1947 Tucker 48 Prototype

No. 5 on National Historic Vehicle Register

HAER NUMBER PA-652

The 1947 Tucker ’48 Prototype, known as the Tin Goose, is associated with important events in automotive and American history. The car played a central role in the rise and fall of the Tucker Corporation between 1947 and 1950. It was the first automobile built by the Tucker Corporation and was used to promote the company to investors and dealers. The prototype car was also an important part of a federal investigation, national controversy, and lawsuits that led to the company’s failure. The Tin Goose is closely associated with a significant person in American history, Preston Tucker. Mr. Tucker, the founder of the Tucker Corporation, was an important automotive industry entrepreneur throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Because of Mr. Tucker’s vision for an innovative car, the Tin Goose exhibits significant design and construction value. It incorporated safety equipment and many engineering features previously unavailable in American production automobiles and represents the initial implementation of these concepts in a Tucker automobile. It retains much of its original materials, components, and craftsmanship, as well as evidence of features and components modified during development. Therefore, the Tin Goose offers substantial informational value as the first Tucker automobile constructed and as the prototype for the additional fifty Tucker automobiles built.