. Sometimes having a small, knob style wheel like you would find or a forklift nowadays actually sounds nice xD
Cool part of history. Thanks for the information
If those engines weren’t so expensive to make and maintain I could see them in production today
god I LOVE those retro futuristic designs. reminds me of those crazy vehicles from Thunderbirds.
Those pigeon-scoops are my favorite feature. 😬😳
Even if they couldn't have made the turbine work it would have been nice to see this built up anyway. Thats a great looking truck.
Beautiful. Would be neat to see them on the highway
Subscribed bud I hear ya on the algorithm! Same battle we have fought! Cheers
This judge is awesome. I'm Canadian and I would love to meet him. :)
Let's just say that this is proof that we can build advanced tech without slapping in some blue lights and a bunch of holograms
I can most certainly say that the world would look hella cooler if we'd pursued this styling
I love the look of the Turbo Titan
I'd love to see both of them. As they are so cool.
Great video!
Good time of history. When anything was simple.
I saw Big Red when it was displayed at Ford’s World HQ, and not too much after that, went to the NY World’s Fair with my mom and dad in my dad’s new 1965 Mustang.
Cool video!
Looks pretty cool
WHEN THEY JUST "" DISAPPEAR "" THEN YOU KNOW IT WAS A PERFECT DESIGN. SO NOW WE STILL USE A PISTON ENGINE TODAY JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE DESIGNED IN THE LATE 1890s.
Great video
i feel like the style of this truck worked its way into the newer model light duty trucks, then again i dont think anyone who designed the newer models would have ever known about the turbo titan... i know i didnt know this was a thing until now...
Chevrolet was the first to put turbochargers in the middle of the engine block today this setup is used in cars like the BMW M5, Audi RS4,RS7, and Mercedes AMG GT etc
I subscribed looking forward to watching the video you posted already
Then came a Kenworth hauling logs, Cabover Pete with a reefer on and jimmy hauling hogs. And a jaguar hauling ass.
love that song
It’d be very cool if they used their resources and made them still. Many of GM’s engines were very well built (SBCs, LS, Vortec) I’m sure these things would’ve been tanks. Plus the high powered gas turbine engine possibility of going into heavy duty trucks would be neat as well (Ford & GM).
The Titan name was used on this experimental truck, the Chevrolet c.o.e. cousin of the GMC Astro 95, and the Terex Titan tandem axle 350 ton mine haul truck, which was the largest of that era. The Titan name was sold to LeTourneau who made a two axle mine truck called the TITAN
Finally something good in my yt recommendation
For some reason this truck to me is very reminiscent of the styling of the 66-69 Buick Riviera.
I ALWAYS wanted that Chrysler turbine car . I think Oldsmobile tried making one too
Interesting video again!
I like the bison too, very futuristic looking (well retro futurism).
Okay. Yes. I am bias toward GM designs of the '60s, but you have to admit, that Turbo Titan design would still look fresh today!
Thanks for the video. An interesting piece of car history, but seems very impractical.
Very beautiful, and the technology sounds amazing. It's a shame it was not allowed to continue we could have had another option to petrol and diesel combustion.
Was a marine gas turbine tech in the navy. The ship I was on used a version of the DC10’s they put 200k+hp and a couple million foot pounds of torque. They worked very well if they ran wide open but were pretty lame at slower speeds. I bet these were horrible in stop and go traffic for trucks. Likely went through fuel pretty quick at in town speeds. I bet they’d have better performance with an Alison 501 engine. Those put out a lot of heat though.
truck name: Big Red Turbine
me: *paints it black*
ford: wait, THATS ILLEGAL
Nah, they were just fans of the Rolling Stones it seems.
I'm glad they properly acknowledged Rover's Jet 1, which still exists.
Really cool design, looks like a Buddy L toy truck
Looking at this through my modern european truck driver eyes.
The transport manager : this is what you'll be driving
Me : Where's my bad? Where's my blindspot and super size main mirrors.
Transport manager : There's no taco.
Me : when can I start?
Thing looks incredibly cool.