In 1948, a visionary named Preston Tucker tried to change the automotive industry.
Some components and features of the car were innovative and ahead of their time.
1) The most recognizable feature of the Tucker '48, a directional third headlight (known as the "Cyclops Eye" ), would activate at steering angles of greater than 10 degrees to light the car's path around corners.
2) A perimeter frame surrounded the vehicle for crash protection, as well as a roll bar integrated into the roof.
3) The windshield was made of shatterproof glass and designed to pop out in a collision to protect occupants.
4) The doors extended into the roof, to ease entry and exit.
5) A collapsible steering column design.
6) A glove box was added to the front door panels instead of the more conventional location in the dash to provide space for the “crash chamber” that the Tucker is now famous for. This is a padded area ahead of the passenger seat, free from obstructions, providing the front seat passengers an area to protect themselves in the event of an accident.
7) The engine and transmission were mounted on a separate subframe which was secured with only six bolts. The entire drive train could thus be lowered and removed from the car in minutes. Tucker envisioned loaner engines being quickly swapped in for service in just 30 minutes.
All these items are found on cars today and thought of as standard features. Only 51 cars were made before the company folded on March 3, 1949, due to negative publicity initiated by the news media, a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and a heavily publicized stock fraud trial (in which allegations were proven baseless in court with a full acquittal). Speculation exists that the Big Three automakers and Michigan senator Homer S. Ferguson also had a role in the Tucker Corporation's demise.
It has happen before, lets hope history does not repeat itself with Tesla..
Some components and features of the car were innovative and ahead of their time.
1) The most recognizable feature of the Tucker '48, a directional third headlight (known as the "Cyclops Eye" ), would activate at steering angles of greater than 10 degrees to light the car's path around corners.
2) A perimeter frame surrounded the vehicle for crash protection, as well as a roll bar integrated into the roof.
3) The windshield was made of shatterproof glass and designed to pop out in a collision to protect occupants.
4) The doors extended into the roof, to ease entry and exit.
5) A collapsible steering column design.
6) A glove box was added to the front door panels instead of the more conventional location in the dash to provide space for the “crash chamber” that the Tucker is now famous for. This is a padded area ahead of the passenger seat, free from obstructions, providing the front seat passengers an area to protect themselves in the event of an accident.
7) The engine and transmission were mounted on a separate subframe which was secured with only six bolts. The entire drive train could thus be lowered and removed from the car in minutes. Tucker envisioned loaner engines being quickly swapped in for service in just 30 minutes.
All these items are found on cars today and thought of as standard features. Only 51 cars were made before the company folded on March 3, 1949, due to negative publicity initiated by the news media, a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and a heavily publicized stock fraud trial (in which allegations were proven baseless in court with a full acquittal). Speculation exists that the Big Three automakers and Michigan senator Homer S. Ferguson also had a role in the Tucker Corporation's demise.
It has happen before, lets hope history does not repeat itself with Tesla..
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