Tucker 48: The Car of Tomorrow

Tucker 48: The Car of Tomorrow

J.M. Syken

Course Outline

In this course, we will examine the creation of one of the most iconic automobiles of the 20th Century – the Tucker 48. Our review will include the background of the car’s namesake – Preston Thomas Tucker, including his association with automobiles from early childhood, work in various capacities for most major automobile companies of the pre-WWII era, association with race car designer Harry Miller and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the founding of the Tucker Corporation for the purpose of producing Tucker automobiles. The many controversies surrounding Preston Tucker – his concepts, motivations, intentions, character etc. will be discussed as well as his trial on fraud charges. The post-trial period and Preston Tucker’s efforts to build a second car (after the demise of Tucker Corp.) will also be discussed in depth and detail.

The post-WWII period which created a large consumer market for automobiles, the failure of the “Big Three” to meet that demand and the effort of Tucker and other manufacturers to enter the domestic auto market will also be reviewed/discussed. The many technical innovations, safety features etc. introduced by the Tucker 48 will be of special interest. In particular, the placement of the engine in the rear, its pros and cons and background history of aft-mounted power plants will be a subject of much study. The use of a helicopter engine adapted to an automobile platform and the improvised use of a Cord front-wheel-drive transmission as an improvisation (upon the failure of the initial 589 ci engine and use of torque converters in lieu of a transmission) will be especially relevant. As well, the legacy of safety features first used/intended for the Tucker 48 and the car’s unique styling will be discussed at length.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Understand/appreciate the importance of race car design and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in particular, to the advancement of automotive technology;
Understand/appreciate the post-WWII automotive market and the failure of the “Big Three” to meet the demand for new styles/innovations;
Understand/appreciate Preston Tucker’s motivations in creating the Tucker Corporation and its mantra of “Safety With Style” as a selling point;
Understand/appreciate the innovative design features of the Tucker 48 including a 589 ci experimental engine, its shortcomings, and the purchase of Aircooled Motors and the use of its Franklin flat-six helicopter engine as a substitute power plant;
Understand/appreciate the adaptation of water-cooling for the Franklin engine in lieu of air-cooling;
Understand/appreciate the pros and cons of air-cooled engines adapted for automobile use;
Understand/appreciate the initial intention to use torque converters in lieu of a standard transmission as a cost and weight saving measure and the failure of this effort;
Understand/appreciate the adaptation of a Cord fwd transmission as a stopgap measure and the design of Tucker’s in-house manual and automatic transmission/s;
Understand/appreciate the inclusion of a third, center-mounted headlight – it’s purpose, function, limitations etc. and present-day use in automobiles
Understand/appreciate the background history, purpose, advantages, disadvantages etc. of aft-mounted engines in automobiles;
Understand/appreciate the George Lawson-designed “Tucker Torpedo,” its features and adaptations to the design of the later realized Tucker 48 design;
Understand/appreciate the difficulties encountered by Tucker Corp. in mass producing a new car in the post-WWII economic climate;
Understand/appreciate the “Surplus Property Act” and the purpose of the War Asserts Administration in disposing of wartime facilities for peacetime uses;
Understand/appreciate the obtaining by Tucker Corp of the Dodge Chicago B-29 engine plant and the controversy surrounding it;
Understand/appreciate the attempts by Tucker Corp. to obtain other WAA facilities;
Understand/appreciate the corporate makeup/executive personnel of Tucker Corp. and its production facilities;
Understand/appreciate the dealer/distributor network established by the Tucker Corp.;
Understand/appreciate the creation of the “Tin Goose” prototype as an exercise in expediency/improvisation and its tumultuous introduction to the world on June 19, 1947;
Understand/appreciate the background/career and contributions of automotive designer Alex Tremulis to the design if the Tucker 48 and other Tucker concept vehicles;
Understand/appreciate the contributions of the design firm Lippincott & Margulies to the Tucker 48’s styling;
Understand/appreciate the replica vehicles of the Tucker vehicles for the 1988 Tucker movie, by Rob Ida Concepts and in the imagination of designers;
Understand/appreciate the importance of the Francis Ford Coppola directed Tucker biographical movie, its relevance and impact on the Tucker story/revival;
Understand/appreciate the creation of the AACA museum in Hershey, PA featuring the extensive collection of Tucker cars, parts, documents, memorabilia etc. of the late collector David Cammack;
Understand/appreciate the role of the heirs of Preston Tucker in keeping the memory of both the car and man alive;
Understand/appreciate the controversy surrounding the sale of Tucker stock, accessories etc. and how it led to the bringing of fraud charges against Preston Tucker and several Tucker Corp. executives by the SEC;
Understand/appreciate the various magazine articles that appeared, at the time, and their influences on public opinion/perception;
Understand/appreciate the trial and exoneration on all charges;
Understand/appreciate the demise of the Tucker Corp. in the wake of the trial;
Understand/appreciate the auctioning of the assets of the Tucker Corp and the distribution of Tucker parts/components far and wide in its aftermath;
Understand/appreciate what happened to the single prototype and fifty pre-production vehicles produced;
Understand/appreciate the controversy surrounding the Tucker convertible;
Understand/appreciate the market for Tucker vehicles and the huge sums they bring at auction present-day;
Understand/appreciate the belated adaptation by automobile manufacturers of many of the safety features first introduced by the Tucker 48, first as optional equipment and now as standard features;
Understand/appreciate the effort by Preston Tucker to produce a second car in the 1950s based on the lessons he learned in producing the first Tucker;
Understand/appreciate the life and legacy of Preston Thomas Tucker to the automotive industry.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the creation of one of the 20th Century’s most iconic and technologically advanced/significant automobiles.

