cars

Tucker

USA · Founded 1946

Preston Tucker's audacious attempt to build the car of the future. Only 51 were made before the SEC killed the dream.

Heritage

Preston Tucker was a car guy's car guy — a promoter, an engineer, and a dreamer who thought Detroit had gotten complacent. The Tucker '48 had a rear-mounted flat-six, a center 'Cyclops' headlight that turned with the steering, a padded dashboard, and a pop-out windshield. It was decades ahead of its time. The SEC investigation that killed the company was later seen as Detroit's revenge on an upstart. Tucker was acquitted of fraud, but the damage was done. Today, the 51 surviving Tuckers are among the most valuable American cars ever built — not for what they were, but for what they represented: the road not taken.

Tucker Vehicles (1)

1948 Tucker 48

1948 Tucker 48

$1,500,000-3,000,000+ Car
Engine: 335 cu in Franklin flat-6 (helicopter engine conversion)
Power: 166 hp
Trans: 4-speed manual (Cord pre-selector)
Years: 1948

The Tucker 48 was a middle finger to Detroit complacency. While the Big Three were still building warmed-over prewar designs, Preston Tucker designed a car with features that wouldn't become standard for decades: the padded dash, the pop-out safety windshield, the directional center headlight. The rear-mounted flat-six was supposed to be a custom Tucker engine; when that fell through, they adapted a Franklin helicopter engine. It worked. The car worked. The 51 that were built proved the concept. Then the SEC investigation killed the company — whether due to actual fraud concerns or Detroit pressure depends on who you ask. Tucker was acquitted, but the dream died. These aren't just cars; they're monuments to what could have been.