Preston Tucker, the man behind the Tucker automobile, was a charismatic rebel who was sadly possessed by his creativity and determined to do what many said could not be done. His creativity cup was brimming with activity. As his career unfolded, it became clear that his destiny was to ditch his contemporaries and do what had never been done before. It was David looking for his Goliath. He was fearless and more than a little gamer. Ready to risk his fame and fortune, he jumped headlong into an inevitable collision with the establishment. He was determined to capture his dream and build a car he believed America deserved: a safer, sportier, totally unconventional sedan with comprehensive engineering that his competitors couldn’t match.
Early in his career, he and a partner worked to help Henry Ford with the engineering and design of race cars. Tucker was the inventor of the Tucker Turret, a powered turret that was mounted on military vehicles in World War II. The Tucker turret was an innovation that played a key role in the success of the Allied armies.
Tucker is most remembered for his attempt to challenge the Big Three American automakers by starting his own ultra-innovative automobile company, Tucker Corporation. Tucker’s goal was to apply his unconventional wisdom and common sense to build a car that would excel in areas like styling, safety, performance, value and engineering. If Tucker were successful, it would have taken the “Big Three” several years and hundreds of millions of dollars to modernize their cars in an attempt to compete. And while they did, they would have been pushed to the side of the road as they watched a Tucker go by, eroding their hold on the American auto industry. Tucker accomplished what he set out to do with what he called the Tucker 48.
The Tucker 48 sedan was unlike any other car in the world when it was introduced. Some of its more unique features were a “safety windshield”, a third centered rotating beacon, a quick-swap powertrain setup, and a rear-mounted “flat six” aircraft engine that had been upgraded with water jackets. for proper cooling. The safety windshield was laminated with an anti-fragment layer and was designed to be easily removed in the event of an accident. The centered third rotating headlight was synchronized with steering wheel movement to help the driver see around curves in the road. Even today, synchronized headlights only appear on the most expensive cars and their appearance is a relatively recent addition to what are supposed to be “state of the art” cars.
The quick-swap powertrain configuration (engine and transmission) was designed to be easily changed within fifteen minutes of arrival at the Tucker service department. This system was developed so that customers could drop off the powertrain at the dealership and drive away quickly with a “borrowed powertrain.” This would allow an owner to avoid waiting, sometimes for days, while their car is repaired, a common inconvenience among conventional automobiles. Imagine the advantage of such an option if you were on a long-distance trip with a car full of children.
