Collection Type: AUTO

In 1952, Ford Motor Co. began a test program to explore the use of gas turbine engines for automobiles and trucks. An improved version of the gas turbine engine was tested in a tilt-cab truck tractor with a 300-horsepower, 704-cubic-inch-displacement engine--this 1959 CT-1100 was the first vehicle used to test it. The main advantages of the turbine engine were low noise, emissions, oil consumption, and vibration; easy cold-weather starting; extended overhaul life; high torque at low speeds; and instantaneous full-power capability. High fuel consumption at idle and costly manufacturing materials needed because of their high operating speeds and temperatures prevented successful turbine use in cars or trucks. Ford gave up development in 1973. This truck tractor was donated by Ford in 1971.

A total of 55 Turbine cars were built by Chrysler Corporation.  The body of the car was handmade by Ghia, an Italian Design Studio, and then shipped to the United States where the engine was installed.  Five cars were built in 1962 as prototypes used for troubleshooting, and each was slightly different from the others.  A total of 50 identical turbine cars were built between October 1963 and October 1964. They were all two-door hardtop coupes with power brakes and power steering.  All were painted identically with a color known as “Turbine Bronze." The engine that powered the turbine car could operate on many different fuels, required less maintenance and lasted longer than the piston engine.

The Bobby Darin “Dream Car” is a one-of-a-kind custom car designed by Detroit clothing designer Andy Di Dia in 1953 and completed in 1960. Mr. Di Dia apparently did not care for the design of automobiles in the early 1950’s. The Di Dia 150 was hand-built by four workers in Detroit, Michigan between 1953 and 1960 at a cost of over $93,000 dollars. The original Cadillac V8 engine was replaced by a Ford 427/365 hp V8 engine.  The body and chassis are hand-formed in aluminum with an aluminum alloy welded tube frame.  The car has hidden windshield wipers, retracting headlights, swiveling turn signals, and doors that opened with a push on a panel outside of the car (there are no door handles) and a trunk that was hinged from the driver’s side. The Dream Car was also equipped with the first backseat-mounted radio speakers.  The interior is rust-colored to contrast with the ruby colored exterior.  The car has 30 coats of paint with ground industrial diamond dust to add sparkle. Bobby Darin, a well-known singer, purchased the car from Mr. Di Dia, and as a result, it became forever known as Bobby Darin’s Dream Car.

This 1901 carriage auto originally cost $900 new and was powered by a one-cylinder, 7-hp engine; displacement 123; 66 inch wheelbase; built in St. Louis, Missouri; donated in 1966 by William T. Dooley Jr. The St. Louis Motor Carriage Company was the first successful automobile business west of the Mississippi River. A manufacturer of automobiles at 1211–13 North Vandeventer Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, it was founded by George Preston Dorris (later credited with developing and patenting the float-carburetor) and John French in 1898. French took charge of marketing with Dorris heading engineering and production. The firm built 680 vehicles in its St. Louis plant from 1899 to 1905.  French left to build vehicles in Peoria, Illinois, while George Dorris stayed behind in St. Louis and founded the Dorris Motor Car Company in 1906. St. Louis Motor Carriage was the first of many St. Louis automakers and produced automobiles from 1899 to 1907.