Encyclopedia Hoonatica: Turbo things that aren't turbo


What is so damn special about the word Turbo? It used to appear on everything in the 80s and 90s. One of my first computers was turbocharged – it even had a little flashing light when the so-called turbo would kick in. There are a million others turbo things, too. But this turbo phenomenon hasn’t gone away. Recently SiriusXM added a station called Turbo. It’s plays heavy rock from the 90s and 00s and it actually really great for those who grew up in that time and were influenced by that music. 
But still, turbo. It’s not like the 80s, 90s, or even 00s were the pinnacle of turbocharged engines. We have the more turbo engines available today than ever before. I’m even guessing that the amount of available new turbocharged engines might now outnumber naturally aspirated engines. And they’re better than ever too! The lag has been minimized and they don’t burn oil or blow seals on regular basis. Turbos owe direct-injection a great thanks, too.
Back to the point at hand. Today we want to identify objects, any objects, that are not even remotely related to cars and/or turbochargers, but are turbo or are in some way named turbo. 
The Caveats (there are always caveats):

  • Said object cannot be a car or any part of a car. 
  • It cannot be a car name, or any part thereof. 
  • Exception – a car with the word turbo in its name that wasn’t actually turbocharged or supercharged. 
  • Don’t give us a damn lesson on what a turbocharger and what a supercharger is, or that even nitrous-oxide can be considered a turbocharger. If you’re one of those people who starts conversations with “well, actually…” please STFU. 
  • It’s got a be a full word turbo, not an abbreviation of any kind, like when Audi called its engine 3.0t when it was really supercharged. Lamers. 

Difficulty: 0.3 out of 11, faster with a turbo. 
How This Works: Read the comments first and don’t post duplicates! Bonus points for adding photos.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

48 responses to “Encyclopedia Hoonatica: Turbo things that aren't turbo”

  1. mdharrell Avatar

    Turbo is a genus of gastropod within the family Turbinidae.
    http://www.nmr-pics.nl/Turbinidae/album/slides/Turbo%20argyrostomus.jpg

    1. mdharrell Avatar

      Bonus fact: Their blowoff valve is called an operculum.

  2. ptschett Avatar
    ptschett

    Liquid fueled rocket engines often use a turbopump to force the fuel and oxidizer into the combustion chamber. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5c87ed89ac6f363184147938492feffadbe4983be6e609aa0da4c322bc85270.png

    1. wunno sev Avatar
      wunno sev

      but that is a turbine .

  3. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    The Mr. Clean Turbo Plunger. Hopefully not equipped with BOV.

  4. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    The worst Judas Priest album (synthesizers? really? yuck)
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/Judas_Priest_Turbo.jpg/220px-Judas_Priest_Turbo.jpg

  5. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Turbo the two-legged Chihuahua is a bit of an internet sensation. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f07b5b6a4dd983172c7be4e9cacdf78db7564c34d6aa46802cd6244db8f86400.jpg

  6. Tiller188 Avatar
    Tiller188

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e65e66241fd3e6010c5181c4029e43ed2e4a22df6a55b07846ae80eae485454.jpg
    I mean, at the rate E. Honda can do the palm-strike illustrated on the cover art, I guess he could run a bicycle pump or something fast enough to make decent boost…

    1. Tiberiuswise Avatar

      With the grille from a Ford Fusion!

    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      I hope that is a spud gun! (Spud = potato)

      1. neight428 Avatar
        neight428

        “how about some fresh squeezed orange juice upside your head at 50 mph?”

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      66 Mhz? My first PC had that rating. When people started talking about 200 MHz, we figured that was wild and basically a hoax. I guess today my toilet brush beats that processing capacity.

    2. mrh1965 Avatar
      mrh1965

      On a “Zoommax”, no less.

  7. tonyola Avatar
    1. neight428 Avatar
      neight428

      He’s working through some stuff, as I understand it…
      https://media.giphy.com/media/12x74ILqLxVth6/giphy.gif

  8. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    I hope this doesn’t violate the first caveat, because Chrysler eventually had some of the best turbo encabulators, but those devices were first popularized in other industries.
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/GE_Turboencabulator_pg_1.jpg/1280px-GE_Turboencabulator_pg_1.jpg

  9. mdharrell Avatar

    The Chrysler Turboflite was named for its gas turbine engine, not for a turbocharger. Anyone who wishes to argue over the details of turbine engine design or function should refer to the fourth caveat.
    http://unusual-cars.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Chrysler-Turboflite.jpg

    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Chevrolet was all-in on the turbo name, Turbo-Jet 400/396 engine (which was not a jet and did not have a turbo), and Turbo-Hydramatic transmissions.

      1. 0A5599 Avatar
        0A5599

        Also, Turbo-Thrust variants, and SBC Turbo-Fire.

      2. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        And of course the Corvair where the engine options were:
        at the low end the Turbo Air (which didn’t have a turbo),
        at mid-range the Super Turbo Air (which didn’t have a turbo) and
        at the top the Spyder (as you guessed, this was the only one that actually had a turbo).

        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          Wow I didn’t know that one. You can’t make this stuff up!

    2. bv911 Avatar
      bv911

      OMG, it’s for real!
      https://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/homer2.jpg
      Somebody at Fox must be a real car nut…

  10. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

  11. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    Depending on how hair-splitting you want to get, you can argue that this falls into the exception.
    https://horsepowersports.com/images/turboniqueformulaj.jpg

    1. mdharrell Avatar

      That should count, if for no other reason than the desire never to see the day when the products of Turbonique, Inc., are spurned as answers for any question on this site.

      1. nanoop Avatar

        From the wiki article on Turbonique: “The company specialized in [..] very compact low cost gas turbines built for high power output during brief periods.” and “[…] there were a number of safety issues with these devices.”
        I’d be surprised if they were spurned here.

  12. Tomsk Avatar
    Tomsk

    1. smalleyxb122 Avatar
      smalleyxb122

      My Droid is not a Turbo, but it says “TurboPower Connected” whenever I plug it into a charging cable.

    2. salguod Avatar

      I had the first Droid Turbo, best phone I had. My wife got a Turbo 2 on my recommendation and it was terrible.

  13. nanoop Avatar

    In aviation, most turbos are just props.

    1. Lokki Avatar
      Lokki

      “Just props”
      So, sort of a Potemkin-engine thing to make old airplanes seem faster?

  14. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Turbonegro, and their fandom, the Turbojugend

  15. Papa Van Twee Avatar
    Papa Van Twee

    Specialized is a bike (not motorbike) company that has a like of electric assist bikes called “Turbo E-Bikes”
    https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/turbo-e-bikes/c/ebikes

  16. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    Let us not forget the
    “Tupperware Large Turbo Chopper Extra Chef 3.5L” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9f8e04d6738e2d5dc0a0d70b1ff5f4a6a51eac88fd62cb4802e8529c07d0be8b.jpg
    They sell these things at parties, but you have to be invited.
    http://onlinestore.numit.com.my/tupperware/259-tupperware-large-turbo-chopper-extra-chef-35l.html

  17. Don Karnage Avatar
    Don Karnage

    How about HD things that are not High Definition?

  18. Fresh-Outta-Nissans Avatar
    Fresh-Outta-Nissans

    Radio adapter brand name: TurboKit!
    https://static.pepboys.com/images/productImages/54916100/99-3106.jpg