Tucker: The Man and His Dream POD's

[SilverSwimmer]

I watched the movie the other day, and when looking it up, was surprised that it was all true! Preston Tucker was an business man who had a knack for innovation. Before World War II, Tucker introduced an armored vehicle that could reach up 115 MPH, but was shot down by the army for actually being TOO fast. However the turret he designed was used for B-17's and other combat vehicles, and he was actually Vice-President of the Higgins Corporation, best known for its amphibious landing craft. After the war, he designed a "car of tomorrow" which could have been used to compete with the 'Big Three", Ford, Chrysler and GM, but was unsuccessful because of possible sabotage and accusations of fraud. He led the rest of his life trying to regain his image,but sadly died a few years later of what many say was a "broken heart."

This man had so much potential to be one of the most influential men of the 20th century. Here are some POD's.

What if the Netherlands (his first potential buyer) or the United States had been more interested in his "Tucker Tiger" concept and was actually used during World War II?

What if Preston Tucker stayed on with a partnership with Higgins and helped run the corporation?

What if the Big 3 had not put political pressure on the SEC to investigate Tucker, or had not tried to pressure the Tucker Corporation out of business so it could have gotten off the ground?

 

[maverick]

I love the movie, and I love Preston Tucker.

I'll be back to this thread later with ideas, if possible.

 

[Riain]

I wonder if it was only the business and personal factors like the SEC investigation that doomed the car, and not the car itself.

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

A TL where the Tucket Sedan succeeds could have some major implications for the corporate culture in Detroit -- seems you could well get a lot of the things talked about in this thread I started a while back.

 

[SilverSwimmer]

Well do you think it could pave the way for other smaller car companies to breakthrough?

 

[1940LaSalle]

I wonder what might have happened had somehow Joseph Frazer (at one point the head honcho of what was left of Graham-Paige) put together Henry Kaiser and Preston Tucker? Together, they could have led an insurrection, if you will, against the established Big Three. I'm thinking of a lineup that might have featured Frazer as a top-of-the-line vehicle, competing with Chrysler/Lincoln/Buick-Cadillac, Tucker competing with Olds/Mercury/DeSoto or Dodge, and Kaiser as a challenger to Ford, Chevy/Pontiac, and Plymouth.

Since Frazer also had insights into Willys, that could have been brought into the fold somehow (as it was in the early 1950s in OTL). The result would have been a pretty formidable entry, perhaps resulting in a Big Four--and indeed, might have forced the remaining postwar independents into a coalition of their own to allow survival: that coalition (Packard; Hudson; Nash; Studebaker) could have benefitted from Packard engineering and Hudson innovation to survive to this day.

 

[Tanrage]

One thing I always wondered, how well did the Tucker automobile stack up to the big three's offering? Was it a visionary piece of engineering years ahead of it's time or a lot of hype surrounding a mediocre vehicle? what was the reality here?

 

[Orville_third]

I wonder what might have happened had somehow Joseph Frazer (at one point the head honcho of what was left of Graham-Paige) put together Henry Kaiser and Preston Tucker? Together, they could have led an insurrection, if you will, against the established Big Three. I'm thinking of a lineup that might have featured Frazer as a top-of-the-line vehicle, competing with Chrysler/Lincoln/Buick-Cadillac, Tucker competing with Olds/Mercury/DeSoto or Dodge, and Kaiser as a challenger to Ford, Chevy/Pontiac, and Plymouth.

Since Frazer also had insights into Willys, that could have been brought into the fold somehow (as it was in the early 1950s in OTL). The result would have been a pretty formidable entry, perhaps resulting in a Big Four--and indeed, might have forced the remaining postwar independents into a coalition of their own to allow survival: that coalition (Packard; Hudson; Nash; Studebaker) could have benefitted from Packard engineering and Hudson innovation to survive to this day.

Incidentally, Kaiser did briefly work with Buckminster Fuller on a concept car design. Combine the four of them together...the big three are in for a shock.
Which reminds me...what were the politics of these carmakers? Both the people who ran GM and Ford were hugely conservative.

 

[Tyler Xyroadia]

One thing I always wondered, how well did the Tucker automobile stack up to the big three's offering? Was it a visionary piece of engineering years ahead of it's time or a lot of hype surrounding a mediocre vehicle? what was the reality here?

From tests done much later on existing models, not only does Tuckers car Exceed performance of many similar "Big Three" models at the time, it does indeed represent thinking Years ahead of its time.

a directional third headlight, known as the "Cyclops Eye", would turn on at steering angles of greater than 10 degrees to light the car's path around corners.

