GM We bet you didn't know that the first turbocharged engine in a production car didn't feature in the back of some sleek German number, such as the Porsche 930, nor was it gussied up and sold to veterinarians as the Saab 99 Turbo. Instead, it was the Chevy Corvair Monza Spyder that first brought this technology to the mass market in 1962. However, mere weeks later, the 1962 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire showed up sporting a turbocharged all-aluminum V8 that pushed GM's fabrication capabilities to its limits. Built by the same brand that gave us the front-wheel drive Aurora, the Jetfire required a special additive to reach peak power, and was a bit of a space-age dream. It was as premature as it was fascinating. Let's dig into the Jetfire's history, explain why it only lasted two model years, and finally, where its 215-cubic-inch V8 went after GM stopped the car's production. The Jetfire's turbo ran on special fuel GM Oldsmobile (and GM in general) was certainly on a roll in the early '60s, and this turbocharged, all-aluminum, 215-cubic-inch V8 was proof. With the glorious addition of non-intercooled, Garrett-sourced turbocharging, it made some respectable power for the era. At peak operation, output was rated at 215 horsepower (one per cubic-inch) and 300 lb-ft of torque. As a result, it could rip to 60 mph in just 8.5 seconds, with peak torque arriving at just 3,200 rpm. Hilariously, a gauge let you know when it was ready for action, indicating "economy" and "power" – you can guess which one the needle was pointing at when the turbo was spinning away. The key phrase here is "peak operation." That's because owners (or were they pilots?) had to ensure there was enough Turbo Rocket Fluid (TRF) in the Jetfire's dedicated tank — yes, that was the product's real name — otherwise it would cut off the turbo's assistance altogether, thus cutting output. The TRF was a 50:50 mix of water and methanol, plus a hint of rust inhibitor. The water would cool the engine while the methanol raised the octane rating to prevent engine knocking. Buyers who forgot to keep the TRF topped up complained that the car felt slow. Then, even with TRF in the tank, if turbos never fully came to life due to conservative driving, they'd seize up. Once 1965 rolled around, the turbo option was gone, and Olds offered to remove customers' turbocharger and TRF injection systems altogether and throw on a conventional carburetor, making it a naturally aspirated joint. Pour one out for early forced induction ingenuity. What happened to the Oldsmobile 215 V8? GM The Jetfire's aluminum V8 had other issues, too. Early on, due to the company's metallurgical capabilities during the era, it was common for nearly completed examples to suffer from excessive porosity and therefore be scrapped. Some made it into production vehicles, where owners dealt with major oil leaks and oil mixing with coolant. Using the wrong coolant in the Jetfire caused major issues, too. If the kind meant for cast iron ran through it, it would fail to protect the engine from galvanic corrosion, resulting in metallic layers of the block wearing off and clogging up the radiator with aluminum deposits. Then, because aluminum is much weaker, it was easy to strip threads during routine spark plug jobs. Despite all this, the Oldsmobile 215 V8 lived on in a rather weird capacity: Formula One racing. After it was discontinued, Jack Brabham got his hands on one and tasked Repco with turning it into a race engine for the 1966 season. The pushrods and single-cam design were swapped for a two-valve single-overhead cam setup, and the bore and stroke were brought down to 3.0 liters (or 2.5 liters in the Tasman Series). It was down on power against Italian V12s, but proved to be easier on fuel and rather reliable. Living in the back of the Brabham-Repco BT19, the F-85 block helped the team secure wins for the 1966 and 1967 championships.