zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Toyota Built A Gas Turbine Sports Car In The '70s
Toyota Built A Gas Turbine Sports Car In The '70s-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:44

Image for article titled Toyota Built A Gas Turbine Sports Car In The '70s

In 1977, the world was still recovering from the shock of the oil crisis. Toyota looked at its economical, 73-mile-per-gallon, fuel-sipping Sports 800, and said yeah, that’s still not enough efficiency. As a result, Toyota began work on a hybrid adaptation it had initially investigated for fun in the mid-’60s.

Toyota’s idea for hybrid vehicles in the mid-’70s: . It showed the , along with other absurdly wild exhibits including a sliding-door F110 sedan.

Image for article titled Toyota Built A Gas Turbine Sports Car In The '70s

The turbine system was hooked up to an electric generator, which in turn sent its power to a chopper inverter that was then sent to either an electric motor mounted at the front of the transmission tunnel mated to a two-speed transmission or a small battery for storage and auxiliary power, depending on the drive load.

It remained RWD and put out 30 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but the car only weighed about 2,200 pounds even with the addition of a literal jet engine to it. So the car was at least capable of motion.

Image for article titled Toyota Built A Gas Turbine Sports Car In The '70s

The best part of the car is definitely its interior, however. It looks similar to a stock Sports 800 with the exception of the tachometer. Note that it is marked in x 10,000 increments. Yes, redline on this motor was ninety thousand RPM, with a tach that hit 100,000.

The sheer cool factor of seeing a tachometer for an turbine motor makes me upset that feature wasn’t carried over to today’s hybrids and EVs–it adds a reminder that yes, the noises are different, but the process underlying propulsion is still completely wild.

Image for article titled Toyota Built A Gas Turbine Sports Car In The '70s

Toyota eventually diverged their turbine R&D from their hybrid R&D in the ’80s after realizing that cramming jet engines into sports coupes may not be the most efficient way to use a battery system, but the car still presumably exists - it was , where Toyota took these pictures of it.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Jul 8, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Jul 8, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Jul 8, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Jul 8, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Jul 8, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Jul 8, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved