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Cars of the Future

World War II had recently ended, and the economy was poised for its biggest expansion in history. The public was ready for new car designs but there were no new models since 1941 due to the war. This provided a great opportunity for Preston Tucker to introduce his car of the future the 1948 Tucker Torpedo aka the Tucker 48.

Tucker's specifications for his revolutionary car called for a rear engine, a low-RPM 589 cubic inch engine with hydraulic valves instead of a camshaft, fuel injection, direct-drive torque converters on each rear wheel (instead of a transmission), disc brakes, the location of all instruments within the diameter and reach of the steering wheel, a padded dashboard, self-sealing tubeless tires, independent springless suspension, a chassis that protected occupants in a side impact, a roll bar within the roof, a laminated windshield designed to pop out during an accident, and a center "cyclops" headlight which would turn when steering at angles greater than 10 degrees in order to improve visibility around corners during night driving. We find many of Tucker’s ideas in the design of our current cars.

Faced with many issues associated with the design and production of the Tucker 48 unfortunately it never made it to the car marketplace. There were 51 prototypes produced still in high demand today by car collectors. Preston Tucker - a car designer that changed the direction of the car industry.

The Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver, Sarah Boone, and many others were American pioneers that made their dream reality through hard work and perseverance.

Credit: Wikipedia