The Unicorn Car That Almost Tumbled the Big 3: A Comprehensive Guide | Classic Car Documentaries
The Unicorn Car That Almost Tumbled the Big 3: A Comprehensive Guide | Classic Car Documentaries
In this video, I'm going to be talking about Preston Tucker and his dream car, the Tucker 48. This car was a huge deal in the history of American cars, and it's a car that I think every car enthusiast should know about. Preston Tucker was a car designer and manufacturer who made a huge impact on the American car industry. His car, the Tucker 48, was a car that was ahead of its time and helped to change the way Americans looked at car culture. This video is a long one, but I think it's well worth the time to learn everything you can about Preston Tucker and his 1998 Tucker 48!
In this documentary, you'll get to uncover the controversial story of Preston Tucker, the man and his dream. From his journey from poverty to becoming one of the most famous automobile designers in history, this documentary is a must-see for car enthusiasts and history buffs alike! Whether you're a fan of cars or history, this documentary is a unique and fascinating look at the life and career of Preston Tucker. You won't regret watching it!
#prestontucker #tucker48 #tuckertorpedo #tucker
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COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:-
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.”
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WHO AM I? My two KZhead Channels, @ClassicCarsDocumentaries, and @ClassicCarChannel are my passion, mixing my love of vehicles and storytelling to bring you entertaining business stories and business documentaries. I work in media, and everything you see and hear is from me and my talented team. I hope you enjoy it and subscribe. Cheers! .
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00:00 Preston Tucker Documentary
01:02 Preston Tucker's Early Years
03:17 The Tucker Tiger
05:00 The Tucker Corporation
08:00 Tucker 48
10:55 Preston Tucker Trail
14:08 Preston Tucker's Later Years
Want more mini-documentaries like this? Please make sure you subscribe and turn on the notification bell, or else KZhead won't notify you about future uploads even if you're subscribed! Thank you for your support, and I look forward to sharing lots more videos with you soon! -Art
I'm subscribed to many channels but rarely see anything from them ?
Don't forget, unless you are on the side of the rich and powerful, you have little or no chance of success in anything. Can you say DeLorean?
I know he was a fraudster who put a lot of people out of work while borrowing huge sums off the UK taxpayers
Especially Henry Ford
Or the water car, jet car etccc..
@@dr.romeoconfidential9271 How about the turbine car or the electric car?
You are correct about DeLorean! As a DeLorean owner for 19yrs and in the DMC community for 34 yrs they did DeLorean bad also. It went as high as the Reagans with the whole war on drugs thing. They needed a high roller name and John was it. There are two incredible documentaries that are on netflix about this. Not saying he was a honest man but John did get involved with some shady shit but the Cocaine thing was a fraud. They even threatened that if he didn't go through with it that they would cut off his daughters head and send it home in a shopping bag. I'm actually friends with Katherine DeLorean! Though in the beginning the car did have flaws but as it kept being built it got a lot better! I use my 82 DeLorean as a daily driver! Great car and way better than what people gave it credit for. A lot of people don't know the real story of John and his company but he really did have good intentions. He had so many plans to build so many different things from his factory and Dunmurray Northern Ireland.
Big cheers to the Tucker's loyal employees that came back to the factory on their own. What a champs they were ❤
Best Part !
Tucker was 10 years ahead of his time. The 48 is exactly what Ford wanted the Edsel to be. Great video. You really need more subscribers.
Totally agree
Good point
He was not ahead of his time! On the contrary. The rear engine concept was long out of date!
I watched “Tucker:A man and his dream “ in high and from then on I’ve been fascinated with him. This was a great video. Thanks for making it
Glad you enjoyed it!
Jeff Bridges played Tucker in one of the best docu movies ever made. I read as much as can be about Tucker, and he was far ahead of the Ford and the rest.
Highly fictionalized, though.
If Mr Tucker would have survived,Brazil would have been his best chance/option and he would have done extremely well!!
I grew up in Detroit and my dad was an engineer for GM. The Tucker always reminded me of a blown up Studebaker. My dad would bring new items home from the tech centre at times. My wagon had corvette emblems all around it and even had seat belts before they were in cars....lol. I had a home made scooter and it had wings like a 57 chevy made out of experimental fibre glass for the corvette.
Yep.. you sound like a genuine Detroiter. Cool car detritus to be had everywhere.
