Above is the Top and both sides of the original box the promo was distributed in.

Above is the promo as it looked when new - this car has only been out of the box for photographs.

The above shows how the original was wrapped in brown tissue paper to protect the model while the box was bounced around.

The original promos were made from very detailed dies. Look at the small emblem on the front of the car's hood. Later runs of the car will not be this crisp and clear. This is the first place to look to see if you have one of the original promos.

The promo was cast in a brown color plastic it was then oversprayed with a bronze metalic paint. Look at the photo below and you can see just about what the real finish looks like. It is very hard to photograph.

More photos of the promo.

The bottom of the promo.

The Chrysler corporation had Johan produce a large number of Promos of the famous 1963 Turbine Car.

Our family received six of the above from the factory spokesperson and if we had asked, we could have had more of them. Chrysler gave the promos to car dealerships, the press and television people. Chrysler also gave one a day away during the 1964 World's fair in New York. Chrysler pretty much gave the cars to anyone who asked for one, I have had e-mail messages from people who say they just wrote to Chrysler and they sent one. Other people tell me they asked their local salesman to get one and most of the time they got one free.

Up until a few years ago, before the eBay auction network started, promos were selling at antique shops for about $100.00 on up to a reported $3000.00 (never confirmed)! Probably $120 to $300 was a realistic price then. The first few promos I saw sell on eBay went for about that amount. Then, it seemed like everyone and his or her brother dug around in the attic and found a promo to sell. The market tanked and promos were selling on eBay a few months ago for as little as $15.00 without the original box shown above. With the original box they were going for about $50.00.

It seems the market flood has now stabilized a bit. As of this writing, September 2001, the price for a very good condition original promo with original box is in the $50 to $150 range. Some will go for more some less depending on who is bidding. I don't know what the "Street" price in an antique store would be now as I think all of them have been dumped on eBay. If you are looking for one - log on to eBay.com and search for Chrysler Turbine and check the box to search in descriptions as well as the title. You will always find one or two for sale.

Johan re-issued the original at least twice from what I can tell. Once in their own white box and then under the Excel name. These sometimes sell for almost as much as the originals. There was also a Chrysler promo done in the all white version like the car used in the movie "The Lively Set" made in 1964/65. This car come in a white box with blue racing stripes. Excel also offered this car as well as a number of limited edition black, chrome, and gold versions. A guy on eBay has the excess inventory from Excel/Johan when they closed and is selling a lot of it through eBay.

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Page last updated on 2-21-2009