Course Introduction

The course includes an in-depth PowerPoint presentation and the viewing of several documentary films.

Course Content

In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:

Tucker 48: The Car of Tomorrow (printable handout in PDF, 36 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Tucker 48: The Car of Tomorrow (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 44 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Archival/Documentary Film:

TITLE: Tucker Documentary
LINK: https://archive.org/details/TuckerDocumentary
DURATION: 46:50
TITLE: Tucker – The Man and the Car (1948)
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNIYFcVH-jA
DURATION: 16:09
TITLE: Great Cars: TUCKER
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LyTMt8mNY
DURATION: 25:03

Course Summary

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
Wayne Gretsky

Of course, the “Great One” was referring to shots-on-goal, but it seems Preston Thomas Tucker applied this simple, yet effective philosophy to life, in general. A consummate salesman and immensely likable, he maneuvered his way through the many minefields placed in his path and even when one or two mines went off underfoot, he remained undaunted. He seems to have gotten his inspiration from two auto-industry pioneers who preceded him. It took Henry Ford two failed attempts to achieve success third time ‘round. Even more inspiring was R.E. Olds. When his uncle and cousin forced him out of his namesake company – Oldsmobile, he simply started a new company – REO (for Ransom Eli Olds) and competed with them directly with innovation after innovation. In fact, had his death in 1956 (at the age of 53) not intervened, we might all be driving some variation of “The Car of Tomorrow,” today.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Tucker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Tucker_Sedan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTga-68fplQ
(Film – Tucker Combat Car – 11:27)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t3akMEm9bI
(Film – Engines for Superbombers – 15:27)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeCgFeadUY4
(Film – A Rare Look at Tucker Cars – 04;30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3196cUsLOE
(Film – The Evolution of the Tucker Exhibit – 14:12)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6jzCdESDrc
(Film – 1948 Tucker Torpedo – 04:06)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrR-EjOLUrY
(Film: Tucker 48: The Car That Was Too Good for Detroit - 12:40)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCcqQOFayFU
(Film - 1948 Davis Divan - Jay Leno's Garage - 26:32)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.