Ahhhw 😊, that's really cool ❤
I hope it was a three points seatbelt. 😊
I can never think of a Tucker 48, without thinking of my second wedding, and our best men's wedding, 2 uears later. Jis grandfather worked at Preston's plant, and obtained one of the bodies and parts, as a thank you from the family. He and his kids built it in their garage, and it's been passed down to the eldest heir, ever since. When my wife and I got married, he drove us to the chirch, and the reception, in it. No prior notice, just fired it up, and showed up at the house. We'd taken it to local cruise nights a few times, and yes, I'd driven it, with the rebuilt Cord transaxle as well. Two years later, his wedding came up, and his wife wanted to be driven to the church in it. My wife was her matron of honor, and i was asked to drive the bridal party there, and the couple to the reception. I almost declined. One mistake, and that's one hell of a repair bill, after all. Not to mention finding parts, would border on impossible. Decided to in the end, because he was of the mondset that, it's just glass, metal, rubbet, and paint. Drive it, as it was meant to be driven. It was also a chance to have our daughter experience a piece of history, as it was her first ride in it. Spmething you don't pass up, with a tomboy, who is also a budding gearhead. Taught her how to operate the trans and shifter, ues, Cords operate differently than most manials, when she turned 16. Didn't use it for hers when she got married in 2019, but it was there as well. Had a couole classics there, including our 70 Challenger R/T, Hemi, 4 speed car, Alpine White, which we loaned to them, fir the day, and my wife's 66 Charger R/T, 383 Auto. Son in law rode my 26 Indian Chief to the church, and we surprised them with it. Same bike her mom and I rode on our first date, and the first one I topk her out on, when I first met her, age.4. Thanks for making this, and taking my mind off being in the ICU, post amputation, due to a serious infection.
I hope you are doing well!!
@@breathedeep2060 I'm adjusting. In rehab at this point. Figure I'll be home in a couple weeks. Another month after that, staples and sutures will be out, than go get fit for the socket and prosthetic. PT from there. Found out Tuesday that the samples taken at the knee, original cut point, came back clean, no infection. Did the femur cut and length reduction that morning as well. Not going to be easy, but I'll be fine. Keeping busy by thinking about ideas that will make the foot brake on our bikes work with the new leg, and LMAO looking at funny amputee t shirts. Wife brought my sketch and dwsign kits by, and have been sketching pictures the staff bring in, their kids, pets, wedding photos, for them, to hang at home. Even worked in the design for a couple tattoos, and an airbrushing job, for one of the OT girls dad's old Sportster, that I can paint, after I'm home. 1st Gulf War vet. Passed on last year, her tribute to him.
@@kevinfox500 I’m sure it’s quite the adjustment! Glad to hear there’s no infection and you’ll be getting a prosthetic. It sounds like to me you’ll have the bike brake figured out in no time. That’s so cool you can do that! All the artwork you’re doing for the hospital staff will be conversation pieces for them for years to come. That’s really amazing you’re doing that! Good luck with the PT. I’m sure your going to do great and will be back to your routine sooner rather than later. I’m sorry to hear about you going through this but I’m rooting for you!! You’ve got this!!
Too cool , I'm jealous I always wanted to ride or drive a tucker. I bet your glad you drove her to the wedding? Not too many people alive that have ridden in, much less driven a tucker. Teach your daughter all she wants to learn. We need young men and women who don't want to drive a battery around.
Why didn't they investigate Henry Ford who received the highest award Germany could give, during WWII. His factory in Germany was never bombed although every one around his was demolished. A real American hero.
The Ford plants were bombed in near Paris, also in Antwerp and the Cologne was bombed 4 times in 1944. GM plants were also bombed. You may want to get your history straight.
Amerucan Henry Ford built Hitler's Nazi massive war machine !! Thank's Henry Ford. Many Allied troops likely crushed by Ford-built heavy German military trucks on the battlefield.
All true, not taught in school
I also highly recommend watching the movie about Tucker. Preston Tucker did what many dream of doing. The "Big Three" hate competition. So its no wonder they tried to do Tucker in. Tuckers also have the engine in the rear like a 911. The are faster than any other American car of the time. I didn't know about the Tucker race cars. Mr. John Delorean was also set up by evil corporate forces who wanted him to fail. Thanks.
Yep The big Three knew they would lose a lot of money to Tucker's Company. It makes you wonder where car manufacturing would have headed in the 50's and 60's. The guy got the shit end of the stick for sure.
I have often wondered if the big 3 destroyed Studebaker, Tucker, and Delorean.
Not a chance. They couldn't compete
Yeah. Everyone knows the "Big Three" would meet in a big room carved into a mountain side just outside of Detroit. Their mission was to crush any and all competition. Their victims included buggy whip makers, street car companies, flying car inventors, cars that run on water, 200mpg carburetors, atomic cars, French cars sold in the US, that er..., person who came up with the Dale, and a host of others.
