Editing Preston Tucker (section)

==Tucker Corporation and the 1948 Tucker Sedan (1944–1947)==
[[File:Tucker Corporation Christmas Card, 1947.jpg|thumb|Tucker Corporation Christmas Card, 1947. The card illustrates the basic design of the 1948 Tucker, but with non-production trim.]]

{{Main|Tucker 48}}

After the war, the public was ready for new car designs, but the [[Big Three (automobile manufacturers)|Big Three]] automakers had not developed any new models since 1941, and were in no hurry to introduce them. That provided great opportunities for new small, independent automakers who could develop new cars more rapidly than the huge legacy automakers. Tucker saw his opportunity to develop and bring his "car of tomorrow" to market. Studebaker was first with an all-new postwar model, but Tucker took a different tack, designing a safety-oriented car with innovative features and modern styling.

Tucker's first design appeared in ''[[Science Illustrated]]'' magazine in December 1946, showing a futuristic version of the car with a hydraulic drive system designed by George Lawson, along with a photo of a 1/8 scale model blown up to appear full sized, titled the "Torpedo on Wheels". That was only an early rendering of the proposal, with its design features yet to meet reality, but the motoring public was now excited about the Tucker.

:[[File:Tucker torpedo patent.png|right|thumb|A Tucker 48 [[patent]] illustration]]

To finish the prototype design and get construction under way, Tucker hired famed stylist [[Alex Tremulis]], previously of [[Auburn Automobile|Auburn]]/[[Cord (automobile)|Cord]]/[[Duesenberg]], on December 24, 1946, and gave him just six days to finalize the design. On December 31, 1946, Tucker approved Tremulis's preliminary design. Tucker's future-car became known as the "Tucker Torpedo" from the first Lawson sketch; however, not desiring to bring to mind the horrors of WWII, Tucker quickly changed the name to the "Tucker 48". With Tremulis's design sketch, a full-page advertisement was run in March 1947 in many national newspapers claiming "How 15 years of testing produced the car of the year". Tucker said he had been thinking about the car for 15 years. The second advertisement described specifically many of the innovative features Tucker proposed for his car, many of which would not make it to the final car. This advertisement had the public very excited about this car, but Tucker had much work to do before a prototype was ready to be shown.
[[File:1948 Tucker Torpedo 8511815871.jpg|thumb|1948 Tucker Torpedo]]

To finalize the design, Tucker hired the New York design firm [[Lippincott (brand consultancy)|J. Gordon Lippincott]] to create an alternate body. Only the front end and horizontal taillight bar designs were retained for the final car. A [[sports car]] variant of the Tucker 48, the [[Tucker Talisman]], was sketched as well but never left the drawing board.

To diversify his corporation, Tucker imported Italian engineer [[Secondo Campini]], who was well known and respected in the aviation industry. He was put in charge of pursuing a [[United States Air Force]] development contract, hoping to use Tucker's huge Chicago factory to someday build more than just cars. Campini and Tucker also began developing plans for a [[gas turbine]]-powered car to be produced by Tucker.

The '''Tucker Export Corporation''' was also formed, based in New York, which was established as an entity to manage worldwide sales of Tucker's cars. Headed by Tucker's long-time friend, Colombian Max Garavito, distributorships were set up internationally, including South America and South Africa.

Tucker assembled a group of automotive industry leaders for Tucker Corporation, including:
:Fred Rockelman; Tucker VP and Sales Director (Formerly president of [[Plymouth (automobile)|Plymouth]])
:Hanson Brown; Executive VP (Formerly VP for [[General Motors]])
:KE Lyman; Development engineer (Formerly of [[Bendix Corporation]] and [[Borg-Warner]])
:Ben Parsons; Tucker engineering VP and chief engineer (International fuel injection expert)
:Lee S. Treese; VP of manufacturing (Formerly a [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] executive)
:Herbert Morley; (Borg-Warner plant manager)
:Robert Pierce; VP and Treasurer (Formerly secretary of [[Briggs Manufacturing Company]])
Tucker and his colleagues were able to obtain the largest factory building in the world, the {{convert|475|acre|km2|adj=on}} Dodge Chicago Aircraft Engine Plant, which was later known as the [[Dodge Chicago Plant|Chicago Dodge Plant]], from the [[War Assets Administration]]. The facility had previously been used to build the massive [[Wright R-3350]] Cyclone engines for [[B-29 Superfortress]] aircraft during WWII. Tucker, thinking long-term, believed this large facility would fit his long-term goal of producing an entire line of Tucker automobiles under one roof.

Tucker signed the lease in July 1946, contingent on him raising $15 million in capital by March 1947. Tucker needed this money to get going, so he began raising money by selling dealership rights and floating a $20 million stock issue through the Chicago brokerage firm Floyd D. Cerf. With over $17 million in the bank by 1947, the Tucker Corporation was up and running.

While Tucker ultimately got the plant, he was not able to move in until September 1947 because of delays caused by counter-claims and disputes over the plant between Tucker and the [[Lustron Corporation]]. That delayed Tucker by almost a year, during which time development of the car continued at his Michigan machine shop. Tucker planned for 60,000 cars a year, with 140 per day produced for the first 4 months and 300 per day produced afterward.<ref>Kay, Jack: Kilo-quad /Tucker treasure; Booksurge, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-4392-5069-3}}</ref>

Tucker suffered another setback when his bids to obtain two steel mills to provide raw materials for his cars were rejected by the WAA under a shroud of questionable politics.<ref name="Pearson, Charles T. 1974"/>

Tucker's specifications for his revolutionary car called for a [[RR layout|rear engine]], a low-RPM {{convert|589|cuin|L|1|abbr=on}} engine with hydraulic valves instead{{Clarify|date=June 2010}}<!-- two different engine parts, a camshaft actuates the valves, does this mean hydraulic valve LIFTERS? This reads like double talk --> of a [[camshaft]], [[fuel injection]], direct-drive [[torque converter]]s on each rear wheel (instead of a transmission), [[disc brake]]s, the location of all instruments within the diameter and reach of the steering wheel, a padded dashboard, self-sealing tubeless tires, independent springless suspension, a chassis that protected occupants in a side impact, a roll bar within the roof, a laminated windshield designed to pop out during an accident, and a center "cyclops" headlight which would turn when steering at angles greater than 10 degrees in order to improve visibility around corners during night driving.

While most of those innovations made it to the final 51 prototypes, several were dropped for their cost and the lack of time to develop such mechanically-complicated designs. The low-RPM 589-cubic-inch engine, individual torque converters, mechanical fuel injection, and the disc brakes were all dropped during the design and testing phase.

Having run out of time to develop the 589-cubic-inch engine for the car, Tucker ultimately settled on a modified {{convert|334|cuin|L|1|abbr=on}} [[Franklin O-335]] aircraft engine. He liked the engine so much he purchased its manufacturer, [[Air Cooled Motors|Aircooled Motors]] in New York, for $1.8 million in 1947,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> securing a guaranteed engine supply for his car.