Spirit of America Bookstore
Preston Tucker
[1903-1956]
 | short profile |  |
Serial entrepreneur Preston Tucker invented and produced a better automobile than Detroit was selling in 1948, and a combination of the big
manufacturers and their politician cronies and government bureaucrats brought Tucker's innovative competition to a standstill.
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1999.
Preston Tucker entry at Wikipedia
search books on keywords 'Preston Tucker' at Amazon
incomplete credits at Internet Movie Database
Miller-Tucker-Ford racecars, 1935
In 1935, Preston Tucker formed a venture with famed racecar and engine builder Harry Miller, calling the Dearborn, Michigan company Miller-Tucker. The plan was to convince an automaker to underwrite cars for the annual Indianapolis 500 race. Tucker talked Henry Ford into sponsoring a fleet of ten Miller-Tucker cars built using engines and parts furnished by Ford, along with committing $25,000 to the project. Tucker and Miller would keep any prize money and retain the cars after the event; Ford would obtain bragging rights.
Henry Ford provided start-up funding of $25,000; costs skyrocketed and he was asked for $50,000 more. The ten cars were built, using standard Ford V-8 flathead engines, albeit turned around to accomodate front-wheel drive (an innovation). But Miller-Tucker was forced to hurry in order to enter the race in May, and little testing was done; 5 cars were ready, only four qualified, none of the cars finished the race. This made Henry Ford unhappy; the situation got worse when Tucker billed Ford for the full $117,000 spent for the construction of the ten cars. Ford grudgingly agreed to pay the debt, but demanded possession of all ten cars, which accidentaly survived his order for destruction.
8/2017 Road & Track magazine article on the Miller-Tucker-Ford 1935 Indy 500 racing team
All ten of the original Miller-Tucker-Ford racecars survive to this day.
An unnumbered car (blue on white) is on static display at The Henry Ford Museum 
Number 23 (red on white) shows up at vintage race rallies {photo above}
The blue #33 Gilmore Special racecar seemed to belong here, but turned out to be a 1933 racecar by another maker 
{the final clue was the vents on the engine compartment}
Number 35 (white on red) shows up at vintage race rallies 
Number 42 (navy on silver) is on static display at the American Museum of Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska 
Ted Horn’s Number 43 (white on black) shows up at vintage race rallies 
Number 46 was driven by Bob Sall in the 1935 Indy race 
Number 54 Bowes Seal Fast Special (white over black) shows up at vintage race rallies 
Number 59 (all black) was shown in unrestored condition at the 2004 Harry A. Miller Club’s annual rally 
another is on indoor display at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
. . . and there is still one vehicle whose info is not found (2017).
John Hollinsworth commissioned Vintage Fabrication in Independence, Missouri to build a replica based on Ted Horn’s 1935 Miller Ford
(white on black); that white-on-red replica was completed in early 2016 and is numbered 43 
The Miller/Offenhauser Historical Society [est. 1999 - last update 2014]
 | "Miller: Cars & Biography" [1993] by Griffith Borgeson, with the Smithsonian Institution MotorBooks Intl. (MBI) 10½x10½ hardcover [8/93] out of print/used MotorBooks Intl. (MBI) 10½x10½ hardcover [8/93] out of print/used |
 | "The Marvelous Mechanical Designs of Harry A. Miller" [2004] by Gordon Eliot White Enthusiast Books 8½x10½ pb [10/2004] for $27.91 |
Tucker Torpedo, 1948
Preston Tucker tried to bring an innovative new car design to the American public in the late 1940s, with an emphasis on safety and performance features. But Preston Tucker's dream was never to reach fruition. Plagued by production problems and, more importantly, investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tucker's car never made it to the consumer market. There is speculation that Preston Tucker was the victim of sabotage, possibly by the large automobile manufacturers who did not want to see Tucker's innovative new car on the market. Although Tucker was found innocent of any wrongdoing and cleared by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the delays and negative publicity forced his company to fold.