@johnreitz5676 Go back and read your US Auto history a little better, There could have been a true big four member but George Romney wasn't interested in merging with Studebaker-Packard!!!.GM and Ford got into a real nasty price war and the real victims were Studebaker Packard, Nash, Hudson, Willys, and the new kid on the block Kaiser!!!.Even Chrysler was feeling it beacuse of this developing price war between GM and Ford!!!.I would also suggest that you take a good look at the state of the Auto business after world War 11 beacuse even the big three had several things to deal with!.
......There were numerous strikes and even steel shortages, Ford had to be reorganized from Henry Ford to Hank the duce or else Ford motor company might never have survived!!!!. Chrysler fell into a styling and design funk of ultra conservative design that cost them dearly!!!.It wasn't til Virgil Exner came along that Chrysler really snapped outta it!.
Even people who don't care for each other will come together & work to stop someone who can affect their money
The big 3 put Tucker out of business. They also did that to John DeLorean.
The movie based on this story is one of my favorite movies produced. Hope to see a Tucker one day.
The Studebaker was an awesome car also
When America dreamed) innocent , hardworking, an GOD on are side) the days America was strong) i wished i live in that era.
Awesome video. The first time I heard of Preston Tucker was when the movie *"Tucker, The Man and His Dream",* starring Jeff Bridges as Preston Tucker, premiered in 1988. While I found the movie entertaining, what really made me interested was the car and his dream of starting a car company. I consider it unforgivable that it never happened. Would the car have changed the way cars in general are produced? Maybe, maybe not. But it would've at least offered car buyers something new and different to consider. Even those who couldn't care less about safety should've been offered something safe to drive.
If the Tucker Torpedo had been produced in numbers, the auto industry would have learned its lesson about putting American drivers in a rear-engine, rear-drive car a decade earlier.
Tucker was a mechanic and visionary, he was too much of a threat. This is what what happens when your blue collar and don't have the engineering and business sense or experience. Tucker is a hero to all blue collar men and women.
I would really enjoy going for a ride in a Tucker. I saw a Tucker years ago at a car museum in Rino
Great job, I had never heard about Tucker`s story before
Sure the big 3 had a hand in that. GM killed the electric street car!
Ford and Dodge had nothing to do with it but GMC and the governor definitely did
They made 51 cars that used surplus engines how does that worry any company
Quality not quantity, his car was far more advanced than anything the 3 had
Great vid....... Love the story on Tucker!!! 👍👍
thanks
I thought there was 51 cars. Most people forget about the original prototype. I have seen the original prototype at the Auburn Indiana auction several times! And to this day I consider it to be the first one and 50 more came after it!
Although, i partially agree regarding to 50 /51 numbers of build vehicles in total.. unfortunately in reality prototypes are 2 types : actual 1/1 functional model or just ideas, (sketches pictures, clay model, etc), that will never reach into factory production phase.. Most functional prototypes are totally different thing from production version, some might not even have motors or transmission at all even 'they appear to look the same' because when prototype is presented for the first time at highway safety authorities to be homologated for public roads many features might get cancelled or not reach at all in production versions, that is why prototypes although are made by same company they do not count as production vehicles and are usually kept as company property / show-room or auto-museums in any rare case very few prototypes are get sold thru auctions to highest bidder end-up in private collectors since most prototypes are not allowed for road use at all, so are usually just sitting engineered creations hidden or exposed, collecting dust.. for quick example "Tucker Carioca" the Tucker concept that suppose to be made in Brazil was presented way-ahead in news-paper, in reality never reach a physical prototype state only crayon sketches & pictures on drawing board-sadly just a cool fantasy..
@@poplaurentiu4148 1 BURNED 1 WRECKED
Conspiracy theory is unbelievable. Failure was due to his own shortcomings.
The thing is, they aren't mutually exclusive. Listening to the story the first time, I can clearly see Tucker had issues, mostly due to lack of experience in how that business is run. However what I ALSO see is some backroom dealing and chicanery on the part of the Big Three to stifle Tucker and keep him off rhythm and keep him from getting off the ground. Knowing that if Tucker was able to do that, he would have smoked them. The fact that most of Tucker's innovations are in use today, means the Big three certainly wanted what Tucker had, just not Tucker himself. That's more than enough motivation to try and ruin the man to get his patents, and taking advantage of his lack of experience and off kilter rhythm to help facilitate that take down is opportunity that they probably considered as "too good to pass up".
I was in that movie ,great crew ,excellent story .
I own a red Tucker Torpedo, I love it and have room for another on my coffee table 😊
He was a confidence artist.
Never a threat upon the"big three". After all, they could've built such a car had they wanted to.
