The Tucker 48 (named after the model year) is a car contained by Preston Tucker and produced briefly in Chicago in 1948. Only 51 cars were made before the company ceased operations on March 3, 1949, due to the negative publicity that initiated by news media, investigations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and a massively publicized trial of stock fraud (where the allegations proved unfounded and led to full exemption). There has been speculation that the Big Three automakers and Michigan Senator Homer S. Ferguson also have a role in the destruction of Tucker Corporation. The 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream is based on a story about car production. Film director, Francis Ford Coppola, is the owner of Tucker and displays his vehicle on the basis of his wine. The proposed original price of 48 is said to be $ 1,000, but the actual selling price is closer to $ 4,000. A 1948 Tucker sedan featured on July 26, 2011, the installation of NBC's TV show It's Worth What? . The estimated value of the car at that time was US $ 1,200,000. This car is often referred to as "Tucker Torpedo". This name was never used in conjunction with the actual production car, and its name was officially "Tucker 48".
Video Tucker 48
Development
After World War II, the public was ready for a completely new car design, but the Detroit Big Three automakers had not developed a new model since 1941. This provided a great opportunity for the new small car maker, who could develop a new car faster than a big car. legacy car maker. Studebaker was the first to introduce the newest postman model, but Tucker took a different path, designing a safety car with innovative features and a modern style. His specifications call for a water-cooled 6-inch flat aluminum rear engine, disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, fuel injection, all instrument locations within range of the steering wheel, seat belts, and padded dashboard.
Even before the war ended, Preston Tucker began working on a plan for his new car. In the summer of 1944, he hired a famous car designer, George S. Lawson to design his new car. Lawson worked on this project for more than a year and a half before its design was publicly launched, starting around February 1946 and discovered until the end of the year later in March 1947. Lawson was named "head stylist" of Tucker Corporation in February 1946, shortly after the company's formation.
In December 1946, Lawson resigned from the company after a dispute with Preston Tucker, and shortly thereafter, stylist Alex Tremulis from the local Chicago design firm Tammen & Denison, was hired and continued the development of Lawson's design. Tucker gave Tammen & amp; Denison and Tremulis a three-month contract, ending in March 1947 and not renewed. The highlight of the Tremulis effort during this design development phase was featured in a full-page advertisement run in national newspapers in March 1947. The Tremulis design is based directly on George Lawson's work, but incorporates his own artistic talent.
Along with Tremulis's departure, Preston Tucker hired a team of five designers (Read Viemeister, Budd Steinhilber, Tucker Madawick, Hal Bergstrom, and Phillip Egan) from New York design firm J. Gordon Lippincott, who updated the Tremulis' design as well as the Tremulis done with Lawson. After a month's absence, Tremulis was rehired and two independent design groups developed a model of full-size clays side by side in direct competition. Surviving photographs of two models revealed that Tremulis clay design remained unchanged from the advertising proposal of March 1947 and was not selected for production. The passenger side of the Lippincott clay model team (they submitted two designs), which incorporated a side profile developed by Tremulis prior to their arrival, was chosen almost intact for the production car's styling.
Tucker '48's expanding appearance in company press releases and other promotional materials, combined with suggestive remarks such as "15 years of testing generating cars this year" - though no current prototype > - plays a role in SEC letter submission letters and charges of conspiracy fraud against Preston Tucker. The SEC, however, failed to prove its case, and Tucker was acquitted of all charges in January 1950. However, the company never recovered.
Tremulars, such as George Lawson, were eventually named "head stylist" of Tucker Corporation, although the first reference to him holding this position did not appear until 1948, after Tucker's exterior styling of '48 finished.
Tucker's car was originally named "Torpedo," but was changed to "Tucker '48" around Lawson's departure time and Tremulis's arrival, reportedly because Tucker did not want to remind the public of the horrors of World War II. Alex Tremulis has claimed responsibility for dubbing the first prototype car "Tin Goose," which is currently used in a loving way but at the time was considered insulting.
Maps Tucker 48
Innovative design features
Some of the components and features of the car were innovative and preceded their time. The most recognizable feature of Tucker '48, the third-directional headlamp (known as "Cyclops Eye"), will be activated at a steering angle of more than 10 degrees to illuminate the car lane around the corner. At that time, 17 countries had laws against cars that had more than two headlamps. Tucker makes cover for central cyclop lights for use in these countries.
