A torpedo-shaped fastback four-door sedan, the Tucker "48" looked just like the "car of the future" long expected by war-weary Americans. But Tucker took a different tack, designing a safety car with innovative features and modern styling. Newspaper articles recently extolled some of the unusual features of the Tucker car: a pop-out windshield, a rear engine, a Cyclops light in the center which turned with the front wheels, a padded dash, and an aerodynamic body style. Flash forward to now and one can only wonder: could Tucker have added the planned 1949 “Talisman” two-door sports coupe and stayed competitive against the Detroit convertible hardtops then coming into vogue? This transmission was retooled for production as a “standard shift.” But engineers were also working on a fully automatic transmission, the Tuckermatic, which was to be optional for an extra cost. The Tucker 48 pioneered automotive features and ideas that became standard later. All rights reserved. Only 51 cars were made before Tucker was forced to shut down his company in 1949 thanks to negative publicity surrounding the investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which charged Tucker with stock fraud. Preston Thomas Tucker (* 21. It also had a reverse gear! It really did happen. It was an “open letter to the automobile industry in the interests of the American motorist.”. Ein Auktionshaus versteigert den 48er Tucker Torpedo des Kult-Regisseurs George Lucas. This is why the production-ready car had a central steering headlamp; it was the only practical means of achieving Preston’s goal. Preston Tucker died on this date in 1956, at the age of 53. Preston Tucker’s entrepreneurial spirit, ingenuity and unrelenting positivity led him to develop an innovative automobile that stood on a foundation of questionable business decisions. September 1903 auf einer Pfefferminz- Farm, lernte er bereits mit elf Jahren das Autofahren. Tucker’s prototype “combat car” armored personnel carrier was rejected because it went too fast. Tucker was ultimately found innocent of all charges, but by then the damage to his dreams of owning an automobile company was done. There are currently many Tucker ’48 automobiles on public display in museums all across the United States, as well as Japan and Brazil. © 2017 The Historic Vehicle Association. There was also a major problem with the 589 engine — it simply didn’t work. Except one. bore x stroke), 7.0:1 compression ratio, 166 bhp, 372 lbs/ft torque. Engineering broke just as sharply from Detroit convention, with all-independent suspension and a rear-mounted flat-six. Der Tucker ’48 von 1948 war das einzige Modell des US-amerikanischen Automobilherstellers Tucker Corporation. Styled by the forward-thinking Alex Tremulis on a 128-inch wheelbase, it was 219 inches long but only 60 inches high -- low for the day. It was only called the “Tucker Torpedo” as it was being designed and promoted. Offutt’s cars won twice at Indy. Believing that nobody would accept air cooling, he had the engine converted to water cooling and added an oil pan. The car is called the “Tucker ’48” (for its model year). Most of the car is in its original state including the interior. Der echte Preston Tucker war ein Autoverrückter, ein Car Guy, wie die Amerikaner sagen. His specifications called for a rear engine like Porsche, disc brakes, fuel injection and a padded dashboard. Offiziell war er nach dem Baujahr benannt. The 1948 Tucker sedan was an advanced automobile conceived by Preston Tucker and briefly produced in Chicago in 1948. The story of Preston Tucker is a classic David and Goliath tale. This article is just one of a series of articles he wrote for Tucker Topics, the newsletter of TACA. Classics on Autotrader is your one-stop shop for the best classic cars, muscle cars, project cars, exotics, hot rods, classic trucks, and old cars for sale. In late 1937, while recovering in an Indianapolis hospital from an appendectomy, Tucker was reading the news about war looming on the horizon in Europe. In the 1988 film Tucker: The Man and his Dream, Hollywood portrayed Tucker as man with grit, genius and determination — an automotive visionary who took on the establishment and, finally, the American legal system that ultimately caused his undoing. 46 of their brief run and accurately restored by a Tucker expert, according to the Auburn Hills, Michigan, dealer selling the Tucker. September 1903 in Capac, Michigan; 26. 6 volt positive ground electrical system. This is car # 1006, the sixth production car built. top speed 120 mph, Current value: from about $500,000 on up (Tucker #1043 sold at a Barrett Jackson auction for $2,915,000.00), Preston Tucker worked with the legendary Harry Miller on Indianapolis 500 race cars during the 1930’s, Tucker’s “Tucker Turret” gun turret was used during World War II. What if Tucker could have developed the planned automatic transaxle and gotten it into production ahead of established companies such as Ford, Packard and Studebaker, which also developed automatics in this era? During the car's design and early promotion, it was referred to as the Tucker Torpedo, though Tucker himself quickly changed the name to the Tucker 48 to avoid reminding potential buyers of the Second World War. This letter appeared in many newspapers in the United States on June 15, 1948. Tucker’s fanciful and entirely impractical demand for front fenders that turned with the wheels (with headlights attached) was abandoned. Tucker accessories could be pre-purchased prior to actually ordering a car. Performance: 0-60 in 10 seconds, est. This is a very special car for a number of reasons. This rare 1948 Tucker could fetch more than $2 million at the Gooding and Company auction in Scottsdale Arizona. This was the quickest 105 miles per hour I have ever reached.”