You're doing a great job with these documentaries! Keep up the great work. Looking forward to watching many more in the future. Cheers!
Thank you very much!
Great job
A great video.
I am a new subscriber and I can't wait to see all of your videos.
Thanks for subbing!
@classiccardocumentaries You're welcome I'm just a little tuber. I think I got less than 200 subs. I'm working on It But I do have 1 video that has 19000 Views. That's a good one.
The Studebaker, Rambler, were good cars (from what I heard). I vaguely remember seeing them drive through Douglass Park. The big 3 forced them out.
AMC WAS BOUGHT BY CHRYSLER
He was a man ahead of his time. Aerodynamics and safety, with speed. Scared the big 3 car companies. Like now Toyota is doing it to the big 3 again and breaking them down. Killing the American car . Destroying the economy.
agreed
Great concept great car
Excellent story. This will inspire me to make a similar documentary so people here in Brazil can get to know this incredible car.
He wasn’t over his head he had a dream and he was going in the right direction everything starts small
What headaches some people can endure. Dog eat dog world. What a shame..
What a car! Too bad competition is out to destroy a good thing
Interesting story.
Glad you think so!
Much like how that Argentinian company hand makes replica Bugattis , that 3 million dollar price tag means that handmade Tucker replicas could sell for seven figures more than covering costs
At least one mid-engine copy with Cadillac Northstar running gear mounted behind the back seat was built in the late eighties or early nineties. There was a magazine article about it.
I work less than 2 miles from the Tucker home and Yipsilanti Michigan.
Too fast? Ok these blokes definitely had competition working behind closed doors on that one.
He really didn't have the keen business acumen required.. then the rear-mounted engine begets tail-happy handling..who would have had driver experience?
"Almost toppled the big three?" What are you smoking?
They should bring back this car
'Unicorn car!' First time I've ever heard one described like that, LOL!!!!
Tucker failed because although he had an advanced design with the 48, he overstretched himself such as wasting money on unnecessary modifications such as converting the rear mounted air-cooled engine to water cooled which was an unnecessary expense. If he had stuck with more conventional underpinnings that worked for his first project he probably would have succeeded.
Insult him in the first sentence by calling him Elon Musk lmao
Preston changed the automotive industry, he just didn’t make any money doing it.
Why these clips from today, when it is an historic documentary?
The big 3 had big lobbying power.
Absolutely, the big three colluded with the government to bankrupt his company. Do you know that his car had a windshield made of shatterproof glass, disc brakes, seat belts, four-wheel independent suspension, fuel injection, the location of all instruments within reach of the steering wheel, seat belts and a padded dashboard, etc. all those things that are now mandatory by law or competition. And this was in 1948.
I doubt it
Big dose of reality pills needed the car was never a viable option
The Jeff Bridges movie "TUCKER" inspired my young Life! At 61 and Sober, I plan to be doing something BIG:I will be IMPORTING as Herbal Based Anti-Alcohol product to North America; Grown in the South Pacific. Its called KAVA-KAVA , you boil the roots and make Tea- it actually tastes AWEFUL (Try using it in a SMOOTHIE instead?). BUT it KILLS cravings for alcohol & drugs , gives you an EXTREMELY RESTFUL SLEEP!
"Safest car in America". Perhaps so, but not in Europe!
It really DOES seem that Tucker's design was stolen. Who owns it now? I would like an up to date model.. complete with a little helicopter engine.
... very sad - this *Genius Man + Gentleman; for instance near same has been in Germany too = in the 50-years - 'One of best car Manufacturers *Borgward Auto, - was - Destroyed financially by Mercedes Benz through 'Deutsche Bank help. End of - initially Bankruptcie = positive Money Result 110% of Value...... Thanks - for interest, God bless USA, Greetings from Germany
Why have you added clips from the movie "The Aviator " with DiCaprio ?
Was wondering that myself.....
Before I watch this, that does look like a good car so this should be interesting.
why didnt one of the big 3 or independents buy and produce this car? Graham-Paige bought Cord 810/812 I think the big 3 would have been more concerned abut Kaiser-Frazer Corporation ? dont know just asking good movie and video thank you
AFTERWW2 THERE WAS A PENT UP DEMAND FOR CARS AFTER IT WAS SATURATED BYE KAISER
Close to 760,000 cars were produced of all makes and models between May 1946 and September 1955 by Kaiser-Frazer
What movie are all the Leonardo DiCaprio clips from?
The Citroen DS of the USA. The best car designed in the US until Tesla.
This car had no real active safety features at all!
a shame that would have been a cool car to drive
He was doing things too good that envy and greed from others got on the way
1:23 in. Preston Tucker watching TV in 1915?