The car has a rear engine and rear-wheel drive. A perimeter frame surrounds the vehicle for accident protection, as well as a roll bar integrated into the roof. The steering wheel is behind the front axle to protect the driver in a front-end accident. The instrument panel and all the controls are easily accessible from the steering wheel, and the dashboard is secured for security. The windshield is made of anti-breaking glass and is designed to erupt in collisions to protect occupants. The car parking brake has a separate lock so it can be locked in place to prevent theft. The doors extend to the roof, for easy entry and exit. Each Tucker is built somewhat differently from the previous car, as every built-in car is essentially a "prototype" in which design features and engineering concepts are tried, remedied, or discarded throughout the production cycle. The door release on Tucker's interior comes from Lincoln Zephyr. The steering column used at Tucker was donated by Ford and originated in Lincoln 1941. Preston Tucker holds a patent for the design of a foldable steering column. A glove box is added to the front door panel instead of the more conventional location on the dashboard to provide space for the "crash room" now known by Tucker. This is a cushioned area in front of the passenger seat, free of obstructions, providing front seat passengers an area to protect themselves in the event of an accident. Engines and transmissions are installed in separate subframes secured with only six screws. The entire drive train can be lowered and removed from the car in minutes. Tucker pictured a borrowing machine that quickly switched services in just 30 minutes.
Tucker dreamed of several other innovations that were later abandoned. Magnesium wheels, disc brakes, fuel injection, self-sealing tubeless tires, and direct torque drive converter transmissions are all evaluated or tested, but dropped on the final prototype due to cost, engineering complexity, and lack of time to develop.
Tucker initially tried to develop an innovative machine, with the help of Ben Parsons, who later became the owner and president of Fuelcharger Corporation, and later became Tucker's engineering VP. It is a 589 cubic inch (9.65 Ã, Â ° C) flat-6 cylinder with an air hemisphere combustion chamber, fuel injector, and overhead valve operated by oil pressure rather than camshaft. The oil pressure distributor is installed in accordance with the ignition distributor and sends the oil pressure directly on time to open each valve at the right interval. The oil pressure fed to each valve is "regulated" by the eccentric intake and discharge and measured by the springs. It's a large piston built of aluminum and magnesium casting with a coated cylindrical steel layer. This unique engine is designed to idle at 100 rpm and sail at 250-1200 rpm through the use of direct drive torque converters on any non-transmission drive wheel. It was designed to produce nearly 200 hp (150 kW, 200 PS) 1 and 450 lb ft (610 m) of torque of only 1800 RPM. When sailing at a speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), it will only rotate at about 1000 rpm. These features will be the first in the automotive industry in 1948, but when machine development is running, problems arise. Six prototypes of the 589 engine were built, but mounted only in the first test chassis and prototype.
Initial troubled viewer
The world premiere of the Tucker '48 car specially designed for June 19, 1947. Over 3,000 people showed up at the factory in Chicago for lunch, a train to factory tour, and the first prototype launch. The revelations seem to fail, however, because last-minute problems arise. The night before the premiere, two of the prototype's independent suspension arms snapped up under the weight of the car. (The prototype was very heavy: much heavier than the other '48.) Small engine problems were fixed, and the car was decent at the premiere. However, the experimental 589 engine is very hard. Tucker told the band to play as hard as possible to drown out the noise. In addition, a high-voltage starter requires the use of outside power to start the engine, so Tucker asks the technician team to keep the machine working for the whole event, afraid that the public will see how much effort it takes to start the engine. When the car is pushed onto the platform, the coolant cools and some steam comes out of the car, but no one seems to notice.
Drew Pearson, one of the most prominent newspaper columnists of his time, reported openly that the car was a fraud because it could not back down and go "swans" down the street. Despite the fact that the problem was limited to the first prototype only, the symptoms of speed with the first car put together, damage to the car's reputation was made, and a negative media storm followed.
Tucker suffered another setback when his bid to get two steel plants to provide raw materials for his car was rejected by the Asset of War Administration under a questionable political shroud.
