This 1948 Tucker was promoted as an entirely new type of car. It has a rear-mounted, aluminum alloy engine (a modified helicopter engine) and an electrically-operated manual transmission. Safety features include a windshield designed to pop out in a crash, a padded dashboard, and a center headlight that turns with the front wheels. It had padded disc brakes, independent four-wheel suspension, and an area where the front passenger could crouch in the event of a collision. Still, the most striking feature of the Tucker is its avant-garde styling, which provides an impression of futuristic speed and power.

Only 51 of these sedans were ever built. This one is number thirty nine. It had a top speed of 120 mph and its Odometer reads 11,721 miles. The car shown here passed through numerous owners and had been repainted and reupholstered. It was seized in 1992 by the U.S. Marshals Service following a narcotics investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and transferred to NMAH the next year.