3. Gas turbine

3.1 Historical overview

In the 1950s and 1960s, many carmakers saw the gas turbine as the future of internal combustion engines. The 1963 Chrysler Turbine was the turbine-powered car that came closest to mass production. The main argument put forward was that the turbine engine was lighter and had fewer moving parts: no camshafts, pistons, connecting rods or superfluous cooling circuits. In addition, the turbine engine could run on several types of fuel - gas, petrol, diesel and kerosene - and would require less maintenance and last longer.

These advantages were realized in aviation even before the end of the Second World War, thanks to the Messerschmitt 262 fighter, which fortunately did not have time to exploit its full potential. The automotive industry,...