Continuous development
Engine
Tucker has promised 150 hp (110 kW, 150 PS), but his innovative engine does not work. The valve train proved to be problematic and the engine only generates about 88 hp (66 kW). High oil pressure requires a 24 volt electrical system, up to 60 volts to start, and long crank time at start-up. In addition, the oil pressure required to maintain valve function is not achieved until the engine spins at higher RPM and Tucker engineers struggle with keeping the valve train working at idle and low/RPM speeds. After spending almost a year trying to make the work, Tucker started looking for alternatives.
The company first tried the Lycoming aircraft engine, but it did not fit in the rear engine compartment of the car.
An air-cooled flat-6 engine, the O-335 made by Air Cooled Motors (and originally intended for Bell 47), fits, and which 166 hp (124 kW, 168 PS) likes Tucker. He bought four samples for $ 5,000 each, and his engineers turned a 334 cubic inch (5,470Ã, cc) engine into a water cooler (a decision that has baffled historians ever since). The Franklin machine was heavily modified by Tucker's engineers, including Eddie Offutt and Tucker's son Preston, Jr.. at his Ypsilanti machine shop. Using aircraft engines in automotive applications requires significant modifications; thus, very few parts of the original Franklin machine were stored in Tucker's last machine. This durable engine modification is tested at maximum power for 150 hours, equivalent to 18,000 miles (29,000 km), at full speed.
Tucker quickly bought Air Cooled Motors for $ 1.8 million to secure the source of the engine, then canceled all of the company's aircraft contracts so that its resources could be focused on making automotive engines. This is an important decision, because at the time of Tucker's purchase, Franklin held more than 65% of the US post-war aircraft engine production contract. The loss of income is huge.
Transmission
With the horizontal, between the 589 wheel motor and the dual torque converter (s) (and no reverse) drive system out, Tucker now requires transmission to mate with Franklin O-335. This motor is also horizontal, but its axis leads to the front of the car. Discovered, after several sketches are made, it is theoretically possible to adjust the previous transmission design intended for front engine/front wheel use. This transmission served as a temporary "fix" for a very real problem for Tucker's success.
* Transmission of Pre-Selector Manual
Cord-Auburn Gear-Bendix Unit- It was found that the Auburn Gear 810/812's Cord, front-wheel-drive; 4-speed transmission, with Bendix "Electric Hand" electro-vacuum replacement mechanism, in accordance with the design requirements required to get the car built, and on the road; until the automated future (Tucker Built transmission) succeeds. The transmission was originally designed behind a standard V-8 engine, and pointed forward toward the front of the car, for the front wheels. That said, all do not add water and mix with the final result. In this transmission the first iteration, slandered by several factors; in it's previous use in Cord Automobile. In fact, in 1936, when the Cord 810 debuted at the New York Automobile show, because the transmission was so problematic, everything was displayed without any transmission being installed. And the problem was abundant until the last Cord was manufactured in 1937. Cable Transmission, even with the repair, was unable to handle the power and torque of the O-335 engine. In addition to the lack of proper lubrication (which also infects the cord), the main shaft through transmission is too long. This allows the shaft to bend under load, causing the gears to get out of play, and the teeth are also quite weak. So while fixing, it's not a GOOD fix. For Tucker, this works with PERFECT for engine configuration now, and provides adequate transmission (if not brittle) WITH reverse gear. The company then sent some of its staff, including Preston Tucker Jr. on purchases that bought these early CORD units. All told, (22) transmissions, found by exploring junkyard, and many used cars. This transmission was taken to Ypsilanti to Ypsilanti Machine And Tool Company. After repairs are required, some are mated to O-335. And it worked. 4 speed forward and backward. Which is a harbinger in the previous converter drive. It was decided that this design, almost 12 years old, MUST be a "manual transmission" for 1948 and outside Tucker's car. Approximately 8 to 10 found to be used from 22, and used until the production version is ready. Some of the original CORD-based units are still today installed in Tucker's completed car, because not enough of the Y-1 has ever finished.