. Therefore no Tucker Torpedos were ever built. Fiberglass replica bodies are available for building Tucker replicars. We love Tucker’s tale because of what could have been had he, Alex Tremulis and the other hardworking folks in the background been able to at least get the car to market to see whether it would have panned out or not. Sadly, we’ll never know. That scheme no doubt contributed to the financial investigatigation of Preston Tucker himself. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In order to take advantage of the post-war seller’s market (as well as to establish a name for himself in a hyper-competitive industry), Tucker believed his “car of the future” had to be developed, engineered, designed, and tooled up within two years — a nearly impossible task. Tucker even had long-term plans for proposed gas-turbine engines for the 1950s cars. The first Tucker sedan prototype (affectionately named “Tin Goose”) initially had a massive fuel-injected 589-cubic-inch liquid-cooled flat-6 rear engine with a torque converter on each end. Herbert D. Wilson, then the automobile editor of the Chicago Herald-American, wrote in the May 2, 1948 issue of the newspaper that his test drive indicated that “… the car loafs along at 80 with the throttle half open…the acceleration is terrific, extreme roominess, has excellent vision and a feeling of safety and solidity.” Tom McCahill, automotive editor for Mechanix Illustrated magazine, reported in the August 1948 issue that the Tucker was one of the “greatest performing passenger automobiles ever built on this side of the Atlantic.”, Cahill’s test drive of the vehicle found the car capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds. The Pick of the Day is a 1948 Tucker 48 advertised for sale on ClassicCars.com, which is surely a special occasion in itself.The car is No. Are you looking to buy your dream classic car? Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Engine: H-6 (horizontally opposed), ohv, 335 ci (4.50 x 3.50 in. This feature drove each rear wheel directly with no transmission; thus, no reverse gear was possible, which was a major problem to say the least. Thanks to an earlier collaboration with famed race car fabricator Henry Miller, he also had the design knowhow. The original Tucker 48 Prototype, coined the “Tin Goose”, was the original concept constructed by Preston Tucker to showcase to investors and at autoshows to promote his brand, create a dealer network, and raise funds. Once. To ensure a steady supply, Tucker bought the company that made it -- Air Cooled Motors of Syracuse, New York. No carmaker … Preston Tucker's car company was responsible for 51 cars being built. What a man, what a car. By 1943, Tucker began work on a car that he hoped would be ready before the Big Three could introduce postwar models. The Tucker 48 was designed in Michigan, and built in Chicago in a vast factory that is now the site of the “Ford City Mall” on Cicero Avenue. Only 51 examples were made before the company folded on March 3, 1949. Instead of giving up, however, Tucker merely went back to the drawing board. These included: pop-out windshields to keep from cutting people (proved to have worked in a high-speed rollover wreck on the proving grounds with one of the pre-production jobs); safety door releases inside; no protruding knobs ready to impale passengers in a wreck; and a padded “escape cellar” area instead of a dashboard for the front passengers to duck down into if a wreck was impending. This was the car that the Tucker corporation used as the standard that all the following cars had to meet. Many ideas he got came from spending time … In the first installment of a new series looking at short-lived automotive marques and models, Glenn Arlt takes a look at the groundbreaking vision (and initial glitches) behind Tucker’s legendary car. The Tucker 48, commonly referred to as the Tucker Torpedo, was an automobile conceived … The Tucker broke new ground in automotive styling. “I opened the throttle on a straight stretch of highway,” he wrote, “and was soon doing 105 miles per hour. “This article was written by TACA member Larry Clark. Tremulis wrote later that the 1949 sedans were going to have a wrap-around rear window, much like the 1963-1967 Corvettes. NOS Tucker. Being impossible to back up, it was unceremoniously dumped. Click Here for the Tucker Tribune Archives, Copyright © 2016 - 2021 The Tucker Automobile Club of America, This “Car of Tomorrow” was the vision of Preston Thomas Tucker (1903-1956) of, 51 were built, of which 47 survive now (and. He selected a 334-cubic inch 6 originally designed for helicopters. The final car … Die Bezeichnung Tucker Torpedo begleitete die Werbung des Wagens; tatsächlich verließ nie ein Auto unter diesem Namen das Werk. Of those, we know that 47 "Tucker '48s" have survived and we know where … Virtually all the top automotive testers and critics of the day were very enthusiastic and praised the car highly in magazines and newspapers. He remodeled an old barn on his property and began and operated a machine shop called the Ypsilanti Machine and Tool Company, planning to use the facility to develop various automotive products. The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept. A Rare Look at Tucker Cars Collector David Cammack owns three of the 47 remaining cars in existence designed by Preston Tucker, which he puts on display in a secluded museum in Virginia (4:30) When Tucker said he was going to build a car with cutting edge features, he pulled out all the stops. Studebaker was first with an all-new post-war model. Larry’s scene by scene comments are an unbiased aide for anyone who wants to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the movie, “TUCKER: The Man and His Dream.” The car we are offering is a 1948 Tucker "48". Kein Temposünder war vor ihm sicher. But on May 28, 1948, the Securities and Exchange Commission began a secret investigation into whether Tucker really meant to build a car, or just line his pockets. Alex Tremulis was hired to design a car body for production and reportedly given just six days to finish the job. It was kept at the Ypsilanti Machine shop, where it all started. He got the idea of developing a high-speed armored combat vehicle. The Tucker ’48 planned for production had many other features well ahead of competitors. To rush things along, a few pre-war Cord 810/812 transaxles from that front-wheel-drive car were purchased from scrap yards, rebuilt and pressed into service. 