Tucker 48 : A car ahead of time
The Tucker 48 named after its production year was the brainchild of the great Preston Tucker. Tucker 48 was a car that had several features that were not standard and were never thought before by any one. The car had several features inspired from Indy cars.
Preston Tucker was a great visionary and building a car was his main aim and hence came his one and only car the Tucker 48. Preston began designing the car in 1944 with the fore thought of demand for fast and spacious cars in the post war era. Preston was right . To design the car, Preston contracted George S Lawson . It took Lawson nearly a year and a half to complete the design. In March 1947 , the 48 was launched as the Tucker Torpedo to the post war America. The car's styling was jaw dropping and its features beyond imagination .
The unique features
The Torpedo name was given to the car due to its fastback aerodynamic looks and flat six 5.8 litre engine giving an output of 166bhp a big number in the 1940's. The engine was placed in the rear and was a traditional rear wheel drive. The car had took off from 0 to 60 mph in 9 seconds and this required good brakes. The car had powerful disc brakes that helped the long car stop in under 4 meters. Now lets move on to the safety features, well! if you think what safety features a 1940's car would have , then you will be astonished to here the safety features of this marvellous car. The car had rear engine and a frunk(front trunk), this improved the car's structural strength. The car had a front crash bucket into which both the driver and front passengers could duck into in case of a frontal collision . The glasses in the car were all shatterproof and the front windshield would pop out during a frontal collision . The car had a pre determined speed controller a pre-mature form of the automatic transmission. The suspension of the car could be adjusted with just a spanner . The entire car was held down by 10 bolts and the chassis and body could be taken apart in minutes allowing the technicians to work on the engine more easily and even replace it in case of faults. One of the most interesting features of the car was the "Cyclops" headlight. The car had three headlights of which the centre light was linearly connected to the axle and the light turned along with the wheels. This feature came was introduced by Merc and BMW only in 2008 on their highest models as an option, but the in the 48 it was a standard feature.
But only 51 of these cars were ever produced . Making it the most rare American Classic. After the start of production , Tucker had built 47 Torpedo cars .
Preston had contracted Mr.Bennington the then CEO of the Big Three to help him build cars, who finally plotted a trap for the Tucker enterprise along with Sen. Ferguson, the SEC and the FBI, foreseeing the car's demand and its victory in the American market. Bennington said Tucker that selling his car with the rear engine , safety belts, turbochargers and pop out windows will not be possible and only increase the production charges. Bennington at once quit the Tucker ent. and began creating his very own 1940's Plymouth with a rear wheel drive system and all features that the Tucker had.
Soon a lawsuit was charged against Preston for fraud and was commissioned to jail for 155 years. Soon after , a court session was conducted where Mr. Preston's factory was sold of to a company that made pre-fab houses and the Tucker company was closed down forever. But Preston was not found guilty and all charges against him were ruled out.
In 1954 the very last Tucker rolled out with a half finished body and interior which was later completed by some barn technicians as called by the Big Three.
This rare classic is a car that lives upto this day and its technological achievements were far more advanced than any other car of its time, most of which have become standard these days, if GM had not kill Tucker, we could have still moved around in a charming Tucker. Today 46 of the 51 cars live either in Museums around the world or in the garages of their beloved owners. The car still stands as a mark of respect to the great man, Preston Tucker
Dedicated to the greatest car builder of the century a man who saved several lives :Preston Tucker
The fall of the Tucker
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| Preston Tucker |
Preston had contracted Mr.Bennington the then CEO of the Big Three to help him build cars, who finally plotted a trap for the Tucker enterprise along with Sen. Ferguson, the SEC and the FBI, foreseeing the car's demand and its victory in the American market. Bennington said Tucker that selling his car with the rear engine , safety belts, turbochargers and pop out windows will not be possible and only increase the production charges. Bennington at once quit the Tucker ent. and began creating his very own 1940's Plymouth with a rear wheel drive system and all features that the Tucker had.
Soon a lawsuit was charged against Preston for fraud and was commissioned to jail for 155 years. Soon after , a court session was conducted where Mr. Preston's factory was sold of to a company that made pre-fab houses and the Tucker company was closed down forever. But Preston was not found guilty and all charges against him were ruled out.
In 1954 the very last Tucker rolled out with a half finished body and interior which was later completed by some barn technicians as called by the Big Three.
This rare classic is a car that lives upto this day and its technological achievements were far more advanced than any other car of its time, most of which have become standard these days, if GM had not kill Tucker, we could have still moved around in a charming Tucker. Today 46 of the 51 cars live either in Museums around the world or in the garages of their beloved owners. The car still stands as a mark of respect to the great man, Preston Tucker
Dedicated to the greatest car builder of the century a man who saved several lives :Preston Tucker
