page_title: Preston Tucker
section_title: Tucker Corporation and the 1948 Tucker Sedan (1944–1947)
hierarchical_section_title: Preston Tucker / Tucker Corporation and the 1948 Tucker Sedan (1944–1947)
caption_attribution_description: Tucker Torpedo 1948
context_page_description: Preston Thomas Tucker was an American automobile entrepreneur.
  He is most remembered for his Tucker 48 sedan, initially nicknamed the "Tucker Torpedo", an automobile which introduced many features that have since become widely used in modern cars. Production of the Tucker '48 was shut down amidst scandal and controversial accusations of stock fraud on March 3, 1949. The 1988 movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream is based on Tucker's spirit and the saga surrounding the car's production.
context_section_description: After the war, the public was ready for totally new car designs, but the Big Three Detroit automakers had not developed any new models since 1941, and were in no hurry to introduce them. That provided great opportunities for new small, independent automakers who could develop new cars more rapidly than the huge legacy automakers. Tucker saw his opportunity to develop and bring his "car of tomorrow" to market. Another small automaker, Studebaker, was first with an all-new postwar model, but Tucker took a different tack, designing a safety car with innovative features and modern styling.
  Tucker's first design appeared in Science Illustrated magazine in December 1946, showing a futuristic version of the car with a hydraulic drive system designed by George Lawson, along with a photo of a 1/8 scale model blown up to appear full sized, titled the "Torpedo on Wheels". That was only an early rendering of the proposal, with its design features yet to meet reality, but the motoring public was now excited about the Tucker.
  To finish the prototype design and get construction under way, Tucker hired famed stylist Alex Tremulis, previously of Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg, on December 24, 1946, and gave him just six days to finalize the design. On December 31, 1946, Tucker approved Tremulis's preliminary design.  Tucker's future-car became known as the "Tucker Torpedo" from the first Lawson sketch; however, not desiring to bring to mind the horrors of WWII, Tucker quickly changed the name to the "Tucker '48".  With Tremulis's design sketch, a full-page advertisement was run in March 1947 in many national newspapers claiming "How 15 years of testing produced the car of the year".  Tucker said he had been thinking about the car for 15 years. The second advertisement described specifically many of the innovative features Tucker proposed for his car, many of which would not make it to the final car. This advertisement had the public very excited about this car, but Tucker had much work to do before a prototype was ready to be shown.
  To finalize the design, Tucker hired the New York design firm J. Gordon Lippincott to create an alternate body. Only the front end and horizontal taillight bar designs were retained for the final car.  Another car, a sportier version of the Tucker '48 called the Tucker Talisman, was sketched as well but never left the drawing board.
  To diversify his corporation, Tucker imported Italian engineer Secondo Campini, who was well known and respected in the aviation industry. He was put in charge of pursuing a US Air Force development contract, hoping to use Tucker's huge Chicago factory to someday build more than just cars. Campini and Tucker also began developing plans for a gas turbine-powered car to be produced by Tucker.
  The Tucker Export Corporation was also formed, based in New York, which was established as an entity to manage worldwide sales of Tucker's cars.  Headed by Tucker's long-time friend, Colombian Max Garavito, distributorships were set up internationally, including South America and South Africa.
  Tucker assembled a group of leaders for his corporation that read like a "who's who" of the automotive industry:
  Fred Rockelman; Tucker VP and Sales Director (Formerly president of Plymouth)
  Hanson Brown; Executive VP (Formerly VP for General Motors)
  KE Lyman; Development engineer (Formerly of Bendix Corporation and Borg-Warner)
  Ben Parsons; Tucker engineering VP and chief engineer (International fuel injection expert)
  Lee S. Treese; VP of manufacturing (Formerly a Ford executive)
  Herbert Morley; (Borg-Warner plant manager)
  Robert Pierce; VP and Treasurer (Formerly secretary of Briggs Manufacturing Company)
  Tucker and his colleagues were able to obtain the largest factory building in the world, the 475-acre (1.92 km²) Dodge Chicago Aircraft Engine Plant, which was later known as the Chicago Dodge Plant, from the War Assets Administration.  The facility had previously been used to build the massive Wright R-3350 Cyclone engines for B-29 Superfortress aircraft during WWII.  Tucker, thinking long-term, believed this
caption: 1948 Tucker Torpedo 8511815871
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