tucker automobiles

45t

Well-Known Member
#2
I was actually lucky enough to see one of the original 48 Tuckers at a car show. It was roped off with security, you couldn't get very close to it.

It was very cool to see in person. :thumbsup:
 
#3
i just found out that paramont actually made a movie about the company and it is a very cool story and im only 22 if i was alive back then i would have owned one and i would still like to own one till this day
 
#5
ok well they have the movie on youtube it tells the entire story behind the whole thing and it is a really really good movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream [Full Movie].HD - YouTube and beside that you can see why it is such a tantilizing subject to me. p.s. if you dont watch the movie dont write things in the thread about how dumb he was and the car sucks it isnt as fast as my corrvette. well the thing is this all happen in the 1940 and this car had thing that last year came out on the new mercedes who are inovators of are day and age just to put it in to some form of perspective.
 
#6
They are sooooooo ugly.
I like Henry J's and Kaisers, especially the Specials and Dragons so a Tucker has a certain appeal to me in a so ugly it's beautiful kind of way. Preston Tucker was a visionary and the cars are a marvel of engineering for the time. I have seen two pristine examples, one in a private collection and one at a car show. I like the styling and the mix of simplicity and revolutionary ideas that made it what it was. I wonder what would have happened had he not failed, other makers might have adopted some of the features. The Cords were another example of a revolutionary technology that only later became the standard of the industry. He made his mark in the automotive world and I would like to think he inspired others to dare to dream. Harley Earl designed some wild stuff but also some of the most beautiful and elegant autos ever built. I love the big old cars with advanced technology and there were many! Tuckers are cool!:thumbsup: I can't sleep and am rambling so I'll end my post and say the movie was good and folks should watch it.
 
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#10
I like Henry J's and Kaisers, .......
Kaiser was a vissionary for more than just cars.
He was also the kind of buisness man we need more of today.

His Aluminum works was built because he was pissed off at the lack of competition and price gouging he suffered. He could have simply imported metal from someplace else to escape Alcoa instead he created a compeditor and a company that not only was good for him but American and his workers.
And a lesson there too.....
When Glencore took ownership of that company the man that not only ran the wheels off it was convicted of helping Sadam Husane of importing restricted materials after the 1st gulf war. He bought a pardon from Clinton and returned to Switzerland where hides from the public eye with his wealth. And Kaizer aluminum exists no more as well as most of the jobs.....
 
#11
One of the things I remember from that movie was the idea of the affordable Kerosene fridge.

I guess it never happened but you can buy such fridges today.
Gas Refrigerator SUPERSTORE -Danby 8ft $999- HERE ONLY! Large selection of propane gas refrigerators at discount prices

Getting off topic now but I often wonder if this is where the idea came from.
I have often thpought about building one of these just for the novelty of it ( but I would add valves so you could carge it and put it aside for use later....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Ball
 

zeeman

Active Member
#12
The Tuckers are really cool. I have enjoyed the movie several times. Kevin Costner is good in it, and I guess it is Hollywood magic the way they show such a large number of cars in the same sceens. When I saw the travelling Smithsonian Exhibit many years ago, they had a Tucker. There was a guard there to make sure nobody took flash pictures. I actually took my daughter to see Dorothy's red slippers, but the Tucker happended to be there.
 
#13
well im glade someone was able to enjoy the things i posted and that some people are still able to enjoy the the things that i think should spark intrest in everyone.:thumbsup:
 

Mean Dean

Active Member
#16
I agree with a lot here. He was a great visionary and a mover. He did invent some cool things for the car. I think they had two real cars and the rest of the cars were Fiberglas body replicas. No guts or anything. One of the Prop cars is in the Hudson Motor Car Museum in Ypsilanti, Mi. They have some cool stuff in there too. The movie was good also.
 
#17
The Tucker was built in My home town,in fact the building is still there and has been the home of Marsh plating for over 40 years....the shipping and receiving area has been moved to the front,but inside still has the old wood flooring in spots....In a raffle,I won a 1/18 scale model of a Tucker that is signed by John Tucker,his brother....I love the air cooled heli engine that was used,mid-engine too!....Scootercat....
 
#18
That was back when the big three ruled the car industry here in this country. They where responsible for the disappearance of a lot of the smaller car company's back then. If they didn't put you out of business, they bought you out.
 
#19
That was back when the big three ruled the car industry here in this country. They where responsible for the disappearance of a lot of the smaller car company's back then. If they didn't put you out of business, they bought you out.
That is kind of sad too.

Although some see the hand of the big three in the demise of many smaller manufacturers its important to realize you need economies of scale to survive in the mass production buisness.

But think of all the very cool and inovative designs that came along because the smaller manufactures had to be creative.

Someone was talking about the Pacer and othr AMC products....
Think about it for a second.
Those designs and styling were WAY out there on the edge.
Those guys were gambling and letting it all hang out in an effort to get ahead of the big three.
In many respects these companies pushed inovation.
The Hornet, the Pacer the Avanti, the Cord, all were very forward thinking specialty cars designed at a time when you had to stand out to survive.

Now cars all look like metled Jelly beans. In some cases it looks like you could swap a fender from one to another and it would bolt on.
 
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