This rare General Motors film from 1958, in clear, beautiful color, details the design and construction of the Firebird III turbine-powered dream car. There are countless fascinating technical insights here—have a look.
Among gearheads, GM’s Firebird III requires no introduction. Third in a series of turbine-powered dream cars built by the automaker in the 1950s, Firebird III was more than a styling exercise. It was also an advanced research and development project, arguably the most ambitious one ever attempted by the company to that time.
Forward-looking features included a single-stick driver control with an early form of computer management. a backbone-type frame, and a rear-drive Hydramatic transaxle for the 225-hp gas turbine engine. An auxiliary 20 CID piston engine in the front of the chassis powered the accessories. This original GM engineering film, titled Firebird III: An Experiment for Tomorrow, takes a deep dive into the program, illustrating countless fascinating details.
At around 6:20 into the film, be sure to check out what must be the most sophisticated drum brake system ever developed at GM, with comprehensive air cooling and integral drums. We are also treated to some great inside views of the GM Technical Center, a brand new facility at the time, and a visit with some key GM engineering personnel. The finish includes all three Firebird turbines in action at the GM Proving Ground. Video follows.
Wow, this is more elaborate than any concept car I ever saw. It’s a true prototype.
If you assume that gasoline will sell for pennies a gallon forever and air pollution will never be an issue, the gas turbine makes perfect sense. And those were probably reasonable assumptions at the time.
With today’s infrastructure issues, can you imagine the problems we’d have if all cars were guided by a wire in the road? Potholes breaking the circuit, servers going down, someone’s pickup unit going dead during rush hour. It would be a disaster.
So throw an electric motor in the back and we got ourselves a hybrid. Let’s build this thing!
59 years later, Jay Leno got to drive it;