My Dad was one of the Chevrolet engineers who worked on that truck in the 60s. In fact, he was one of a small handful who were allowed to drive it, as the turbine engine was pretty tricky. My Dad passed away in 2014, but prior to his death he shared his thoughts with me: "At the time Chevrolet was getting very serious about turbine engines. Although this was highly experimental. The key advantages were power and fuel economy and cheap fuel (Kerosene). The driveability was outstanding, however, the driver had to be extremely careful about monitoring turbine temperatures. The engine could not be used for braking as in internal combustion engines. I have no idea what happened to the vehicle. Since it was one of a kind, I assume they kept it in storage or scrapped it. As an added thought the disc steering wheels (the truck did not have a steering wheel--it had two small discs in front of the driver), if you remember, I had them installed on a passenger car for evaluation in normal driving situations (I do remember him bringing a car home with that dual-disk steering system. It could be moved over to the passenger as it was on a cable). This type of steering system was very novel at the time and required a lot of attention to normal driving. I kind of liked it but I do not think anybody else did!" My Dad is the passenger shown in many of the photos you will find online. He and one other guy drove it to the New York World's Fair (I think in 1966). When they drove the Turbo Titan III into the show hall, the high temperature from the engine exhaust set off the sprinkler system. My Dad further noted that when they drove through Pennsylvania, they encountered a large hill that other trucks had trouble climbing. The Turbo Titan when over it "like nobody's business."

Ahhh the good ole days,the only thing we had to worry about was what time dinner was.And whether Russians were going to bomb us.

That front end with the lateral headlights is basically what every Mitsubishi looks like in 2021

Now I can see where toy companies of the time got their inspiration for similar looking trucks :D

GM continued development of gas turbine trucks into the late 1970s and early 1980s. I started working at Detroit Diesel Allison Division of General Motors in June of 1983. Allison had designed, developed, and manufactured the GT-404 engine for semi-truck use and it was still being tested when I started there. The GT-404 ended up being used to power generators in Patriot Missile Batteries for the military.

The M1 Abrams uses a gas turbine engine, so even the army thought that turbines were viable for a vehicle during the 80’s

Please do more of these experimental and weird cars and trucks , these are awesome

Very beautiful truck! It is pitty that it is not survived even in the museum :( those 60's designs are so ebatiful, not like today's junk!

Definitely looks like the Heavyweights series of trucks produced by Hot Wheels. No doubt the influence of the GM concept trucks was the inspiration for the toys produced my Mattel.

I was at that world's fair with my parents at 11 years old and just kept asking my Dad if I could go thru the GM exhibit again and again. It was so cool. It seems we were way ahead of where we've gotten Thanks

Considering that diesel trucks of the time struggled to hit 200hp, 280 is actually pretty good, and the lower capacity probably improved its off-peak fuel consumption compared to Ford's 600hp idea.

This truck is much better looking than Ford’s crazy tall Big Red. Both are cool though.

My first job as an engineering grad was working on the GT309 at Detroit Diesel Division of GM. The idle speed was 17,000rpm and max speed was 37,000. Detroit Diesel was not making enough progress on that engine; it did not go far without repairs. The program was transferred to Allison in Indianapolis, which had a far better skill set for this engine, BTW, the fuel consumption of the GT309 never got close to being a threat to the Diesels of the day. Good video.

These turbine trucks are amazing. Ford's big red had some features that are present in modern truck bunks.

I miss the days when Detroit had an imagination.

Wow those trucks look more future looking then trucks today

The good old days are gone. I was a kid then. The future look bright. Now look at it. The future looks damn.

Having used a dial steering wheel on many warehouse systems in an industrial setting I can say it is a superior form of steering for something small and requiring finesse. I'm not sure how it would have felt in a truck, and also duplicated for no reason.... but in something the size of a forklift or picker it works great.

That thing could inhale protesters like nobody's business.

My uncle happened to meet the collector/owner that has the Ford turbine truck. He wanted to bring me to go see it but the owner didn't want too many people to come and know where he lived. I guess he was/is a private person that doesn't want the media circus that would follow if people knew where he and the truck are. I very much hope the same thing goes for the Chevy but I somehow feel like the Turbo Titan III didn't survive.

For a futuristic truck from the past, it's quite a timeless design as it is sleek.

Speaking with someone who also tested this truck across the states. He told me the Peterbilt guys did not like the windows. They could not drive down the highway with their pants off, to stay cool, because it was easy to see into the cab.