4 wheel independent Torsilastic suspension. Preston Tucker was working on this when he died. The Tucker 48 is a car that’ll forever live as an American legend, the extraordinary panache and guts shown by Preston Tucker in the post-war period is astonishing and the fact that he succeeded against the entrenched power of the Big 3 is reminiscent of the modern story of Elon Musk and Tesla. The proposed disc brakes also had to be temporarily abandoned in order to get the cars out the door. In December 1946 (before the prototype was complete), Tucker had his car featured in the popular magazine Science Illustrated, with a model of the car photographed to look like it was production ready. The mission of the Historic Vehicle Association Später ging Tucker zur Polizei – dort konnte er ganz offiziell schnelle Autos und Motorräder bewegen. What he needed was money and a factory. Dezember 1956 in Ypsilanti, Michigan) war ein US-amerikanischer Autodesigner und -hersteller. 2020 National Historic Vehicle Register Inductees, About the National Historic Vehicle Register, THIS CAR MATTERS: Period-Raced Split Window Corvette, 1920s Race Car & Champion’s Ducati, The HVA in Monterey: A Recap of the Monterey Auto Week, 1947 Tucker ’48 Prototype Makes Another Historic Debut, Making The Register: 1947 Tucker ’48 Prototype (“Tin Goose”), THIS CAR MATTERS: 1947 Tucker ’48 Prototype, “Tin Goose”, Quirks of the Tucker 48 “Tin Goose” Prototype, Jenkins VW featured in special episode of Cars That Matter Podcast, The Legend of the Lost Cord L-29 Speedster, The Castle Duesenberg set the foundation for the most luxurious car brand in America’s history | Documentary. significance of the automobile and protect the Another myth is that Tucker did have a revolutionary car which foretold Detroit’s future. Tucker’s initial vision for an all-new, post-war car started in 1946 when he proposed a torpedo-shaped car powered by a hydraulic drive system, which turned out to be too far in advance of technology of the day. The car was put together by chief mechanic John Eddie Offutt, who had worked with Tucker and Harry Miller at Indy. It was only called the “Tucker Torpedo” as it was being designed and promoted. Geboren am 21. Having designed a gun turret that became invaluable to the war effort for the United States and Allied militaries during World War II, Tucker had the engineering expertise. (HVA) is to promote the cultural and historical 4 speed manual, electronic pre-select transmission. When Tucker was under investigation by the Security and Exchange Commission a half-hour film, Tucker: The Man and his Car was prepared and shown to the Commission members. Use Classics on Autotrader's intuitive search tools to find the best classic car, muscle car, project car… The Talisman: a planned sportier version of the Tucker 48. Die schillernde Historie des faszinierenden Wagens ist ein echter Hollywood-Krimi. He bought the dealership in Yonkers, New York, ready to sell the car that would set a new standard for driving in America. But were these really the way Detroit went in the future? The Tucker 48 was designed in Michigan, and built in Chicago in a vast factory … After the government agreed to lease him a massive, decommissioned B-29 engine factory outside Chicago, Tucker and his associates began attracting investors and setting up a dealer network. Click here to see the article. Instead of giving up, however, Tucker merely went back to the drawing board. In 1939, Tucker moved his family back to Michigan and bought a house and property in Ypsilanti. The 335-cubic-inch engine was also placed behind the rear wheels instead of between, and this necessitated a transaxle (more or less identical in layout to the Volkswagen and later Corvair and Porsche 911). Therefore no Tucker Torpedos were ever built. Would the powerful 166-horsepower car have flopped on the marketplace? Tucker’s initial vision for an all-new, post-war car started in 1946 when he proposed a torpedo-shaped car powered by a hydraulic drive system, which turned out to be too far in advance of technology of the day. With Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest. There are all sorts of conspiracy theories that find our way to us, and virtually all of them are terrible hokum. Joe Ida was a Tucker dealer for a total of one day in the late 1940s. All production hiccups aside, the 1948 Tucker sedan proved faster than competitors, just as roomy and had many unique features, including an aluminum liquid-cooled flat-6 rear engine, four-wheel independent suspension and a padded dashboard. Larry spent many years researching Preston Tucker and The Tucker Corporation. The car is called the “Tucker ’48” (for its model year). Dimensions: 128″ wheelbase, 219″ overall length, 60″ height, 79″ width, 4200 pounds. But before Preston Tucker could deliver his experimental car to the world, he had to build a proof of concept. The Tucker story is the subject of the 1988 film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” by. The latter derived … Tucker turned to the remnants of the old Franklin auto company, which built aircraft and helicopter engines under the moniker “Air Cooled Motors” in Syracuse, New York. future of our automotive past. 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