The car was rear-engined and rear wheel drive. A perimeter frame surrounded the vehicle for crash protection, as well as a roll bar integrated into the roof.

The steering box was behind the front axle to protect the driver in a front-end accident. The instrument panel and all controls were in easy reach of the steering wheel, and the dash was padded for safety.

The windshield was designed to pop-out in a collision to protect occupants. The car also featured seat belts, a first in its day.

The car's parking brake had a separate key so it could be locked in place to prevent theft.

The list goes on and on and on.... Tucker created a Car full of safety features that weren't just a few years, but DECADES ahead of his time. Many American car companies didn't have things as simple as seat-belts or padded dash boards for the next 10 years and roll bars for crash protection was something not added till the 60's.

The fact that it was the safest car ever built for perhaps 30years is incidental next to its engineering as well. The car was the most aerodynamic car designed at the time with a drag coefficient was only 0.27. Just to put that into perspective, a .30 coefficient is what modern cars such as Hondas and Lexus have.

Perhaps one of the few real places the Tucker sedan lacked was that it's specialized "589" engine was terribly loud, though one images this would have been addressed given time.

If things had gone differently for Tucker, if he had more time to prepare his cars and avoid what turned out to be a disastrous first media showing, as well as the other big three poisoning his every effort, his cars might have well advanced American car technology by over 30 years.

 

[1940LaSalle]

Incidentally, Kaiser did briefly work with Buckminster Fuller on a concept car design. Combine the four of them together...the big three are in for a shock.
Which reminds me...what were the politics of these carmakers? Both the people who ran GM and Ford were hugely conservative.

I don't know how accurately personal politics are addressed in any biography. Frazer was originaly from TN, so it would not be unreasonable to peg him (barring other data) as fairly conservative. Kaiser was probably likewise as a successful businessman. Tucker...no clue.

Ford, as we all know, was rather unpleasantly anti-semitic and something of an isolationist prior to Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, don't forget that Charlie Wilson became Ike's secretary of defense, so he couldn't have been too much of a hard-line right winger to fit in with Ike, Dulles, and company.

 

[CaliBoy1990]

Just imagine.

I watched the movie the other day, and when looking it up, was surprised that it was all true! Preston Tucker was an business man who had a knack for innovation. Before World War II, Tucker introduced an armored vehicle that could reach up 115 MPH, but was shot down by the army for actually being TOO fast. However the turret he designed was used for B-17's and other combat vehicles, and he was actually Vice-President of the Higgins Corporation, best known for its amphibious landing craft. After the war, he designed a "car of tomorrow" which could have been used to compete with the 'Big Three", Ford, Chrysler and GM, but was unsuccessful because of possible sabotage and accusations of fraud. He led the rest of his life trying to regain his image,but sadly died a few years later of what many say was a "broken heart."

This man had so much potential to be one of the most influential men of the 20th century. Here are some POD's.

What if the Netherlands (his first potential buyer) or the United States had been more interested in his "Tucker Tiger" concept and was actually used during World War II?

What if Preston Tucker stayed on with a partnership with Higgins and helped run the corporation?

What if the Big 3 had not put political pressure on the SEC to investigate Tucker, or had not tried to pressure the Tucker Corporation out of business so it could have gotten off the ground?

From tests done much later on existing models, not only does Tuckers car Exceed performance of many similar "Big Three" models at the time, it does indeed represent thinking Years ahead of its time.











The list goes on and on and on.... Tucker created a Car full of safety features that weren't just a few years, but DECADES ahead of his time. Many American car companies didn't have things as simple as seat-belts or padded dash boards for the next 10 years and roll bars for crash protection was something not added till the 60's.

The fact that it was the safest car ever built for perhaps 30years is incidental next to its engineering as well. The car was the most aerodynamic car designed at the time with a drag coefficient was only 0.27. Just to put that into perspective, a .30 coefficient is what modern cars such as Hondas and Lexus have.

Perhaps one of the few real places the Tucker sedan lacked was that it's specialized "589" engine was terribly loud, though one images this would have been addressed given time.

If things had gone differently for Tucker, if he had more time to prepare his cars and avoid what turned out to be a disastrous first media showing, as well as the other big three poisoning his every effort, his cars might have well advanced American car technology by over 30 years.

It does kinda interest me to think how different things would be if Tucker had survived. Unfortunately, it was all for naught.

 

[CaliBoy1990]

Which reminds me...what were the politics of these carmakers? Both the people who ran GM and Ford were hugely conservative.

That would explain the ridiculous influence of the bean counters and the piss-poor management after 1980{and almost certainly pre-WWII as well.}. At least we had forward thinking guys like John DeLorean out there ;-).