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Tucker
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Tucker

Designer: 
Thomas Tucker
Date: 
1948
Tucker

A new US postwar car, the Tucker 48, was introduced by Preston Thomas Tucker (1903-1957), who envisioned it as the "Car of Tomorrow."

The original 1946 Torpedo design by George Lawson (see below), had three headlights; one centered; the fenders and their respective headlights turning in concert with the steering wheel, which was also centered.

Tucker then separately engaged Alex Tremulis (See below), and a competitive design team from Lippincott & Margulies which included Hal Bergstrom, Philip S. Egan (See below), Tucker Madawick, FIDSA, (see below), Budd Steinhilber, FIDSA (See below) and independent designer Read Viemeister, FIDSA who had just left L&M (See below).

The final prototype, called the Tin Goose by Tucker, used Tremulis' body design and the front and rear ends of the L&M team.

Interiors were designed by Audrey Moore Hodges (1918-1996) of Tremulis' staff.

In 1949, Tucker was indicted by the SEC on 31 counts of fraud, theft and regulatory violations, and his plant was closed after producing a pilot run of 51 cars. He was acquitted in 1950, but no cars were sold on the market--- they were auctioned off. [editor's note: 47 of the 51 cars are known and accounted for today. The highest price ever paid for a Tucker is $500,000].

In 1988, the movie, Tucker: A Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was released.

Philip S. Egan (b.1920) US industrial designer: Studied aeronautical engineering at Stewart Technical Institute, NY. Hired by J. Gordon Lippincott in 1946 and was assigned to Tucker '48 project, and in 1947 went to work with Alex Tremulis at Tucker. Worked with Sears, Roebuck & Company on a variety of products starting 1948. Opened own office, Phil Egan Design, in 1960. Published several books, including Design and Destiny: The Making of the Tucker Automobile. Office located in Fairfax, Calif.

George Lawson, US automotive stylist: Graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art. Worked at Buick in late 1930s, where he designed the 1938 Buick. He met Tucker in 1946 and prepared the Torpedo concept. Later he worked for Raymond Loewy Associates, Nash, and General Motors in the 1950s.

Tucker Madawick, FIDSA, (b. 1918) US industrial designer: Tucker was in the first class of industrial design at Pratt Institute in 1935. He joined Ford in 1938, where he worked on the 1939 Mercury, 1940 Lincoln Continental and 1941 Ford. In 1942, he joined Ford's aircraft team and from 1943 to 1946 worked as production coordinator for Convair on B-24, B-32 and B-36 bomber programs. In 1946, Tucker joined J. Gordon Lippincott, his former teacher, and was involved with the Tucker car. He joined Raymond Loewy Associates in 1947 and in 1948 was appointed manager of the London office. In 1952, he joined Carl Otto Associates as an account executive until 1955, returning to the Loewy office as account executive until 1959. He ioined RCA in 1959 as Manager of Industrial Design, becoming VP of the Advance Design Center in 1968, and Divisional VP of Consumer Electronics from 1971 until his retirement in 1981. Was president of IDI in 1964 and president of IDSA from 1969-1970.

Alex Sarantos Tremulis (1914-1994) US automotive stylist: Born in Chicago and started at Duesenberg in 1933, where he worked under Gordon Buehrig on the Cord 810, becoming chief stylist in 1936. In 1937 went with GM, then to Briggs LeBaron. In 1938 worked for Custom Motors in Beverly Hills, CA., then consulted with Crosley and American Bantam in 1939 and returned to Briggs to work on the Chrysler Thunderbolt and the Packard Clipper. Entered Air Force in 1941, where he worked on advanced aircraft concepts at Wright Field, and developed a concept which in the 1970s became known as the Boeing Dyna-Soar, a gliding re-entry space vehicle. After the war, he worked with the design firm of Tammen and Denison until Preston Tucker hired him. He later worked at Ford advanced styling, and in California for Subaru, where he designed the Brat.

Budd Steinhilber, FIDSA, (b. 1924) US industrial designer: Apprenticed at Loewy office as student at Pratt Institute. Graduated in 1943 and started work with Dohner & Lippincott in NY immediately. In 1947 became part of team designing the Tucker car. In 1949 he joined Read Viemeister (See below) as partner until 1964 when he relocated to San Francisco and subsequently established a partnership with Gene Tepper (Tepper & Steinhilber Associates), then in 1975 a partnership with graphic designer Barry Deutsch (Steinhilber & Deutsch Inc.). Retired in 1987 and relocated to Hawaii.

Read Viemeister, FIDSA, (1923-1993) US industrial designer: Graduated from Pratt 1943 and started work immediately with Dohner & Lippincott in NY, and became its first Director of Styling. He married Beverly Lipsett in 1946, left L&M and moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio to set up Vie Design Studios with Budd Steinhilber (See above) who joined him in 1949. Together, they established a Department of Industrial Design at Dayton Art Institute. After Budd left in 1964, Read continued Vie Design Studios until his death.

Sources: 
100 Years of Design consists of excerpts from a book by Carroll M. Gantz, FIDSA, entitled, Design Chronicles: Significant Mass-produced Designs of the 20th Century, published August 2005 by Schiffer Publications, Ltd.