Tucker Torpedo entry at Wikipedia
list of all Tucker 48 cars at Wikipedia
Only 51 Tucker 48 vehicles were officially built; four are considered lost. The first Tucker produced was a prototype sedan, known as the 'Tin Goose'; 58 frames and bodies were built at the factory. From these parts, 36 sedans were finished before the factory was closed. After the factory closed, but before liquidation of his assets, Tucker retained a core of employees who assembled an additional 14 sedans, for a total of 50. A 51st car was partially completed. A few of the remaining frames and bodies were built into complete cars specifically #1052 and #1057 (the 1949 prototype with design changes), but the fate of the others is unknown.
Those on public display include: Swigart Antique Auto Museum in Huntingdon, PA owns #1000 & #1013; A.A.C.A. Museum in Hershey, PA owns #1001 & #1022 & #1026; Toyota Automobile Museum in Japan owns #1004; George Lucas owns #1009; Francis Ford Coppola of Geyserville, CA owns #1014 & #1037; The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI owns #1016; The Maine Classic Car Museum owns #1028 (purchased at auction in April 2019 from Tupelo Automobile Museum in Mississippi for $1.8 million); Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA owns #1030; National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada owns #1032; and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC owns #1039.
Tucker Torpedo #1057 - prototype convertible/cabriolet
vehicle/owner official website [est. 2009]
"Tucker Convertible" article & pix
VINwiki interview Facebook reel [12/2023]
¨ ¨
 | "The Indomitable Tin Goose: The True Story of Preston Tucker & His Car" [Abelard-Schuman 1960] by Charles T. Pearson Pocket mass pb [8/88] out of print/used Pocket mass pb [8/88] out of print/used Motorbooks Intl hardcover [6/74] out of print/used |
 | "Design and Destiny: The Making of The Tucker Automobile" [1989] by Philip S. Egan, Illustrations by Alex Tremulis On The Mark Publns 9x6 pb [4/89] out of print/used On The Mark Publns 9x6 pb [4/89] out of print/used On The Mark Publns 9½x6½ hardcover [6/2003] out of print/used |
Movies & Television, OtherMedia
incomplete credits at Internet Movie Database
"Tucker: The Man and His Dream"
[Lucasfilm Aug 1988]
  | Directed by Francis Ford Coppola; starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest, Mako, Elias Koteas, Christian Slater, Lloyd Bridges {as Sen. Ferguson} & Dean Stockwell {as Howard Hughes}; nominated for 3 Oscars
Lionsgate color widescreen Blu-ray [8/2018] for $9.99 Paramount widescreen color DVD [10/2000] for $18.00 Paramount color VHS [4/91] for $15.99 Alex/A&M soundtrack CD [8/95] 18 tracks - out of prodn/used A&M Records soundtrack MP-3 album [3/2013] 18 tracks for $9.49 watch 9/2022 official trailer [1:55] online at YouTube watch full movie free with ads [1:50:28] online at YouTube full credits from IMDb 'Teach With Movies ®' page movie tie-in novel by Robert Tine Pocket mass pb [8/88] out of print/used |
"Under The Hood: Making Tucker" 10-minute documentary [2000]
credits from IMDb - available on the Blu-ray edition
"Making of Tucker: The Man and His Dream" [2022]
watch 11/2022 docufilm [10:01] online at YouTube
"Automobiles - Tucker" [History Channel 1995]
 | Exec producer Philip Osborn; producer-writer Michael Rose; historical consultant Walter J. Boyne; narrated by Marv Henry
50-minute A&E Home Video color DVD+R [5/2006] for $13.50 no info at IMDb; no info at A&E watch full TV show [5/2015 low-res upload; 46:50] online at YouTube |
"A Look At The 1948 Tucker (Torpedo)" [2012]
watch tribute video [10/2012 upload; 43:16] online at YouTube
amateur video tribute to the 1948 Tucker by David Allen Rivera, which includes an inventory slide show of the 51 vehicles produced.
