The 1960s were a golden era for innovation in America. Everyone’s focus was on the future with moon landings in sight, jet travel becoming affordable and a new Mustang on every driveway. During this period many car manufacturers dared to dream what the future held for them, and Ford saw tomorrow’s truck being powered by gas turbines. Meet ‘Big Red’, Ford’s turbine-powered lorry.
America’s World Fairs were like a real-life Tony Stark dream, with manufacturing coming together to give the public a glimpse of what tomorrow could hold for them. Futuristic gadgets, promises of commercial travel to the moon, and plenty of visions of what our roads would look like. Aviation was at the bleeding edge of technology, and so it’s unsurprising that many concept cars took inspiration from jet fighters with glass canopies and winglets. Some manufacturers even went further to see if powering a car via turbines was a possibility. The most famous of these was the Chrysler Turbine Car.
Ford decided to look to the unsung heroes of our roads in the haulage business, vehicles that we depend upon to stick the shelves in supermarkets. Alongside revealing its now legendary Ford Mustang in 1964, the Blue Oval used the World Fair to show its ‘Big Red’ super truck. Sculpted to be aerodynamically sympathetic, this rather inspiring looking machine was a concept designed to cross the vast distances in America. Looks aside, this big rig featured plenty of innovation under the skin.
Ford’s Scientific Research Laboratory developed the 96ft truck that was powered by a 600bhp gas turbine engine. The motor was dubbed 705 and connected to the wheels via a 5-speed automatic transmission. Despite the big power and the exotic nature of the power unit, Ford claimed it could net the same fuel economy as petrol or diesel trucks of the era.
The truck would have been a hit with its drivers, too. Air suspension meant the ride was supple, the cab could easily seat three, and there were modern amenities such as a complete kitchen with TV. Big Red toured America and the hugely positive response got Ford executives thinking about production. Sadly, for this truck it was a case of wrong place and wrong time. Air pollution was a hot topic and turbines with their high rpm were far from clean. Ultimately, the project was shelved.
What happened to the fully functioning concept truck? Its history is a little murky, but it was retired in the late 1960s, fitted with a V8 engine and eventually auctioned off to a private buyer. For decades it was never seen by the public, and it’s still unclear what happened to it, but the truck has recently resurfaced. Big Red’s anonymous owner is currently restoring the truck back to its former glory, and yes, that includes a working turbine.
While Ford’s dream of a turbine future didn’t come true, at least we now know that Big Red has one.
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Keyword: Ford created Tony Stark's dream truck back in 1964