In 1955, Ford built a turbine-powered Thunderbird airplane powered by a Boeing engine.

The Ford Thunderbird was launched for the 1955 model year with a fairly orthodox lineup of engine options, but the Blue Oval also experimented in a rather unorthodox way: it installed a gas turbine engine in the 1955 Thunderbird.

Ford archivist Ted Ryan posted photos and test notes of the turbine-equipped Thunderbird on Twitter on Tuesday. They are relics from a time when automakers were considering turbines as a possible alternative to traditional piston engines.

The project began in August 1955 and was ready for testing by March 1956. According to the test notes, the purpose of the project was "to gain experience in packaging and operating a gas turbine engine." Ford was also trying to learn "the special advantages and problems associated with this type of power plant."

To that end, Ford invested $188,000 (in 1955 dollars) in a prototype turbine-powered Thunderbird. The turbine, procured from aircraft manufacturer Boeing, was mounted where the engine would normally be mounted, but with a huge exhaust port just behind the front wheels.

The results were mixed. Good mid-range acceleration, a good power-to-weight ratio, low vibration, and low maintenance requirements were all noted. However, they also noted "severe acceleration lag on startup," problems with the front-mounted exhaust, and "a number of other characteristics that indicate problems."

Needless to say, Ford never produced a turbine-powered Thunderbird, but the Detroit automaker was not the only one experimenting with turbine power. The Chrysler Turbine Car was introduced in 1962, and Chrysler distributed 50 of them to customers for evaluation of actual vehicles.

However, Chrysler was not far behind Ford, and most of the turbine cars were scrapped after the loan ended. Today, nine cars are extant, most of them in museums; two are known to be in private hands, one of which is in the collection of Jay Leno.

The Thunderbird, on the other hand, lasted for decades in various forms, but never with a turbine engine. Production of the last, retro-styled T-Bird ended after the 2005 model year, but Ford still maintains the trademark to this day to maintain control of the iconic nameplate.