This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
Challenged the automotive establishment by founding the Tucker Corporation
Introduced the innovative and highly original 1948 Tucker, which featured high frequenct ignition, a padded dashboard, a pop-out windshield and a third headlight that turned with the wheels.
Preston J. Tucker was a true visionary who understood the needs of post-war consumers.
In 1946, Preston Tucker announced the details of the all-new Tucker Torpedo. The car was to have an unusual rear-mounted engine and torque converter and would be produced in a former Dodge aircraft plant in Chicago. The first prototype was unveiled in mid-1947 and became a monument to Tucker's vision of a new type of cars for Americans. Unfortunately, only 51 cars were made before the company failed due to legal problems.
Preston Tucker wanted to offer American consumers a car that was safe, technologically advanced, reliable and economical to operate. He devised ingenious new approaches to the design and sale of cars.
