Preston Tucker
Preston Tucker was an American automobile dreamer in the early 1900s. He was famous for creating a new innovative car which would have a safe design, including seat belts, safety glass, and a directional third headlight.
Tucker began a one month trek to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He had a big interest in race cars and their designs, and decided to move to Indianapolis to get closer to the automobiles. He earned a job as the transportation manager, and looked over deliveries for the company. The designer and leader of the company, Harry Miller faced bankruptcy in 1933. Tucker and Miller then formed “Miller and Tucker, Inc.” and started building race cars. This new company continued race car development until Miller’s death, 10 years later.
In 1937, Tucker had the idea of developing a combat vehicle. Two years later, he moved his family back to Michigan to develop new automotive products. Tucker received an opportunity from the Dutch government. The government wanted a combat vehicle that would work in the muddy Dutch land. He began to design an armored combat car, nicknamed “Tucker Tiger.” When the Germans invaded Holland, Tucker had not completed the vehicle. By then, the Dutch lost interest, so he offered it to the U.S. government. The combat car could go up to 115 mph, which was too fast for the government. They had already committed to other combat cars, and refused the car. However, the gun turret on the car took a place in the U.S. Navy and was soon used in many of the ships.
In 1940, Preston Tucker created the Tucker Aviation Corporation, and wanted to manufacture aircraft and marine engines. He designed a fighter aircraft, the Tucker XP-57, which the U.S.A.A.C. took an interest in. Again, this n...
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The Tucker Corporation’s cars were auctioned in Chicago, and only 2 were left for keeping. In 1950,Tucker tried to build a sports car called “Carioca,” but it was never built. Tucker teamed up with people in Brazil to work on this vehicle, but upon his return to the US, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died from pneumonia on December 26, 1956, when he was 53 years old. He was buried in Flat Rock, Michigan.
In 1954, some investors made an attempt to bring back the Tucker Corporation to make a new car. They made many sketches, but was not able to get enough support to build the vehicle. The former Tucker Corporation is located in Chicago, IL, and is now split into the corporate headquarters of Tootsie Roll Industries and the Ford City mall. Tucker’s innovative ideas for his new car design with safety helped build up the standards for the modern cars today.
When analyzing the film Tucker, it is easy to see there are several external factors that contributed to his difficulty in the automobile industry. The first was really an intermingling of two threats, the threat of suppliers and rivalry. With the car industry being in the mature stage of the industry life cycle there were three major automobile manufactures and they controlled most of the market share in the industry. With them having such large market shares they also controlled much of the materials that went into manufacturing an automobile this included steel. Tucker faced this challenge when he attempted to buy steel to manufacture his vehicles and learned there was no steel to be purchased because the big three already controlled all of the available steel. From the assistance of Howard Hughes Tucker learned of a failing helicopter manufacturing plant that had in their possession more than enough steel to make the cars that Tucker needed to make. Tucker eventually gained access to the steel from the helicopter plant either through acquisition or merger th...
The P-51 Mustang is regarded by many sources as the greatest fighter plane ever created. With the technological advancements this plane achieved, to it’s service record, to it’s importance in winning World War Two, the Mustang is truly one of the greats. The Mustang played a key role in long range bomber support and saved countless bomber crew’s lives, and pilots loved to fly it. The P-51 had the most aerial victories of any American fighter in World War Two and it was flown by some of America’s top aces. The P-51 was a beast of a fighter plane
George M. Pullman is best remembered for his contributions to the railroad industry through the invention of his Pullman Cars. The cars sold well and the railroad industry flourished with this new invention. Although the success attached to his name, not many people know the real truth behind this robber baron. His greed for money took him to extreme measures as his workers were seriously mistreated and put under strict
Even though Jim Lewis was in World War 2, he led an average American life. He raised four kids in the Piedmont of North Carolina, with the values of love and respect. He influenced others through his hard work, dedication to his country, and his loyalty to his family. He voluntarily joined World War 2 and was a part of the Automobile Industry for 20+ years. Through this historical biography, you will learn about his life in the war, involvement of the crash in the S.S. Uruguay, and the car industry of the 1950’s-60’s.