Amazing to see the Titan's front design reflecting the fascias of so many 2020+ SUV's.

These turbine engines were great they could be ran on just about anything flammable, so really I think it was particularly due to the oil industry trying to stay on top. I'd love to see these engines today, with how far we have come who knows what our cars would be like today if this didn't die out, a true future would be here.

Quickly becoming one of my favorite channels!! Interesting how similar in concept shape they are to the tesla, Nikola, and European trucks.

I really enjoyed seeing this. It’s a shame GM didn’t keep this for a museum. It’s always seems to be the case. Let’s crush it! And then think oh ya that might have been something to save 🤔

Now I have a purpose in life: I must find the holy grail that is the Chevy Titan Turbine! ......Wish me luck.

I kind of like the steering mechanism 🤔. Some truckers to this day still put a knob on their steering wheel.

At least Chevrolet reused the Titan name in it's Class 8 tractor...GMC's version was the GMC Astro. They were production trucks that featured some futuristic designs compared to the trucks of the day....cabovers with rounded corner aluminum cabs, panoramic windshields, wrap around dash, etc. Early models had passenger bus type mirrors versus the standard west coast style mirrors.

I remember the turbine put in an Astro 95 configuration....I worked across the street from the Allison Plant, Maywood where the engine was built. You could tell the powerplant by the twin stacks on the cab. Must've been 2 feet in diameter.

The gm truck or at least the cab is in a wooded feild outside dallas texas

The front looks like the backend of a Cadillac

The CHEV TITAN will show up , in driving condition , I feel it's been idling it's time away in a garage somewhere .

You could put this in a dealership and tell some 60 year old dude it’s a 2021 model and he’d believe you.

I bet it would have been a fantastic long-haul truck, smooth and quiet engine

So that’s where the “Mammoth Car” of “Speed Racer” got its inspiration from.

Duude, Lil Big Rigs or some other kit company should make a kit of these trucks, too. That shit would be siiiick

I worked for Garrett Airesearch in the early 80s when they outfitted a Mack Cruiseliner and a Superliner with their GT-601 gas turbines developing over 600+ HP. These were road tested extensively under a full load especially in the mountains and performed flawlessly and were able to maintain the speed limit without bogging down like conventional diesel powered trucks. Truly a trucker's dream rig. I distinctly remembering the whistling whine of the engine as they rolled past. Despite being a total success on the highway, they were shelved because of cost. Turbines require meticulous machining to manufacture and require heat resistant alloys which made them cost prohibitive, trucks that cost well over half million dollars in 1980 just couldn't compete. You can see pictures of these trucks by searching for Mack GT 601 turbine. I believe these are also in a museum also.

This looks like a truck they would have used in the Thunderbirds or Capt Scarlet.Derek Meddings designed vehicles that looked like this for those shows.

A turbine linked to a CVT would have made very interesting use.

Fascinating! That would be really cool to drive one of those trucks! I had no idea such a truck ever existed.

My first visit and it's pretty cool

In 1962 76000 lbs was a huge GVW , sadly GM seems to have always had a policy of crushing any and all suspended vehicles , programs and plans just like the Saturn Electric car which was returned on demand even though the lessors wanted to purchase them.

Sounds like a fun project.

How I love the esthetics of that ad, is like the records of the ww2 planes presentation.

Let's just say that this is proof that we can build advanced tech without slapping in some blue lights and a bunch of holograms

My brother in law dad worked on the turbine Corvette.

Damn that spaceage styling was something else. Probably horrendously unsafe but is sure was pretty

These old truck ideas just get me going! Y’all remember the Tesla truck? What happened to that oldie? ;)

If those engines weren’t so expensive to make and maintain I could see them in production today

Off the top of my head I think this could be made useful in daily hauling by making it turbine-electric, like a diesel locomotive. It would then be able to use the electric motors for "engine" braking and energy recovery. This would also allow the turbine to remain at an efficient rpm, while the electric motors handled the acceleration, deceleration, and running at speeds where the turbine could not be used efficiently

Loving the styling of these trucks. While cars have changed dramatically over the decades, trucks seem to be pretty much the same as they were 30 or 40 years ago. Can you imagine trucks like these with a modern Hydrogen Cell powerplant? Cool! As for what happened to thge Turbo Truck, well, while Ford often gifted their outmoded prototypes to collectors and customizers like Barris, Chevrolet had a nasty habit of scrapping their prototypes. Fortunately, their gas turbine cars, the Firebird 1,2 and 3 versions all survive and are well cared for.

