The Life and Death of Preston Tucker: RCR Car Stories
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A look into the life of Preston Tucker, and the decisions that led to the death of his Car of the Future. It's a tale of triumph, tragedy, and the Trial of the Century, as Tucker went to court against the United States Government to defend his American Dream. But what was the Tucker 48 sedan? Could it really have changed the auto industry forever? What were the tragedies that put the dream to rest, and turned Tucker Automotive Corporation from upstart automaker to tragic cautionary tale? It's an all-new RCR Stories on the greatest car that never was, and the automotive visionary who never got his flowers. This is RCR Stories: The Life and Death of Tucker Automotive Corporation!
Chapters:
Prologue (Overview): 00:00
Chapter 1 (Preston Tucker's Early Life): 03:14
Chapter 2 (Tucker Torpedo and the Tin Goose): 21:45
Chapter 3 (The Tucker 48 Arrives): 42:17
Chapter 4 (Trouble With the Law): 55:30
Chapter 5 (The Trial of the Century): 1:13:40
Epilogue (The Aftermath): 1:32:33
Photo Credits and Thank You: 1:46:04
Love our Life and Death series? Then be sure to check out these other great RCR Stories:
The Life and Death of Pontiac: • The Life and Death of ...
The Life and Death of AMC: • The Life and Death of ...
The Life and Death of Saab: • The Life and Death of ... - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Can't wait to watch this. But had to comment. Many years ago a friend of my girlfriend(now wife) at the time said she new someone with some rare cars to look at in the area(Virginia) and arranged us to meet him. His name was David Cammack. He had three of the remaining cars, thousands of parts, and almost all the blueprints in his collection. He walked us around for hours in his little hidden museum of Tuckers. David passed in 2013, but his collection was moved to the AACA in Pennsylvania. It was an experience I'll never forget. I would love to go to the AACA and see them again.
U ever drive one?
I love the Tucker exhibit and collection at AACA. That’s so cool that you got to meet him in person and see his collection!
@@beforeyourimmigrants8471 nope, and I don't blame him! If I recall correctly all three he had were in drivable condition though. I can't remember for sure
@@jasonkerman1514 if I'm ever in the area I'm making sure to go. Do they have some of the blueprints displayed? He had them upstairs on tables in tons of bins.
@treverpruyt5375 yes, it's all on display. I was just there in February. Drawers upon drawers of designs. Three full Tuckers, one of the mock ups used in the movie, five or so motors and transaxles on display, plus, the most interesting to me, the original test chassis, with the 589 and its hydraulic lifters, and dual torque converters. I was in the Tucker wing for almost an hour, and could have been there an hour more.
Side side note, it's literally down the block from Hershey Park.
Yes yes yes yes yes yes. As an European this American industry's history lessons feels exotic af, especially since here in italy the majority of car makers were born cause some guy had a tantrum with another guy and wanted his own factory with blackjack and hookers.
I love the stories of Italian car makers
@@mintgoldheart6126 i mean, yes, at the beginning they're inspiring and full of passion. Too bad they'll all end either in bankruptcy or in becoming the one thing they swore to rebel against
Enzo Ferrari being an arrogant dick created his biggest competition. Love to hear it.
you just summarized Lamborghini's history in 2 lines
see also British car manufacturers: some guy in a shed thinks he can make a better racecar than the competition and ends up doing an Enzo and selling cars to fund racing.
Roman, i have spent the last week and a half by my young wifes side in the hospital. Doctors have scheduled a major surgery for this morning in hopes that it may help. This content has allowed me to remain distracted and kept the panic at bay. You never know how something that seems basic for you, may have a major impact on someone elses reality. Thank you for the time and effort you put into your content.
This means so much to me, to know I'm providing even something as simple as a distraction. I also have a loved one with a procedure coming up, and I often use TH-cam in the same way. I really hope your wife comes through, and remains healthy and well going forward. And that you also remain strong, for her and for yourself as well. Take care, James. And thank you for watching and supporting these videos.
Peace & strength to you & yours. Both of you.
Did it help? We demand answers!
I hope she gets better fast.