Ypsilanti Y-1 Transmission - The Ypsilanti Machinery and Equipment Company, intercepted for reconditioning Cord units, began to immediately redesign the transmission for mass production for Tucker. This new design, which has several parts similar to a Cord transmission, is still used for the same basic, indirect transmission design, but has all new gearing, shaft and electro-vacuum controls. Tucker and his engineers modified it, installed stronger teeth and extended the suitcase. The modified cable transmissions are named Tucker Y-1 (Ypsilanti-1) and installed in some Tuckers. Both returned using an electric vacuum displacement mechanism designed by Bendix, with no mechanical connection with the steering column drive lever. This EVS has its own problems, with electrical connections and a vacuum leak that inhibits the shift, so a new mechanical shift design will be needed, making Tucker enter the year 1949, and so on.
Drive Tucker-Matic -
To solve the transmission problem with the new final transmission design, Warren Rice, the creator of the Buick Dynaflow transmission, was consulted. A unique continuous variable transmission called "Tucker-Matic" is designed, which is powerful enough to handle Franklin O-335's strength and torque. It is a simple yet effective design, with a dual torque converter and only 27 moving base parts, of which about 90 less than is usually required for contemporary auto. The double torque converter allows continuous variable drive ratios with only one forward gear and one reverse gear using a torque converter to vary the transmission ratio based on load and engine speed.
The only surviving car with Tucker-Matic installed has a standard column shift lever, with a three-position quadrant on the steering column. THE is inverted, middle neutral, and down the drive. Due to the Tucker-Matic design, no low gears or lower teeth are required. Therefore there is no need for multi-gated selectors like other automatic pistols.
Three versions of Tucker-Matic are made, R-1, R-1-2, and R-3, (R for Warren Rice, the designer). The first version, R-1, is not installed on any of the last cars. That requires that the machine be turned off to select the gear. R-1-2 is enhanced by adding layshaft brakes to allow gear selection while the engine is running. This version is installed on cars # 1026 and 1042 only. The R-3 version has further improvements including centrifugal clutch to help shift between forward and backward farther, but never mounted in any of the final cars.
Since the two torque converters at Tuckermatic make the engine transmission unit longer, the Tucker '48 fuel tank has to be moved from behind the rear seats to the front of the dash for all Tuckers from # 1026 to the front, even though only two of them have Tuckermatic installed. It has the added advantage of improving the weight distribution in the car.
Other Drives, meant for Tucker 48 - * Borg-Warner-based, 3-speed automatic, should be tested and mounted on car # 1048 at some point when the company is in business. Although there is no written history ever mentioned such a drive. That said, Tucker eventually wanted to design his own transmission for the final car, which became fruitful with the Tucker-Matic discussed below. In 1949, # 1048 was sold at a curatorless auction with no transmissions installed. Today, # 1048 has a 4-speed pre-selector transmission used on ALL but 2 of the original Model 50 models. The possibility of this transmission is installed personally after the auction takes place. Most likely the unit is Ypsilanti Built Y-1 transmisson.
Suspension and body
The suspension design, especially the front suspension, should be changed throughout the development. Instead of steel springs, Tucker uses an independent 4-wheel elastomer (rubber) suspension similar to that used on race cars he developed with Harry Miller at the Indianapolis 500. Rubber elastomers were developed with the help of Firestone Tire Company and used a special Vulcanization process to produce spring levels Specific.
Tucker suspension design is constrained by severe stiffness throughout the development, which, although good to handle, causes the removal of the front wheel angle when cornering on uneven surfaces. The test bed and prototype have a front and rear suspension of a double-disc type rubber, similar to a Miller race car, which is too weak for the weight of passenger cars. In the # 1001 and 1002 cars the rear wheels can not be removed without removing the fenders or suspensions due to the rigidity of the suspension and the rear wheel drive fender design. From # 1003 car, the rear fender shape is changed so the tires can be removed easily. Aside from the fender changes, the rear suspension remains the same from the # 1001 car.
Three versions of the front suspension are mounted on the car (apart from the rubber-disc styles used on the prototype). The car # 1001-1002 uses a rubber tube torque design, which suffers severe toe during heavy braking. Tucker then switched to a rubber sandwich type suspension (with a rubber block flanked between A-upper and lower arms) on car # 1003-1025, however, this type is very stiff. Starting # 1026, Tucker finally set a suspension design with a modified version of a rubber torque tube with a corrected toe-in braking problem.
