Old Car Trivia #4

[dwasson]

What was the first US built, turbocharged car, offered for mass market sale?

[jefferson-mo]

My GM's a little fuzzy(I'm a V8 guy) but I believe it was a '62 Olds

[SergntMac]

Dayum...I wanted tio say the 1957 Chevy, but that was a Parts Department supercharger kit...Oh well.

[Blackened300a]

Im thinking older then that, like something out of the late 30's early 40's. Car companies were experimenting with engine designs

[SergntMac]

OTOH, could it have been one of the Corvairs?

[dwasson]

My GM's a little fuzzy(I'm a V8 guy) but I believe it was a '62 Olds
He's got it! It was the 1962 F-85. There were some other interesting features on that car. It had the other GM aluminum V8. (Buick made the one that stayed in production until the 21st century.)

For bonus points, what feature guaranteed that the Turbo Jetfire F-85 woyuld blow up fairly quickly?

[Leadfoot281]

Didn't that car require the owner to add "rocket fluid" to the fuel tank also? Or maybe it went in a reservoir under the hood, and was injected under boost.

The "Rocket fluid" was basically alcohol if I remember correctly.

[the_pack_rat]

http://442.com/oldsfaq/ofjet.htm#Jetfire

[dwasson]

Didn't that car require the owner to add "rocket fluid" to the fuel tank also? Or maybe it went in a reservoir under the hood, and was injected under boost.

The "Rocket fluid" was basically alcohol if I remember correctly.

Yeppers. And if you forgot it, there was so much detonation that it destroyed the motor.

The aluminum block was another problem. Most people wouldn't use the proper antifreeze.