SAE Mobility History Display

 The History of the Future: Powering the Cars of Tomorrow

This exhibit will take visitors through 100 years of innovation showing how our conception of how we will power the vehicles of the future has changed over the last century. The vehicle display will cover three distinct periods of innovation.

• The first period, the early innovations, will feature a Stanley Steamer, a Detroit Electric and a Model T Ford to show the how varied the technology was in the early days of automotive.

• The second period will feature midcentury innovations showing how technologies developed for the war were reimagined as possible power sources for future vehicles.

• The last period, which is our own, will show the push towards alternative fuels and power sources for vehicles that began in the mid-60s and continues through today. 

See Innovation in Mint Condition

At WCX 2019, you can explore one of the earliest turbine engine cars Chrysler developed. With few moving parts, lack of vibration and fuel flexibility, the regenerative gas turbine offered promise in the early 1960s.

The SAE Mobility History booth will showcase the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Coupe, one of only 10 that survived destruction at the end of the test program. Stylist Elwood Engel designed the space-age body, featuring a 110-inch wheelbase, 204-inch length and 3,900 pounds of power. The TorqueFlite three-speed automatic vehicle featured 130 horsepower—comparable to a 200+ horsepower piston engine.