"Tucker 48: The Car That Was Too Good For Detroit" [2019]
mostly Tucker great-grandsons speaking, and also test drive footage
watch 1/2019 docufilm [12:40] online at YouTube
1:18 scale model car die cast by Yat Ming, burgundy color [wt: 3.2 pounds] - link gone
1:18 scale model car die cast by Yat Ming, 'waltz blue' color [wt: 3 pounds] - link gone
1:18 die cast scale model car by Road Signature, beige color for $46.99
1:18 die cast scale model car by Lucky Die Cast, 'waltz blue' color [wt: 3.4 pounds] for $64.95
1:18 die cast scale model car by Road Signature, 'waltz blue' color [wt: 4 pounds] for $67.35
1:18 die cast scale model car by FunForever, beige color [wt: 4 pounds] for $69.03
1:18 zinc alloy scale model car by RKMZXL, maroon color [wt: 4½ pounds] for $120.85
1:18 die cast scale model car by GerRit, 'waltz blue' color [wt: 4.4 pounds] for $167.33
1:24 die cast scale model car by OIMOLO, maroon color [wt: 2¾ pounds] - overpriced
1:43 die cast scale model car by Lucky Die Cast, 'waltz blue' [wt: 10.6 oz] for $16.23
1:43 resin closed cabriolet scale model car by Esval Models, 'waltz blue' color [wt: 3 pounds] for $99.99
1:43 resin open cabriolet scale model car by Esval Models, 'waltz blue' color for $99.99
1:43 resin closed cabriolet scale model car by Esval Models, 'waltz blue' color for $99.99
4-inch die cast scale model car by Mattel Hot Wheels, black/green color [wt: 4.3 oz] for $19.00
1:64 die cast scale model car by Johnny Lightning, maroon color+decal [wt: 4 oz] for $14.99
Works About Preston Tucker
search books on keywords 'Preston Tucker' at Amazon
 | "Preston Tucker & Others: Tales of Brilliant Automotive Innovators & Innovations" [2011] by Arvid Linde subjects include Preston Tucker, Carl F.W. Borgward (Germany), and John DeLorean; over 150 illustrations Kindle Edition from Veloce Publng [9/2011] for $19.99 {sic} Veloce Publng 9x6 pb [4/2011] for $11.00 Veloce Publng 9x6 pb [4/2011] out of print/used |
 | "Preston Tucker and His Battle To Build The Car of Tomorrow" [2016] by Steve Lehto, Foreword by Jay Leno Kindle Edition from Chicago Review Press [7/2016] for $14.99 Chicago Review Press 9x6 hardcover [7/2016] for $19.03 |
Image Gallery
Family & Friends
Preston Thomas Tucker was born in Capac, Michigan in 1903; he died of lung cancer & pneumonia at home in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1956.
wife Vera A. Fuqua Tucker [1903-95] - married 1923, widowed 1956
daughter Shirley Hozier Tucker
son Preston Thomas Tucker, Jr.
daughter Mary Lee McAndrew Tucker
son Noble Tucker
son John Richard Tucker [b. 1930]
great-grandsons Sean and Mike Tucker
formed Preston Tucker, LLC [est. 2012] in Lancaster, PA
and are partnered with Rob Ida Concepts, LLC [est. 1959] of Morganville, NJ
L i n k s
Preston Tucker entry at Wikipedia
Tucker Automobile Club of America [est. 1973]
'Tucker 48' redirect to T.A.C.A. website
Tucker Torpedo entry at Wikipedia
RC's Tucker fansite
essay by Gregory Rehmke
1948 Open Letter from Preston Tucker
Tucker Torpedo page at About.com
Tucker photographs
Smithsonian's Tucker article
Automotive History Online's Tucker fanpage
weblog article on Tucker with tons of personal & auto-related photos
here on the Preston Tucker [1903-56] Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
top of page • short profile • racecars, 1935 • Torpedo, 1948 • works about Preston Tucker •
movies & TV, other media • image gallery • family & friends • links
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