Preston Tucker, the inventor of the Tucker car, was a charismatic rebel who, regrettably, became possessed by his creativity and was determined to accomplish what many people thought was impossible. His creative well was overflowing with activity. As his career progressed, it became clear that his destiny was to defy his contemporaries and accomplish the impossible. In search of his Goliath, he was like David. He was an avid gambler and lacked no fear. He jumped into an inevitable collision with the establishment head first, willing to take a chance on his fame and wealth. He was driven to realize his vision and produce the car he thought America deserved: a safer, sportier, and wholly unorthodox sedan with superior engineering that his rivals simply could not match.
Early in his career, he and a colleague assisted Henry Ford with the engineering and design of race cars. A powered gun turret that was mounted to military vehicles during the Second World War was invented by Tucker. The invention of the Tucker Turret was crucial to the success of the allied armies.
The reason Tucker is most well-known is because he founded his own, incredibly innovative car company, the Tucker Corporation, in an effort to compete with the Big Three American Auto Manufacturers. Tucker wanted to create a car that excelled in design, safety, performance, value, and engineering by using his unconventional knowledge and common sense. If Tucker succeeded it would have taken the “Big Three” several years and hundreds of millions dollars to retrofit their cars in an attempt to compete. And in doing so, they would have lost control of the American auto industry and been forced to sit on the side of the road watching a Tucker pass by. With what he called the Tucker 48, Tucker achieved his goal.
When it first debuted, the Tucker 48 sedan was unlike any other vehicle ever made. Some of its most unique features were a “Safety Windshield”, a centered swiveling third headlight, a quick swap powertrain setup, and a rear mounted “flat six” aircraft engine that had been updated with water jackets for proper cooling. The Safety Windshield was made to be easily removed in case of an accident and was anti-shard laminated. To aid the driver in seeing around turns in the road, the third headlight’s center was swiveled while being moved in time with the steering wheel. Even today, synchronized headlights don’t appear in any but the most expensive cars and their appearance is a relatively recent addition to what are supposed to be “state of the art” automobiles.
When you arrive at a Tucker service center, the quick swap powertrain (engine and transmission) setup can be quickly switched out. This system was developed so that customers could drop off the powertrain at the dealership and leave quickly with a “loaner powertrain.” An owner would be able to avoid the inconvenience of having to wait days, sometimes, while their car was being repaired, which is a problem with conventional cars. Consider the benefit of such a choice if you were driving a large family vehicle over a distance.
