page_title: Turbocharger
section_title: Production automobiles
hierarchical_section_title: Turbocharger / History / Production automobiles
caption_attribution_description: Turbocharged engine in a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair
context_page_description: A turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor. It is used to force air into an internal combustion engine. A turbocharger is a form of forced induction. It increases the amount of air entering the engine to create more power. A turbocharger has the compressor powered by a turbine. The turbine is driven by the exhaust gas from the engine. It does not use a direct mechanical drive. This helps to improve the performance of the turbocharger.
context_section_description: The first turbocharged diesel truck was built by the "Swiss Machine Works Saurer" in 1938. The first production turbocharged automobile engines came from General Motors in 1962. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire was fitted with a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger and the Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder with a TRW turbocharger. 
  In 1974, at Paris Auto Show, Porsche displayed the 911Turbo. This was during the height of the oil crisis. The 911Turbo was the first production sports car with exhaust turbocharger and pressure regulator. The pressure regulator was the wastegate.
  The first production turbo diesel automobiles were the Mercedes 300SD with a Garrett turbocharger, and the Peugeot 604. Both were introduced in 1978. Today, most automotive diesels are turbocharged.
caption: The Chevrolet Corvair's turbocharged engine. The turbo, located at top right, feeds pressurized air into the engine through the chrome T-pipe spanning the engine.
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