Preston Tucker and his battle to build the car of tomorrow
By: Steve Lehto ; foreword by Jay Leno
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
ISBN-13: 9781613749531
Subjects: Tucker automobile; Automobile industry and trade; Experimental automobiles; History
Description: "In the wake of World War II, the U.S. automobile industry was fully unprepared to meet the growing demands of the public, for whom they had not made any cars for years. In stepped Preston Tucker, a salesman extraordinaire who announced the building of a revolutionary new car: the Tucker '48, the first car in almost a decade to be built fresh from the ground up. Tucker's car, which would include ingenious advances in design and engineering that other car companies could not match, captured the interest of the public, and automakers in Detroit took notice. Here, author Steve Lehto tackles Tucker's amazing story, relying on a huge trove of documents that has been used by no other writer to date. It is the first comprehensive, authoritative account of Tucker's magnificent car and his battles with the government. And in this book, Lehto finally answers the question automobile aficionados have wondered about for decades: exactly how and why the production of such an innovative car was killed. After World War II, the American automobile industry was reeling. Having spent years building weapons, the car companies had not made any cars for years. And then, in stepped Preston Tucker. This salesman extraordinaire from Detroit had built race cars before the war, and had been a defense contractor during it. Now, gathering a group of brilliant automotive designers, engineers, and promoters, he announced the building of a revolutionary new car: the Tucker '48, the first car in almost a decade to be built fresh from the ground up. Tucker's car would include ingenious advances in design and engineering that other car companies could not match. But the Big Three did not take Tucker's threat lightly. While Tucker raised money, leased a plant in Chicago, lined up franchises worldwide, sold millions of shares of stock, and built the first of his cars, the SEC, headed by a former Detroit man, began investigating him. Tucker fought on, showing his cars around the country while investigators seized his books. And when the SEC leaked a report to the press that Tucker was going to be indicted for a scheme of massive fraud, Tucker's stock crashed and America came to believe that he was nothing but a huckster. Steve Lehto has here tackled Tucker's amazing story, relying on a huge trove of documents that no other writer to date has used. In this book, Lehto finally answers the question automobile aficionados have wondered about for decades: exactly how and why the production of such an innovative car was killed"--

"The first comprehensive, authoritative account of the amazing rise and tragic fall of Preston Tucker, the visionary entrepreneur who, in the wake of World War II, took on the Big Three automakers to create a revolutionary new vehicle: the Tucker '48, the first car in almost a decade to be built fresh from the ground up"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-254) and index.
Table of contents: title: An early morning car crash; title: Preston Thomas Tucker; title: Harry Miller; title: The Tucker combat car; title: Andrew Higgins; title: Tucker's automobile plans; title: The PIC article; title: The Tucker Corporation; title: Ticker acquires a plant; title: Before the stock offering; title: The tin goose; title: Getting ready; title: The tin goose unveiled; title: The stock offering; title: Post-tin goose; title: Gearing up for production; title: The first car off the assembly line: #100!; title: The accessories program; title: The end of the dream; title: Bankruptcy; title: The SEC report; title: The grand jury; title: Collier's and Reader's digest; title: The trial; title: The civil suits; title: Preston Tucker speaks out; title: Joseph Turnbull testifies again; title: The last days of Preston Tucker; title: The movie; title: After; title: The Tucker legacy; title: The fleet of Tucker '48 sedans.