General Motors began flirting with turbochargers on production cars as far back as the early 1960s. The first model, the spectacularly named Jetfire from Oldsmobile, was a regular Cutlass fitted with the even better named “Turbo-Rocket” engine.

This 3.5 litre V8 featured a Garrett T5 turbo running 5 psi of boost that put out 215 hp and 300 lb ft of torque, a respectable increase over the standard engine but there was an issue: in order to achieve boost the Jetfire needed to have its “Turbo-Rocket Fluid” (that’s not a joke by the way) tank full. This fluid was a mix of methyl alcohol and water which was sprayed into the intake to keep combustion temperatures down. 

Needless to say, owners forgot to fill this tank and the car would cut boost and thus performance. Due to complaints from owners and the complexity of the Jetfire’s powertrain, production ended in 1963 with just 9,607 built.

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