The 1950 Rover JET1 became the first car to run on a gas-turbine engine.
Rover developed the JET1 as an experimental two-seat roadster to investigate whether aircraft-style turbine technology could power a car. The prototype was based on a Rover P4 and used a gas turbine connected to the rear wheels. It first ran publicly in 1950 and demonstrated that a turbine could propel a road vehicle.
Gas turbines offered smooth operation and could burn different fuels, but they also had major disadvantages for normal cars. They were expensive, consumed substantial fuel at low speeds, and produced heat and noise that were difficult to manage in everyday traffic.
Other companies later built turbine prototypes, including Chrysler and General Motors. Those projects attracted attention but did not make turbine power practical for mass-market automobiles. The JET1’s importance is its pioneering experimental status, not commercial production.