The Rise and Fall of the Tucker Torpedo
             America was shaped and defined through the basis of free enterprise. Long before America became a nation onto its own, it had already established a strong economy built on a solid foundation of free enterprise where any business had the right and the freedom to compete for profit with minimal government regulations and restrictions. Central to the idea of free enterprise is the freedom of entrepreneurs to bring new competition into any industry, freedom to succeed by offering consumers a better product, and the freedom to fail. Although most businesses claim to support free enterprise, few favor new competition in their own field. Preston Tucker was an innovative visionary who dreamt of building "the car of tomorrow" using cutting edge technology and design yet failed due to stiff opposition from major competitive automotive manufacturers and their political representatives. This can be clearly seen after examining the history of the Tucker Torpedo and the Tucker Corporation.
             Preston Tucker envisioned a car that would revolutionize the automotive industry, yet soon realized that launching a major enterprise against the leading automotive companies, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler (the big three) would require a lot more than an entrepreneurial vision. Tucker's "Car of Tomorrow" also referred to as the Tucker Torpedo or the Tucker 48, was technologically more advanced than anything the big three could muster up at that time. The Tucker 48 featured a 128-inch wheelbase, a 219-inch body, and was raised just 60 inches off the ground. It had an all-independent suspension and a rear-mounted flat-six engine. The car weighed only 4,200 pounds and could reach a top speed of 120 mph not to mention an acceleration rate of 0 to 60 in about ten seconds. Also, the Tucker 48 was the first car to use a fully sealed water-cooling system. In addition to the two standard h...