The Chevrolet Turbo Titan III was a gas turbine-powered concept cabover heavy truck designed and built as a working prototype by General Motors in 1965. It was accompanied by a matching custom trailer built in stainless steel; the Turbo Titan III was first shown to the public at the 1965 session of the 1964 New York World's Fair.
| Turbo Titan III | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
| Production | 1965 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Layout | FR |
| Platform | Chevrolet tilt-cab |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | GT-309 regenerative gas turbine |
| Transmission | Allison MT-40, 6-spd auto[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,099 mm (122 in)[1] |
| Length | 6,350 mm (250 in)[1] |
| Width | 2,438 mm (96 in)[1] |
| Height | 2,540 mm (100 in)[1] |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Turbo Titan I/II |
History
editGM designed and built prototype trucks in the 1950s using the same gas turbine engines as the ones used in its Firebird concept sports cars, including the Turbo Titan I (GT-304 turbine, also fitted to Firebird II) and II (GT-305, Firebird III).[2]
Rival Ford had built a similar turbine-powered Big Red concept truck, first shown at the 1964 New York World's Fair.[3] The dual-turbine GM Bison was also exhibited at the 1964 World's Fair; under most operating conditions, the Bison would drive on its GT-309 turbine engine, using the auxiliary 700 hp (520 kW) turbine as needed for loads, grades, or acceleration.[4][5]
Reportedly, the Turbo Titan III prototype was destroyed in the late 1960s.[6]
Design
editThe Turbo Titan III was built around the General Motors GT-309 gas turbine engine and featured streamlined Space Age-styling.[5]
Styling
editThe cab was built using fiberglass and steel, with prominent air intakes for the GT-309 engine on either side of the front fascia.[5] At the time, the head of design for General Motors was Bill Mitchell. The chassis was a conventional Chevrolet tilt-cab cab-over-engine,[1] first marketed in 1960.[7] Both the headlight units and front turn signals retracted into the body when not in use.[1] The interior featured aircraft-like gauges and a "twin dial" steering unit.[1][8]
GT-309 gas turbine
editThe GT-309 was derived from earlier GM gas turbine engines developed for the Firebird concept cars of the 1950s. For the GT-309, the turbine and compressor were designed to operate at 35,700 RPM, with reduction gearing used for the upper output shaft, generating 280 hp (210 kW) at a shaft speed of 4,000 RPM. Stall torque was 875 lb⋅ft (1,186 N⋅m) at idle.[8] The GT-309 has a free-turbine turboshaft design in which the output shaft is not mechanically coupled to the compressor shaft,[1] but to maintain a nearly-constant operating temperature and provide for engine braking, the engine was fitted with a variable clutch that coupled the gasifier (compressor turbine rotor) with the output shaft; this system was developed jointly with Allison Transmission and branded "Power Transfer". Raw exhaust gas temperature was 1,700 °F (930 °C) at the gasifier inlet, but a regenerator was used to muffle noise and recover heat energy by preheating inlet air, resulting in tailpipe exhaust temperatures of 300 to 500 °F (149 to 260 °C).[4] Compared to a diesel engine of similar output, the GT-309 was more compact and was only 1⁄3 of the weight.[5]
The GT-309 was also fitted to GM New Look bus prototypes, as the Turbo-Cruiser II and III, and other bus prototypes including the RTX and later RTS-3T that competed in the Transbus Program.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Turbo-Titan III ... a glimpse into tomorrow's trucking!" (PDF). Chevrolet. 1965.
- ^ Turunen, W.; Collman, J. (1965). "The General Motors Research GT-309 Gas Turbine Engine". SAE Transactions. 1: 357–377. doi:10.4271/650714. JSTOR 44554219.
- ^ "Video: Big Red, Ford's 1964 Turbine Truck". Mac's Motor City Garage. February 11, 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b Lyndall, Jack (November 1964). "The coming age of turbine power ... Can it meet the challenge of tomorrow's superhighways". Fleet Owner. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Seven: 1960-1969 | Marketing of Performance". General Motors: The first 75 years of transportation products. Automobile Quarterly. 1983. pp. 162–163. ISBN 0-915038-41-2.
- ^ "Turbine Dream Truck: 1966 Chevrolet Turbo Titan III". Mac's Motor City Garage. February 16, 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Niedermeyer, Paul (September 20, 2020). "Curbside Classic: 1960 – 1980 Chevrolet Tilt Cab Truck – Never As Popular As The Ford C-Series Thanks To A Near Deadly Sin". Curbside Classic. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b Senefsky, Bill (September 1, 2003). "Chevrolet Turbo-Titan III Concept Vehicle – Space Truckin'". Motor Trend. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Brophy, Jim (June 2, 2018). "Bus Stop Classics: General Motors (GM) Turbo Cruiser I, II and III Urban Transit Coaches — Maverick (Top Gun), Your Bus is Here ..." Curbside Classic. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
External links
edit- "Turbo-Titan III ... a glimpse into tomorrow's trucking!" (PDF). Chevrolet. 1965.