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Tucker



Tucker

Tucker

Tucker

Tucker

Tucker

1948 Tucker

"The Car of Tomorrow, Today"

On Loan from Debbie Hall

Engine Flat opposed, 6 cyl Assembled in Chicago, IL
Bore & Stroke 4.5 x 3.5 inches Number Built 51
Displacement 335 cu in Transmission 4-speed manual
Valves L-head Fuel Economy 25 mpg
Horsepower 166 @ 3200 rpm Top speed 120 mph
Wheelbase 128 inches Cost new $2450
Weight 4235 lbs. Other  

          The only American car that received more publicity than the Kaiser in the post World War II years was the Tucker Torpedo. Preston Tucker was determined to build a new car with more forward-looking features - "the first completely new car in fifty years" as the Tucker brochures stated. At his side, the flamboyant Tucker had Alex Tremulis, the renowned auto stylist who had learned his craft from E.L. Cord. The original design for the new car featured a center placed steering wheel and front fenders that would turn with the wheels. In the original design, the car used a horizontally opposed engine with hydraulically actuated valves, and an integrated crankshaft driving an automatic transmission. This engine could not be made functional in time for production, so a Franklin helicopter engine, modified from air to liquid cooling, was used to drive a redesigned Cord front wheel drive transmission replacing the Turnermatic (which was not developed in time to be installed in the production Tuckers).
          In place of the moving front fenders, Tucker installed a third headlight that turned with the steering wheel. The "Cyclops Eye" headlight was just one of several safety features that were placed in the Tucker. The dash area was padded, the windshields could be popped out, and all controls were grouped in front of the driver. The area ahead of the front seat, called the Safety Chamber, was a large carpeted box that driver and front seat occupants could drop into if a crash was imminent. Tucker had considered safety belts, but they were abandoned because designers felt that they might imply his car was unsafe. The disc brakes planned for the car were abandoned because of cost, but the car retained all-independent suspension and tubular shocks. Though not built with uni-body construction like Hudson, the Tucker had a step down passenger compartment, which gave the car a very low center of gravity. This, in turn, allowed the 4200-pound car to handle surprisingly well.