Original Tucker paint color code:
- 100: Black
- 200: Waltz Blue
- 300: Green
- 400: Beige
- 500: Gray (Silver)
- 600: Maroon
Tucker interior trim color code:
- 900: Green
- 920: Blue
- 940: Beige
Funding and publicity
After collecting $ 17 million in stock issues, one of the first speculative IPOs, Tucker needed more money to continue developing the car. He sells dealers and distributors across the country. Another moneymaker is the Tucker Accessories Program. To secure a place on Tucker's waiting list, future buyers can buy accessories, such as seat covers, radios, and luggage, before their cars are built. This earns an additional $ 2,000,000.
With the final design in place, Preston Tucker takes pre-production cars on the road to show them in cities across the country. The cars were an instant success, with the crowds gathering wherever they stopped. One report said Tucker was beset by a police officer who wanted to get a better look in the car.
To prove the road worthiness of his car, Tucker and his engineers run several cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in several endurance tests. During this test, car # 1027 was rolled out three times at 95 miles per hour (153 km/h), and the driver (mechanical head Eddie Offutt) left with bruises only. During the crash, the windshield appeared as designed, verifying Tucker's effective safety features. After that, after replacing the damaged tire, the car starts up and is driven off the track.
SEC investigation and death of Tucker Corporation
One of Tucker's most innovative business ideas posed a problem for the company. The Accessory program collects funds by selling accessories before the car is manufactured. After the war, demand for new cars is greater than that provided by dealers, and most dealers have a waiting list for new cars. Preference is given to returning veterans, meaning that non-veterans are stranded on an unlimited waiting list. The Tucker program allows potential buyers who purchase Tucker accessories to get a guaranteed spot on Tucker dealer's waiting list for Tucker '48's car.
This concept was investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Attorney, and led to an indictment against company executives. Although all charges were eventually dropped, negative publicity destroyed the company and stopped production of the car.
Tucker '48 car
The first Tucker produced was a prototype sedan, known as "Tin Goose". Fifty-eight skeletons and corpses were built in the factory. Of these parts, 36 sedans are completed before the plant closes. Once the plant is closed but before the liquidation of its assets, Tucker retains the employee's core, which collects 14 additional sedans for a total of 50. A 51st car has been partially completed. Some of the remaining frames and bodies are built into special complete cars # 1052 and # 1057 (prototype 1949 with design changes), but the fate of others is unknown.
In the early 1950s, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, night field owner Nick Jenin buys more than ten Tuckers, the original testbed tucker chassis, lots of Tucker parts, photos and documents. He developed a travel display called "The Fabulous Tuckers". He hauls cars and memorabilia all over the country for nearly 10 years on display at fairs and auto shows. His appearance highlights the questionable policies and SEC fraud investigations that make Tucker disappointed.
When cars appeared at auction, which is rare, they ordered a price reached by only a few tent cars. In August 2010, Tucker # 1045 sold for $ 1,127 million, while Tucker # 1043 sold for $ 2,915 million at auction in 2012.
Replica of vehicles
In 1997, Rob Ida Automotive began working on a replica of Tucker '48 Sedan, culminating in the release and marketing of Iuhot Automotive Tucker 2001 '48. This replica faithfully re-creates Tucker's external bodywork, but is built on a hotrod chassis with resin-infusion plastic body panels. Paints and wheels reflect the style of modern hotrod, and the interior is completely modern. It's powered by a Cadillac Northstar V8 mounted in the center. The claimed performance is 0-60 in 7 seconds, with a top speed of over 120 mph (190 km/h). Ida has built three cars.
NASCAR
Some Tuckers were included in the NASCAR Grand National series in the 1950s.
Dealer
An example dealer, for eight thousand dollars, is Amentini Motors in Cleveland, Ohio.
See also
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream
- List of US non-working car manufacturers
References
External links
- TuckerClub.org Official Website of Tucker Automobile Club of America - Information about cars, including location of all existing examples
- www.htmgv.org Henry Ford Museum Tucker Exhibit
- RobIdaConcepts.com Ida Automotive New Tucker '48 and Lower '48
- Tucker 48 Jalopnik Fantasy Garage
- Tucker Torpedo Automobile 1948 3D model from Tucker
- Antique Automobile Club thread about Tucker # 1010 auctions
- Short/Odd Vehicle Collection from Chuck's Toyland
- The Huntsville Rewound feature on Keller Automobiles (18 created/3 exists)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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