Not even a week after writing a post in which I considered putting a turboshaft engine in an ordinary car, I discovered that it’s actually been done. More than once. Most of the attempts are by hobbyists, but a few big car companies actually tried it out.

One of these was the 1964 Chrysler Turbine Car. It was powered by a 130-horsepower turboshaft engine. I’m no car expert, but from what I’ve read, it looks like it was an amazing machine. High take-off torque. Simpler cooling requirements. No need for oil changes. Longer lifespan. Fast start-ups even in cold weather. Could run on diesel, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, aviation kerosene, vegetable oil, and, reportedly, tequila.

Unfortunately, the project fell through. Only 50 Chrysler Turbines were ever produced, and only 9 are known to have survived, and only a few of those still have working engines.

Somebody really needs to bring the turboshaft back. You wanna sell more cars? Do something cool like putting a turbine in a production car.