The Fiat Turbina was a gas turbine -powered concept car built by Italian car manufacturer Fiat in 1954.
6-762: Fiat was the second car manufacturer, after Rover , to introduce a car propelled by a gas turbine—Fiat touted the Turbina as "the first turbine car built in Continental Europe". The project took a long period of planning, studies began in 1948 and ended with a first track test on 14 April 1954 on the rooftop track of the Lingotto factory. The car was first publicly shown on 23 April 1954 at the Turin-Caselle Airport , where it made some demonstration runs with Fiat chief test driver Carlo Salamano at
12-467: A drag coefficient of C d =0.14 on a one-fifth scale model of the car. By comparison, a 2017 Tesla Model 3 has a drag coefficient of C d =0.23. The concept was shelved due to high fuel usage and problems with overheating. The Fiat Turbina is on display at the Automobile Museum of Turin . This article about a classic post-war automobile produced between 1945 and 1975
18-509: A two-stage turbine driving the compressor, and a single-stage power turbine with a geared reduction to the rear wheels. There was no gearbox or clutch. According to the manufacturer the engine produced 300 PS (220 kW; 300 hp) at 22,000 rpm, and the estimated top speed was approximately 250 km/h (160 mph). The bodywork had undergone wind tunnel testing at the Politecnico di Torino facilities, with tests showing
24-632: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rover JET1 The Rover JET1 was a gas turbine car originally built in Solihull in 1949/1950 by the Rover Company , and modified to a more aerodynamic style in 1952. It held a world speed record for a gas turbine-powered car in 1952 with a speed of 152.691 mph. Rover won the Dewar Trophy in 1950 for this work, in recognition of its outstanding pioneering achievement. It
30-509: The wheel. All major Fiat personalities were present, including Gianni Agnelli , president Vittorio Valletta and engineer Dante Giacosa , director of the technical office and responsible for the car's development. The Turbina was then displayed at the ongoing 36th Turin Motor Show . The turbine engine was placed amidships , behind the passenger compartment. It consisted of a two-stage centrifugal compressor , three can-type combustors ,
36-492: Was the first time this trophy had been awarded since 1929. In March 1950, Rover showed the JET1 prototype, the first car powered with a gas turbine engine, to the public. JET1, an open two-seat tourer , had the engine positioned behind the seats, air intake grilles on either side of the car, and exhaust outlets on the top of the tail. During tests, the car reached a top speed of 88 mph (142 km/h). After being shown in
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