Anyone seen Tucker: The Man and His Dream from 1988? I did, but many years ago when it was shown in TV. The movie, with Jeff Bridges in the lead, was about Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept. Based on true events, the movie also revealed how threatened the Big Three automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) were, and how they got together and got the Tucker company folded in 1949. As for the car in the movie, thats the Tucker 48, named after its model year and also nicknamed Torpedo. The Torpedo was an advanced automobile conceived by Preston Tucker and 51 units were produced. Some components and features of the car were innovative and ahead of their time. The most recognizable feature of the Torpedo was the directional third headlight known as the Cyclops Eye. The Cyclops Eye would swivel at steering angles of greater than 10 degrees to light the cars path around corners. The Torpedo was rear-engined and rear wheel drive, with 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 controls were housed near the steering wheel. The windshield was made of shatterproof glass and would pop out in a collision. Preston Tucker also held a patent for a collapsible steering column design. He also envisioned several other innovations which were later abandoned; magnesium wheels, disc brakes, fuel injection, self-sealing tubeless tires, and a direct-drive torque converter transmission were all tested but were dropped due to cost, complexity and time. Well if you can rent this from the DVD store, its worth the watch. And for a huge American car which I dont usually like. the Torpedo was rather nice looking. Maybe I always have a soft spot for dark horse. Or I emphatise with Preston Tucker; bullied by the Big Three.
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 09:25:03 +0000
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