Interesting content. I didn’t know about the gas turbine era. Thank you.

I love the look of the Turbo Titan

at 3:58 - one of the most nicest and subtle 'Please like and subscribe' plee's. Great entertaining and informative video, thanks for sharing 👍

Very cool video!!

Just discovered your channel. Not even all the way through this vid and I am now subscribed. I put money on this channel gaining a lot of traction in the coming months. Keep up the good work👍

What an interesting video. Never heard of either of these. Keep up the good work.

Those pigeon-scoops are my favorite feature. 😬😳

Not gonna lie. Driving a big truck. Sometimes having a small, knob style wheel like you would find or a forklift nowadays actually sounds nice xD

Both these trucks were/are awesome. It was a time when people could see cars and trucks that weren't clones of each other but had a personality on their own.

Thing looks incredibly cool.

truck name: Big Red Turbine me: *paints it black* ford: wait, THATS ILLEGAL

Cool part of history. Thanks for the information

Interesting video! These trucks were cool! I know the 50s - 70s were the times when trucks were pretty fancy. Greetings from Belgium!

Great video!

Finally something good in my yt recommendation

Nice job! Very cool video.

Very cool. Never knew they had a gas turbine truck. Learn something new every day. Remember reading not too long ago about an idea to build a small gas turbine powered hybrid since they are very fuel efficient for the power created and use them like an APU for an aircraft to charge on board battery cells. Be like having a 480v charging system on board and if the Tesla truck or something like the Nicola ever becomes reality, it'd be smart to have a powerful turbine powered apu for areas you can't recharge

god I LOVE those retro futuristic designs. reminds me of those crazy vehicles from Thunderbirds.

I can most certainly say that the world would look hella cooler if we'd pursued this styling

I met a man named Weigel that worked first hand on turbine trucks. The differentials and transmissions were the failure points most often especially going up grades.

Beautiful. Would be neat to see them on the highway

Great video

Then came a Kenworth hauling logs, Cabover Pete with a reefer on and jimmy hauling hogs. And a jaguar hauling ass.

I'd love to see both of them. As they are so cool.

WHEN THEY JUST "" DISAPPEAR "" THEN YOU KNOW IT WAS A PERFECT DESIGN. SO NOW WE STILL USE A PISTON ENGINE TODAY JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE DESIGNED IN THE LATE 1890s.

Good time of history. When anything was simple.

Interesting video again!

Looks beautiful ✨✨

This judge is awesome. I'm Canadian and I would love to meet him. :)

I like the bison too, very futuristic looking (well retro futurism).

Looks pretty cool

Even if they couldn't have made the turbine work it would have been nice to see this built up anyway. Thats a great looking truck.

I subscribed looking forward to watching the video you posted already

I ALWAYS wanted that Chrysler turbine car . I think Oldsmobile tried making one too

Chevrolet was the first to put turbochargers in the middle of the engine block today this setup is used in cars like the BMW M5, Audi RS4,RS7, and Mercedes AMG GT etc

This thing looks futuristic even in 2023

For some reason this truck to me is very reminiscent of the styling of the 66-69 Buick Riviera.

I saw Big Red when it was displayed at Ford’s World HQ, and not too much after that, went to the NY World’s Fair with my mom and dad in my dad’s new 1965 Mustang.

The Titan name was used on this experimental truck, the Chevrolet c.o.e. cousin of the GMC Astro 95, and the Terex Titan tandem axle 350 ton mine haul truck, which was the largest of that era. The Titan name was sold to LeTourneau who made a two axle mine truck called the TITAN

Subscribed bud I hear ya on the algorithm! Same battle we have fought! Cheers

Thanks for the video. An interesting piece of car history, but seems very impractical.

It was fun tests but the crazy idle

I'm glad they properly acknowledged Rover's Jet 1, which still exists.

Looking at this through my modern european truck driver eyes. The transport manager : this is what you'll be driving Me : Where's my bad? Where's my blindspot and super size main mirrors. Transport manager : There's no taco. Me : when can I start?

Cool video!

Has anyone even bothered to call Jay to see if by chance he has it?

awesome

This truck is in a private storage in Arizona. Well a big building in a ranch.