Tucker: The Man and His Dream

Chances are

you've never heard of Preston Thomas Tucker...

dreamer,

inventor,

visionary,

a man ahead of his time.

Pretty, isn't it?

Mr. Tucker's car has everything...

pop-out safety windows, rear motor.

Oh, but I'm getting ahead of my story.

The first time he ever saw an automobile,

he was just a young boy.

In his excitement,

he found the wheels passing over his feet.

The muddy road was soft.

He wasn't hurt.

That was the first view of the machine

that was to mold his thoughts and actions

most of his life.

Determined to learn how cars were made,

he went to Detroit,

where he met Vera Fuqua.

They were married,

and, wasting no time, began a family.

He never lost sight of his dream

to design and manufacture

the finest automobile ever made.

He spent every minute he could

at the Indianapolis Speedway,

teaming up with Harry Miller,

one of the greatest designers of racing cars

who ever lived.

In 1936, Mr. Tucker saw the war clouds

looming on the horizon

and began working

on a high-speed combat car.

It was bulletproof, had air conditioning,

and mounted a power-operated gun turret.

The combat car was turned down by the military.

It had one drawback, they said.

It was too fast.

The War Department's policy then was

no combat car should go over 35 miles an hour.

His gun turret, however,

was immediately put into service.

Who knows how many brave Americans

owe their lives to Tucker's turret?

Where were they built?

In the most practical place Tucker imagined...

the barn by his Michigan home

where he and his family lived.

Oh, my God.

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Come on out, girl.

What's this?

Did you put this in my car?

No.

Did you? What is this thing?

Open it.

What is it?

My friends, you are in for one doozie.

What can I call this?

It's history in the making.

Is there anything you want to explain

about the dogs?

Oh... well, I traded the old Packard for them.

One dozen trained dogs.

What will we do with a dozen dogs?

It was a great trade.

Are you dying to know what's in here?

Huh? No?

- Yes. - Yes.

You're dying, huh?

Gallup took a poll

about what Americans want when the war's over.

87% of Americans said

the first thing they want is a new car.

Which would the public rather buy?

The same old models made

before the war or...

the car of tomorrow...

today.

- Ooh! - Whoa!

Looks like he's going 90 mph standing still.

Know who's going to build these cars? We are.

We'll put the Big Three out of business.

Who will we sell them to? Buck Rogers?

Under the hood, we've got luggage.

Engine's in the rear where it ought to be.

Look at this. Individual torque converters.

You're crazy!

You'd have to have wheel tracks 70 inches wide.

Dinner's ready!

All right. Let's go!

How many?

Everybody.

How about the U.S. Army?

You boys hungry?

Oh, Millie! Millie!

And our best dog food, huh?

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How much you going to tell him?

Everything.

Coming through. Got dirty dishes.

They'll fall on you.

Don't trip!

The fenders... Light.

Who's this guy, Karatz?

He's a business man.

I met him on the train.

Finance.

Finance?

Come here, Junior.

Who's that?

The man I've been talking about.

Abe Karatz.

Good luck, honey.

We'll be in the den.

Look at him.

Yeah. He's scary.

He's not scary.

He's from New York.

Abe.

I appreciate your coming.

How long between trains?

You like living in the middle of nowhere?

You want coffee at 2 a.m., you'd die first.

Yeah, or make one.

Who wants coffee at 2 a.m.?

You chew the fat with the waitress.

Here you look around,

there's nothing but scenery.

We're stuck with that.

How do you like your coffee?

In the city.

Double fives again,

and he does it.

Cars?

You brought me here for cars?

Does that look like a car to you?

That is a gold mine I'm handing you

on a silver platter.

Forget it.

You got no chance.

How can you say that?

You haven't even heard my ideas.

Ideas?

Einstein's in the idea business,

making numbers so high

only dogs hear them.

But what's it cost him?

Paper, pencils.

To manufacture a car,

you need millions of dollars.

Well, that is what Wall Street is for...

to float stock issues, Abe.

Who are you?

What do you know?

Any experience on Wall Street?

It's revolutionary.

This is how cars are going to be made.

Abe, and with your connections...

I don't have connections.

I have connections with connections.

Speaking for them, myself, and God...

Him, too... forget about it.

You got no chance.

Well, think about it.

Drive safely.

Yes, sir.

Preston?

Preston?

Pile in, cutie.

Who wants ice cream?

Let's go to Doc's!

Everybody!

Man your positions.

See if we can break our record time.

Hurry up! Come on!

I've got my position.

It was pathetic how he loved the idea.

Embarrassing to see a man like that

trying so hard to play my harp strings.

I'm going to make him sweat a while first.

Watch this baby accelerate!

- Whoa! - Whoa!

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Sounds like Tucker again.

Yep! That's him. Let's go!

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