Tucker opened the doors to foreign cars
Yeah, he got screwed!!! Politicians were bought and paid for by the big 3. If you are in the Hershey PA area, make sure you stop at the Antique Automobile Museum on RT39, they have an awesome Tucker display.
The Tucker Torpedo would never have sold well, because it was simply UGLY !
I have had the rare privilege to have actually turned a wrench on a Tucker. For the sake of the owner's privacy, I won't give any details. It wasn't running during that time, and I always dream of actually riding in one someday!
For the sake of posting bullshit on the internet that can't be verified or denied...
@@brandonwhitmire8600 Honestly, I don't care what you believe. I feel no need to provide personal information to some internet troll. I'm not trying to impress anyone; I just wanted to share a story with other Tucker fans.
Resurrect The Tucker today !! Ford, GM, Chrysler, are passè. Retro is cool !!
What was Peaky Blinders doing in the video?
I knew about the Tucker car when l was much younger and l live in Australia but to go up against the big three American car companies a big asked and the Tucker 48 was a far better car and look at the big three now they are making vehicles that are not the best and the Japanese motor manufacturers and thr four best Japanese motor manufacturers Honda Mazda Suzuki and Toyota are making the best cars in the world becsude we have a Suzuki and a Toyota
What DiCaprio movie is being shown.
why are there clips of DeCaprio playing Howard Hughes thrown in here and there?
Hughes helped get the steel and the engines from the helecopter plant. It is in the movie.
@@ralphhbernstein6798 aha! I see -- thnx for the informative reply
American auto manufacturers need Vertically Intergration for security, supply line, & quality control. It's Tesla's model.
Having seen the movie and watched this, I have to conclude that Tucker didn't come within a country mile of upsetting the Big 3. He was a first class chancer who sold a car which wasn't even close to being ready, was a disaster from a reliability standpoint, and didn't make sense from a car builders perspective nor from a customer perspective. Sure it's great to have a dream and a vision, but some dreams are just plain dumb.
If u haven’t go see the movie
Wah Wah Wah
He got screwed
Why are you showing clips from other movies?
Toppled the big three? GM and Chrysler were no 1 and no.2. Ford wasn't that big, it was bigger than the independents but smaller than Chrysler. The 49 Ford is what pushed Ford forward in the sales department. I doubt Tucker would have been any different than any of the other independents at the time, Hudson, Nash, Studebaker, Kaiser-Frazer, Packard and Willys. All of them introduced some pretty amazing and important cars at the same time as Tucker. None of them are hear today (Wll, AMC was a combination of the whole group excluding Studebaker and Packard and is now part of Chrysler)
Appreciate the comment. Thanks
Musk couldn't even hold a candle up to Mr. Tucker!!🎉😊
I think that this "welfare" bail-outs of the last 20+ years should prove to people that big car company lobbying has been plush for the industry........
true
Would have loved to have seen a clip of Tucker cars. Instead we get a mashup of totally unrelated vision clips. Disappointing garbage.
NEVER VIABLE. he promised a CHEAP LUXURY CAR. the HELICOPTER engines cost $5000 EACH
The first zombie company......
It's a sad day free enterprise
Tucker got screwed.
They would have come after him for the mechanical fule injection alone.
It never, ever almost toppled the Big 3. It wasn’t even a blip to the Independents Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, Packard, Kaiser, and Frazer. It was a cool car, but far too expensive to build and never really got out of the prototype stage. Preston Tucker was a visionary, but not a great businessman.
Just like electric car manufacturers before WWI. Ford, Chrysler, and Durant / General Motors felt threatened and shut them down!
Oh yeah back when america was great
Well done. An actual fair appraisal of Tucker and his car. Of course, his dream got ahead of what was possible. I don't think that the Big Three did him in any more than they were quaking in their boots when, later, such cars as the Kaiser and the Edsel appeared. We often hear of cars that will upend the industry. Few have. Was he facing legal and political opposition? Sure. That doesn't answer for all, as you note. Conspiracy theories have this wonderful feature: no facts required. Drew Pearson was not a reliable source on anything, especially cars and their manufacture. So, Tucker got a raw deal. Agreed. Kaiser, an acknowledged smart businessman and production genius folded his tent. It happens to the best of the revolutionaries. DeLorean, an engineer , had less of an argument than either for his "product." Despite his experience and education, he too failed. It's a tough business. Ask the guys at GM and Chrysler who saw their companies liquidated in bankruptcy.
I always suspected Tucker simply copied a 1938 Czechoslovakian Tatra 600 Tatraplan. But that is just me.