The. Johnson, David E. Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Print. The. "
The United States trucking industry is a very thriving industry and has continued to grow since the beginning of the 1900’s. The motor carrier act of 1935 allowed regulations to be set for the growing trucking industry. These standards made trucking safer for the driver and others as well. With the growing of mass production of products, transporting these goods was not efficient using trains or other types of shipping, so large trucks and trailers became the most popular method for shipping. This created a huge market for truck producers to supply trucks for the new form of freight transportation. Brother’s Jack and Augustus Mack saw the perfect opportunity to use their mechanical abilities.
Dale’s father Ralph Lee Earnhardt raced since he was little; this is where Earnhardt had got his love and passion of racing. “Dale would sit in the garage, watching his father build dirt track cars. He would also accompany his father to races, dreaming that one day he would do the same” (Dale Earnhardt Bio) .Earnhardt’s father Ralph started a garage out of one of the sheds in their backyard which is where he began his life work by building race cars for himself and other people. Ralph L Earnhardt won hundreds of races and countless state track championships. Ralph started racing in 1949, and in 1953 it became his full time occupation. Ralph was well known for his engine work, and Ralph was known as “Iron Heart” racing in the stock car circuit. Ralph taught his son Dale how to race and work on engines. “He started his racing career on dirt tracks where he was famous
After two unsuccessful attempts to establish a company to manufacture automobiles, the Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 with Henry Ford as vice-president and chief engineer. (Editors 9.) The small company produced only a few cars a day at the Ford factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit. Groups of two or three men worked on each car from components ordered in by other companies. (Yenne 45)
The first automobile produced for the masses in the US was the three-horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile; 425 of them were sold in 1901 and 5,000 in 1904--this model is still prized by collectors. The firm prospered, and it was noted by others, and, from 1904 to 1908, 241 automobile-manufacturing firms went into business in the United States. One of these was the Ford Motor Company which was organized in June 1903, and sold its first car on the following July 23. The company produced 1,700 cars during its first ...
Hess, W.N. (1970) (1st ed) Fighting Mustang. United States of America. 29, 31 Detailing the
The first automobile production for the masses in the US was the three horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile which four hundred and twenty five of them were sold in 1901 and five thousand in 1904. This Oldsmobile is still a very popular car to most collectors today. From 1904 to 1908, two hundred and one automobile manufacturing firms went into business in the United States. One of the firms was the Ford Motor company which was organized in June 1903, and sold its first car on the following July ...
grew up to create an automobile Tucker that was years ahead of its time. He was
Theodore Alfred Peterman was the founder of Peterbilt Motors Company in 1937. Theodore had a problem. He couldn’t get logs from the forest to the lumber mill quickly or efficiently. The first truck Peterman and his employees helped rebuild was an old army truck. The army truck helped solve his problem. He figured out that if he placed the battery on the starter instead of the crank, it would work. Peterman did not live to long after starting his business and selling his invention for six years. His wife Ida Peterman sold the business to seven individuals within the Peterbilt organization a year after Theodore died. He did in 1945. When it was sold to those seven individuals, it was expanded into a serious producer of heavy duty trucks. The shareholders eventually sold it to PACCAR (Pacific Car & Foundry Co.) They had already acquired the assets of Kenworth in 1945 and was planning on becoming a player in the heavy truck market. Pacific Car made Peterbilt Motors a wholly owned subsidiary. Peterbilt finally carried its own tradition while retaining its ...
In 1973 John DeLorean feeling that he was not living up to his potential left General Motors to start his own car company to be the next star in automotive sports car design. John DeLorean was going to have to start from scratch with no vehicle and a couple designs he had in mind, he was going to create what was to be an ethical sports car.
...no matter what. He thought that spending time with family was far more important than anything else. It’s a good thing to have values like that. He’s an honest hard working man that deserved all the good things he got. He didn’t fold when it looked hopeless at Chrysler, he did everything he could to keep the company alive, and now it’s having more success than it ever has in it’s history of existence. This is a very good book, and I recommend that everyone read this one. It’s got a lot of interesting stuff and advice in it. It also gives great insight into the auto manufacturing business. There are a lot of stereotype’s out there that say a car company tried to kill them. But really, all of the guys that make the cars are driving them themselves. They don’t purposely make bad cars, they drive them and so do their kids, and I don’t think all of them are suicidal maniacs either. I think most of them are sane people. I say one thing we need less of in America is blood sucking lawyers. They’re just greedy people that we could do without some of them. I learned that in order to succeed, you must not give up easily. You can’t give up on your dreams until you have put your all into it.