Things have been up and down. Had 1 chest tube, then a second, then had to move ribs and clean infection around lungs, ventilator in ICU for three days. After that, every day has been an improvement. She is home now, in a lot of pain, but pain doesn't take her away. We can deal with pain.
This was an absolutely amazing presentation. I have the movie “Tucker, a man and his dream” in my collection which I have watched a few times. Your presentation filled in all the blanks in the movie story. Thank you for fabulous effort.
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching.
RCR Stories are the best part of TH-cam! Tucker was...an enigma. He was a person with drive and a vision and he would have made it if it wasn't for those pesky kids (the Government, etc...). But that car, that car was impressive. I'm sorry it never made it.
Roman your stories are criminally underrated. Your over a hour stories with meticulous attention to details is unreal all the while keeping the viewers attention. Keep up the great work 💯
I plan to! Thank you for watching. It really does mean a lot to know people like these videos.
>underrated
"You keep using that word..."
So what these always tend to be longer than originally intended? They make for great entertainment on solo road-trips. If I can offer a suggestion, I’d like to see (hear) a story about John Lingenfelter in a future RCR Story. Thanks for doing these!
Starting my week with another RCR car story by Roman is always the best.
Tucker went into law enforcement to basically drive the cars. Sounds familiar. Except I found my niche in crash reconstruction and stayed.
This is one hell of a story. It almost reminds me of an early version of what John DeLorean went through in the 80s..
Make your own car and your poor the state will always screw you over.
@@nathanlong8295 And my poor what?
"the state"
It sounds like Tucker made his own series of massive mistakes: unproven engines (2), buying the entire company making one of them, overextending himself, selling vaporware, etc. etc.
Ditto that of DeLorean: again, unproven engine (replaced with a horrendous PRV engine which was slow and unreliable), over-ambitious (and expensive) design, etc. etc.
Both of them tried the "Kickstarter" idea... but there's a reason people spend *maybe* $2000 at most on Kickstarter... because they know it's a known risk.
You'd be a fool to buy a Kickstarter car; then or now.
Great job Roman! I absolutely love the story of Preston Tucker and his “car of tomorrow”. In fact, that movie with Jeff Bridges is what inspired me to even pursue a career in the automotive industry and perhaps maybe (naively) think one day I could create my own automobile, and (perhaps even more naively) still think I could. So this story hits a nerve with me. A Tucker “Torpedo” 48 is one of my bucket list cars as are many other “unoptainium” cars out there. I’m so glad you took the time to cover all the details most don’t. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this made my day infinitely better. Thank you
I'm so happy that it improved your day, because your comment improved mine.
I've known about Tucker since I was in high school. But the story has always been phrased it was he guilty or not due to dramatic effect from various media outlets. It's only until now do I realize that he was a man on the outside trying to break through into success but due to bad timing, lack connections, poor business decisions and bad luck didn't achieve his dream. This is why I love your essays, they give valuable insights where you can't get anywhere else because you're not trying please anyone but your audience in an honest fashion, well done as always!
Bad luck hindered Tucker. Truthfully he definitely could’ve bounced back from poor decisions, but then you have to consider that Henry Ford had the game sold up. Ford already paid off politicians and was the “In” crowd. He controlled the narrative. Unless Tucker had the power of God itself he wouldn’t of blossomed. Any competition coming Ford’s way was bound to be annihilated. This is a great example of innovative minds throughout American history and how you must be efficient in creativity but 10x more efficient and mentally strong in marketing it to break through that barrier.
These documentary videos are always a pleasure to listen too; and this one was no exception. Tucker was ahead of his time, and it’s amazing to just see how many of those features he wanted to incorporate are now commonplace among automobiles today. It’s still such a travesty all of those roadblocks really hampered the attempts at success. The explanation of the trial was absolutely glorious! Kirby made the prosecutors look like absolute dunces!
Another wonderful Car Stories Episode! Looking forward to the next one as well!
I haven't heard about the Tucker for a long time, it's crazy how far ahead of his time that dude was
Hi Roman, I'm a big fan of rcr in general but I have to admit that your long form car stories are a real highlight for me. They are well written and you have a real gift for bringing the characters in these stories to life and making them very relatable. Well done, keep up the good work, and thank you.
