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70 Years of Tucker

June 22, 2017John Paul - Historic Vehicle AssociationArticles, History, National Historic Vehicle Register3 comments

Seventy years ago this month, Preston Tucker unveiled the now iconic automobile that bears his name. Check out this retrospective along with a video of John Tucker remembering his legendary grandfather.

On June 19, 1947, an automotive visionary named Preston Tucker unveiled what he hoped would be the future of the automobile to a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators. It was an auspicious start for the newly established Tucker Car Corporation.

Dubbed the “Tin Goose,” the Tucker ’48 prototype was unlike any other automobile at the time. Aerodynamic, loaded with advanced safety features and never-before-seen innovations like the “Cyclops-center headlight” that turned with the wheels, Tucker’s creation set a new and exciting bar for cutting-edge automotive technology and styling. Ultimately, however, the rest of the story is remembered as a tale of “what might have been.”

There’s still plenty of debate on what led to the downfall of this ambitious company and whether or not Detroit’s Big Three—in an effort to shutdown an upstart competitor—really was behind the scandal and accusations of tax fraud that landed Preston Tucker in federal court. Tucker was eventually exonerated of all charges, but years of litigation left his company bankrupt and his reputation in tatters.

Tucker died of cancer in 1956 at the age of 53. Only 51 Tucker sedans were built during his company’s brief lifespan, of which only 47 remain. Learn more about Preston Tucker, his creation and the history of the Tucker Car Corporation from his grandson, John Tucker.

Tags: 1947 Tucker 48 Prototype "The Tin Goose", Preston Tucker, Tucker
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  • fordfool

    this man Presson Tucker set the USA on-edge waiting for HIS car…it proved a success…..but his hatred from within the “auto-mfrs” caused his doom along w/ the “wrong Congman at the Right time..”
    Nowhere but in America, could such a victorious man meet head-on w/ pre-planned defeat. He was V good.

  • djudster

    Some of the “safety features” were in fact available many years before, such as the Cyclops turning headlight. Packard had this feature in the 1920’s. Ford has safety glass as early as 1928. Still an awesome vehicle in other ways.

  • George Giese

    Preston Tucker is also survived by a granddaughter who sells real estate in southern New Mexico. A very nice lady by the way too. As far as I know, the Tucker family does not have a Tucker automobile – what a shame.

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