One point worth mentioning is that the Tucker had a 128-inch (3251 mm) wheelbase. This was shorter than those of American limousines, but slightly longer than 1948 cars such as the Cadillac 62, Chrysler New Yorker, and Packard Custom 8 -- all expensive cars. Slightly longer was the '48 Buick Roadmaster.
Today's post delves more deeply into styling details using the walkaround format. Although photos of a car up for auction are often pretty comprehensive, for some reason I couldn't find what I consider to be a complete walkaround set for a single Tucker. Therefore, the images below are of several different Tuckers.
Gallery
1948 Tucker - Gooding aucion photo
Tuckers had rear-mounted air-cooled motors, so the front grille did not serve a radiator. Air intakes were mounted at the front of the rear fenders.
1948 Tucker - Barrett-Jackson auction photo
Styling was attractive in the context of its time. Fastbacks were fashionable, but soon to disappear. The side window profile was distinctive for '48, especially the dog-leg cut of the aft window. The front fender was a clever, distinctly different take on the popular fender-over-front-door theme found on postwar General Motors and Chrysler Corporation cars and Packards. Its shape isn't beautiful, but is memorable indeed -- a good marketing tool.
1948 Tucker - RM Auctions photo
At the rear is another air intake grille. Tail light assemblies perched atop the rear fender are similar to those found on the redesigned 1949 Chrysler Corporation line.
1948 Tucker - RM Auctions
The passenger compartment greenhouse tapers in true postwar USA fastback fashion. Those cut lines are not for the trunk, but instead are for the hood over the rear-mounded motor.
1948 Tucker - RM Sotheby's auction photo
One thing Tucker lacked was chrome side trim. Given the fender and window shaping, that was mercifully unnecessary.
1948 Tucker - RM Auctions
Though a large car, Tuckers in side-view were taut, aggressive-appearing, belying that size.
1948 Tucker - via Haggerty
A Tucker as might be viewed by someone approaching it. The front trunk lid (faux-hood) is 1940s boat-prow style, appropriate for the overall design.
1948 Tucker - RM Auctions
That central headlight pivots when the wheels turn. Like the distinctive front fender profile, this is an excellent brand-recognition feature.
Today's post delves more deeply into styling details using the walkaround format. Although photos of a car up for auction are often pretty comprehensive, for some reason I couldn't find what I consider to be a complete walkaround set for a single Tucker. Therefore, the images below are of several different Tuckers.
Tuckers had rear-mounted air-cooled motors, so the front grille did not serve a radiator. Air intakes were mounted at the front of the rear fenders.
Styling was attractive in the context of its time. Fastbacks were fashionable, but soon to disappear. The side window profile was distinctive for '48, especially the dog-leg cut of the aft window. The front fender was a clever, distinctly different take on the popular fender-over-front-door theme found on postwar General Motors and Chrysler Corporation cars and Packards. Its shape isn't beautiful, but is memorable indeed -- a good marketing tool.
At the rear is another air intake grille. Tail light assemblies perched atop the rear fender are similar to those found on the redesigned 1949 Chrysler Corporation line.
The passenger compartment greenhouse tapers in true postwar USA fastback fashion. Those cut lines are not for the trunk, but instead are for the hood over the rear-mounded motor.
One thing Tucker lacked was chrome side trim. Given the fender and window shaping, that was mercifully unnecessary.
Though a large car, Tuckers in side-view were taut, aggressive-appearing, belying that size.
A Tucker as might be viewed by someone approaching it. The front trunk lid (faux-hood) is 1940s boat-prow style, appropriate for the overall design.
That central headlight pivots when the wheels turn. Like the distinctive front fender profile, this is an excellent brand-recognition feature.
2 comments:
Tuckers were water cooled.
(Wikipedia) An air-cooled flat-6 engine, the Franklin O-335 made by Air Cooled Motors (and originally intended for the Bell 47) fit, and its 166 hp pleased Tucker. He purchased four samples for $5,000 each, and his engineers converted the 334 cubic inches (5,470 cc) engine to water cooling.
The radiator is right behind the rear grille. In a dyno test at Preston Tucker's Speed Shop YouTube channel they ran one with what appears to be a fan blowing at the rear of the car. I wonder if the side fender vents did anything at all. Is that in a low or high pressure area, and did they really know?
The Hersey PA museum has an excellent display about Tuckers, more stuff than just a car. Space utilization is not a strong point on these. The 1930's prow shape is an evolution of front engine covers, but with the Tucker there's no engine there so a lot of potential frunk room is wasted by those valleys. Although the shelf behind the back seat is low enough to put a couple suitcases on their sides there (but they stick up) there's a lot of empty cubic feet under it in the engine compartment.
Around 1980 I was driving on Lincoln Ave on the south side of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with a yellow Tucker right in front of me! It was loud and sounded like it was missing on a cylinder or two.
I just watched a Tucker brothers video shot at the Hershey museum. They said the engine fan blew air out of the rear grille, so cooling air went into the fender grilles and out the rear one.
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