Tucker 48

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

 

[Blackwater 53393]

Way ahead of its time, AND a little too far ahead for most people.

[Lone Spur Jake SASS #7728]

I remember watching a 1988 movie with Jeff Bridges called  "Tucker: The Man And His Dream."  Of Course the big 3 American auto manufacturers just blasted the movie as fiction.   It was a good movie.  Don't know if it can be found on the internet.  

[Sixgun Seamus]

47 minutes ago, Lone Spur Jake SASS #7728 said:

  It was a good movie.  Don't know if it can be found on the internet.  

IMDb says it's on Freevee and Tubi among others

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

I’ve read much about Preston Tucker and this venture. It’s an entertaining movie, but plays very loosely with facts. His head of engineering, who I recall was his son-in-law, had said the company was severely underfunded from the get-go and was unable to develop the car as conceived. He said many corners were cut just to get a few cars built and those had multiple teething problems. 
 

Tucker was a huckster making bold claims in order to raise cash, but he couldn’t back up those claims. That led to being charged with securities fraud for which he was later acquitted. 
 

His SIL said the venture collapsed for lack of funding and unfulfilled promises, not some Big 3 collusion/conspiracy. Although they were not unhappy about the failure. 

I’ve not watched the OPs videos, so perhaps this was covered already. The engines were leftover helicopter engines made by Franklin. Adapting them to cars was an inspired decision, giving them a marketing bonus and saving millions in development and manufacturing costs. 
 

Too bad they couldn’t pull it off. It truly was ahead of its time. 
 

[Rip Snorter]

Imagine a central headlight that would follow the steering wheel on a turn in additional to the two regular ones.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Coulda been interesting. That was one of the proposed features that had to be scrapped before production. 

[Rip Snorter]

32 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Coulda been interesting. That was one of the proposed features that had to be scrapped before production. 

Money, money, right after the War!

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Anyone remember Cop Rock?  Hideous show that all the critics said was "ahead of its time."  It was from the same people that brought us Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blues so it had to be good right?  Some things are not ahead of their time.  They just sucked.

 

 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

“Ahead of its time” is bestowed only with 20/20 hindsight. 

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

1 hour ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Anyone remember Cop Rock?  Hideous show that all the critics said was "ahead of its time."  It was from the same people that brought us Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blues so it had to be good right?  Some things are not ahead of their time.  They just sucked.

 

 

I swear, he was a regular John Lord on the keyboards.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

My parents had a friend who got a Tucker dealership.  After he had it a while they send him a life sized cardboard cutout for his showroom.  When he gave it up he tried to get his Ford dealership back and Ford him to go tamp sand.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

There is a simple tenant in Economics and Business.  If a business endeavor is underfunded at the start, it WILL fail.  Same same applies to manufacturing endeavor.  Unfortunately, the Tucker was dead from day one.  Just a matter of how soon.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

When you put down a deposit on a Tucker you got a set of leather luggage.  Lots of Tucker luggage in circulation.  Just few, if any, delivered cars.