Roman you did it again. I hope one day the world really recognizes the legacy of automotive archeology you have given us. Truly some of the best documentary work on the subject. Until then sir, i recognize, appreciate, and await the next adventure. Thank you
Thank YOU for watching.
I see that MGS nod at 3:23. Well done sir.
I can't believe that they came up with what is essentially the multiair engine used in Dodge cars today, back after WWII. Same idea, use oil pressure to actuate valve lifters rather than a camshaft. This allows basically infinite intake valve timing. Granted, all this is way easier today with computer controls as opposed to mechanical devices but it's still pretty prescient.
Perhaps too far ahead of himself. I think if he could have got the money to perfect it would have sold like hotcakes. I could see some very powerful people making sure that didn't happen.
And on the day Tucker Carlson got fired. That, as we say, is some Swiss timing.
And here I was just wishing for another RCR story. Thanks, Nick!
Was looking for this comment lol.
Roman, this is one of those cars/companies that I wished you’d do a video on and I’m sooooo excited to see that you have. Bless your soul, calm voice and intellect. Maybe one day I’ll be a millionaire and be able to afford one of my own, but until then, videos like this are keeping me going. Thank you sir.
Roman,
Don't apologize if these things go long. Projects like this need room to breathe, for the nuance of the story to be conveyed. You're doing a great job and I love the RCR Stories. Keep it up!
Thank you for putting the effort into this. Please never stop RCR stories. The behind-the-scenes information you come up with while researching a story is fascinating. Even having researched Tucker myself and read Lehto's book... you still present it so skillfully and with genuine passion.
I am now going to try and work "Press the flesh" into conversation😂
Not one of those guys who comments before watching. This story told by folks who genuinely care about what they are presenting and have a respect for our history, warts and all, is already cherished.
I really hope this does get published as a podcast. Always good to hear your stuff Roman! You’re storytelling is some of the best in the TH-cam sphere!
Oh, it's definitely getting published as a podcast! It's just going to be a few weeks, simply so this can do whatever it's going to do on TH-cam first. But I will put it on the RSS feed (iTunes, Spotify, etc.) by mid-May.
Been looking forward to another RCR Stories, cheers Roman, you're a legend.
The irony of the day yall uploaded this is incredible
God bless I been fiending for an RCR car story recently
1:48:59 of time that doesn’t disappoint. All the details. All the background brought up front, in detail and told in a way that you listen to the full story without any pause. Well done. Preston Tucker would have been proud . . . .
A Tucker 48 has been high on my list of “lottery cars” ever since I saw one in a Museum 30 years ago. Anytime I am close to one on display I always make it a point to go see it. They are just such gorgeous and unusual cars.
I love how you tell these stories. Wonderful presentation on a company/car/person I'd never even heard of before!
Lustron homes are an odd topic too, they were enameled steel prefab homes and he succeeded in building several communities
Great job, Roman! I love the long form stuff, it's definitely worth the time.
You told us of a self deflating personality of yours in another video but just know that this video is 2 hours long and you have my full attention, this is entertaining and very compellingly written and I enjoy learning and listening to everything in here. You are awesome at this, please make more
I will! I'm already starting work on the next one! Thank you so much for watching, seriously.
Another story I knew absolutely nothing about beforehand! Excellent video, great for roadtrips!
Love your indepth long detailed automotive stories. The long form is awesome and I can't wait for the next one.
Excellent episode, Nick. Appreciate your work.
Wow. I liked this way more than I thought I would.
Respect and thanks for this story.
I just finished this and it was fantastic and fascinating. Bravo. This transcends automotive journalism - it’s just a fascinating story, even for non-car people. Bravo.
I absolutely love RCR stories and look forward to each one, keep up the good work, Roman!
Thank you for the hard work, Roman. You never fail to impress, and you are appreciated. 💓
I absolutely love this type of content. The amount of work that goes into this has got to be incredible. If there are people helping you they also deserve a huge thanks! I truly can not wait until the next RCR story (please don't rush it the quality is why I believe most of us come here).
In regards to future content how about a look at the British car industry? Maybe pick some big names like Triumph, MG, and Austin. Follow them from independent auto makers to when they all were brought under BL. I know it's been documented before however, I think you could bring a different perspective and quality to the story.
Thanks for all the hard work you all at RCR put into this.
Loved listening to this Roman! First RCR story and will be listening to others
I love these videos, thanks Roman for taking the time make these and teach everyone.
I'm glad they opted to base a car in the video game mafia II off of the tucker. It's a small victory given the obscurity of the game today but it's nice to know that someone recognized the car that could have been and they even made it one of the best cars in the game, especially for a 4 door car. It's such a shame that the tucker never truly happened. The car and its creator deserved so much more.
I love RCR stories. I don't know to what degree hard work is rewarded but know they are appreciated now and well into the future
Very good, super informative, and very well delivered. I really enjoyed this.
Also want to add another great job by Roman. Thanks for making a Monday a great day. Love the RCR Stories series.
What a day to put out a TH-cam video about something named Tucker
astounding as usual. Thank you so much for these!
Wonderfully written as always and very informative i knew very little about the tucker story its a shame how he was treated.
Another great video, thanks for making these! Shame it takes so long to produce, but that’s the price for quality 😌 Looking forward to the next story
This is the one episode I've been waiting for since this series started, the tucker story is so interesting.
I don’t know why, but I thought this was released months ago. Either way, thank you so much Roman!!!! Your RCR stories are just about my favorite thing on the internet.
It was only released yesterday.
Thank you for making this. You have done a great job at finding information and explaining what transpired in Preston’s life. It is truly sad what happened to him. He was ahead of the times and he did shape the car industry forever. Thank you
Thank you for the story Uncle Roman, that was an extremely pleasant listen for a beautiful Monday 🙏
amazing as always roman! now is it finally time for the story of auburn cord and duesenberg?!
Awesome job as always Nick! Keep up the good work RCR
Don't have time to sit down and watch today. Can't wait to sit down later this week with a nice cocktail and get comfortable watching another RCR in depth review of automotive history.
Can't wait.
Thank you very much for creating this documentary.
Rcr stories time!!!
great presentation , I always loved the story of Preston Tucker and you added so much more insight to it, thank you for doing what you do brother
I'm not interested at all in cars or the automotive industry - as a matter of fact I got here based on your latest video about the dumpster fire that is the Cybertruck - but this is TH-cam and the Internet at its best: bringing to life a history that is in danger of being lost with dedicated, thorough research, attention to detail, and accessible, clear, engaging storytelling. Excellent video, glad I found you.
Love the channel! I've been watching for about a year now mostly for these "life and death of" videos, I coincidentally visited the aaca museum a few months back mostly for the Tucker exhibit, I'm planning on going back in June for their 75th tucker anniversary.
Once again, absolutely brilliant work... A long and complicated story, told brilliantly, and entertainingly.... Well done and thankyou :-)
Thank you for this RCR Story. I want to actually say thank you for every RCR story. After listening to the whole story of Preston Tucker and Tucker Automotive Corporation, I have a new found respect for this man. He had so much determination and a big dream and kept pursuing it, despite all of his obstacles from the US Government and lobbyists. I really do wish he was able to pursue that dream. He proved without saying much at all that none of what he did was ill intent and was genuine about wanting to run a innovative car manufacturer. My heart broke when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, right when he was about to begin his dream. That tragic death of his illness... Preston didn't deserve that at all.. If I ever do get to see a Tucker 48, the amount of trials this man had to go through just to produce 50... I can't help but get teary eyed about it. He deserved so much more.
Great video, and story in such detail!
Outstanding work Roman, really enjoyed this
Thank you for all the Work you did.
This was important for me to watch.
From the short things i read about Tucker so long, i had a complete wrong Picture im my head.
Became part of the force as a Runaway he was against Crawling and In the End he was Numb!
A fresh unit of a RCR Stories that's almost 2 hours long?! We're not worthy, we're not worthy!
Brilliant! Great work on one of the most interesting pieces of automotive history.
Mr. Roman you sir did Mr. Tucker justice with your video. OMG, it was packed full of great info and pictures. You sir did an awesome job. I only wish you could have interviewed the family and got there insight into his life. God bless you brother, keep up the good work.
This was a great listen, thanks man!
Wonderful doc. The most comprehensive tucker documentary I have ever seen great job thank you
YES PLEASE!!!
finally an RCR story!!
highlight of the week for sure
Oh. Oh my. I will enjoy all of this.
I'm expecting it to be a bit of a sad tale.
The Tucker Model 48 was way ahead of it's time... I have a 1/18 Die Cast Model of a Tucker Model 48 in my Die Cast and Model collection... Probably the closest I'll ever get to own one since what few times one comes up at auction they go for 1 million $ plus...
Excellent storytelling. Thanks, Roman!
I do love these stories. They are interesting, informative and soothing.
Another excellent episode of RCR Stories! This one really hit home as someone who's been obsessed with the Tucker corporation thanks to my old man. If anyone reading this ever gets the chance to see a Tucker in person, do it! It's truly a one-of-a-kind experience
I love listening to these, it’s like Hardcore history but with cars
Also, it’s fun to think that last year I drove a 2022 BMW five series that had headlight that turned with the car, a feature from Tucker almost 80 years later.
Incredible work!! Your effort to preserve history will live forever!!
Fantastic work, Roman! I learned a ton!
I love the RCR stories!! I’ll be watching this while I work tonight, so excited
I would prefer a long story that's well thought out and researched, than a short one. Perfect for listening to your podcast while I'm welding at work. Thank you for keeping my mind busy while I'm at work. :-)
Thanks! Wonderful and amazing work!
Nick/Roman: This was fascinating and so well researched. I knew about Tucker, of course, but I didn't know the whole story. Now, I do.
A masterpiece as always. Thank you sir!
YESS More car stories! I love these deep dives into auto history.
Fantastic story well told. I don’t have the patience nowadays to sit down and watch something like the movie and this was a perfect summation of the career of an unsung hero that I had never heard before.
Thanks Roman. Excited to hear your next one!
A suggestion maybe? How about something over the Americanization of certain brands? Like how GM used GEO to sell international cars, ISUZU and their partnerships with Honda and GM, the Toyota Cavalier, Ford and Mazda’s deep rooted partnership and the efforts made by American companies to integrate into fuel misers :O
This video is as long as the movie but a documentary.
I have to say, this must have taken months to research and edit. This is documentary quality for national television. Well done sir.
2 hours of Roman at work is better than no roman
Awesome as usual bro!
Real interesting story I had never heard of. Great job as usual Nick! I love your strict adherence to the "quote-unquote" way of quoting. It's nothing short of admirable!
THANK YOU for this wonderful presentation of the Tucker Story! It is SO SAD that he could not have produced an initial run of Tucker '48 vehicles. Even if it wasn't successful as a business, that was ONE HECK of a car! There was nothing else like it at the time. I had the opportunity one time )of actually sitting in a Tucker at an auto museum/ The "Safety Chamber" was quite roomy, and at least, if you could have had time to get down in there, you would not have been thrown from the vehicle or smashed into the dash panel (padded as the Tucker's was; or not.) The padded dash panel was also quite a few years ahead of its time.
Another very well researched and well produced RCR Car Story - excellent work Roman, and thank you. You might already be aware of the TH-cam Channel 'Preston Tucker's Speed Shop' - it was put up by Preston Tucker's great grandsons, and to quote from the channel description, "...Tucker LLC is a company founded by Mike and Sean Tucker, identical twins and the great-grandsons of the creator of the Tucker 48, Preston Tucker. Their company focuses on the preservation of the Tucker legacy." It would be cool if you got to meet them if you haven't already, and also if they got to see your RCR Car Story. Looking forward to future RCR Car Stories.
RCR stories are the only reason I subscribe to this channel. Keep them coming!
I'm here for the porn
Your pronunciation of Capac was spot on! Which is basically just farm fields with a stretch of highway in the middle. Locals say Capac stands for "cows and pigs and chickens"
Thanks guys, now I have something interesting to listen to during my morning meetings
In the movie there was a line from the Abe charactor," you make the car too good". That was the big issue that the Big Three were looking at. To me the Big Three were just doing the same ol,same ol and saw what he was about to do and got very nervous. How much did they "influence" the events we may never know. But it sure seems like they had a bigger part that they would admit to.