FORD MOTOR CO. “ BIG RED “ EXPERIMENTAL GAS TURBINE SEMI TRUCK 1964 NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR XD10344

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Browse our products on Amazon: This film from Ford shows the company’s experimental gas turbine semi truck, known as “Big Red“. It dates to approximately 1965. The film starts out with shots of the Cabana Motel in Atlanta before showing a map of the nation’s new interstate highway system. At :54 a superhighway is shown with its many interchanges. “When this network is completed, true long-range hauling at sustained speeds with all city traffic become a practical idea for the first time.“ At 1:30 the standard cargo hauler of the era, a Ford diesel truck, is shown. The truck for the future is then unveiled at 1:56, the “Big Red“. At 2:39 the truck is shown at the New York World’s Fair where it was on display. At 2:52 it is shown at an auto show. At 3:10 the cab of the truck is shown backing into its trailer. At 3:30 an early Ford turbine is shown. At 3:42 the Ford turbine laboratory is shown with a mainframe type computer in operation. At 4:00 the experimental 705 engine is shown. At 4:12 the futuristic cab of the truck is shown off with its refrigerator, toilet, sleeping area, television set and more amenities. Sitting eight feet above the highway behind a free-standing control console, the driver had unlimited visibility. Ford’s advanced experimental “Big Red” truck represented a massive R&D effort by Ford. A major catalyst for the project was the potential for lucrative military gas turbine engine contracts unrelated to heavy trucks. “Big Red” made its public debut at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. After the fair, “Big Red” toured the United States and Canada with stops in Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, Newark, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Toronto and Washington DC. The truck then made several cross-country test runs at costs comparable to diesel operation. Ford executive vice president Charles H. Patterson said “This truck is a concept vehicle from our product research office. It is a test-bed in which advanced engineering ideas are proved out in actual over-the-road operation”. Ford envisioned huge double-trailer combinations like the “Big Red” concept which would travel 24/7 for maximum operating economy, rarely leaving the interstates except for driver changes, switching trailers and refueling. Test drivers reported that the turbine power-plant was virtually noiseless, and produced an odorless, non-toxic exhaust (which was safely vented 14 feet above traffic). Years before brake regulations were created for heavy trucks, “Big Red” was built with three redundant brake systems. The brakes would pulse-lock automatically if the air pressure dropped below minimal levels. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit