In the wake of World War II, the U.S. automobile industry was fully unprepared to meet the growing demands of the public, for whom they had not made any cars for years. In stepped Preston Tucker, a salesman extraordinaire who announced the building of a revolutionary new car: the Tucker ‘48, the first car in almost a decade to be built fresh from the ground up. Tucker’s car, which would include ingenious advances in design and engineering that other car companies could not match, captured the interest of the public, and automakers in Detroit took notice. Here, author Steve Lehto tackles Tucker’s amazing story, relying on a huge trove of documents that has been used by no other writer to date. It is the first comprehensive, authoritative account of Tucker’s magnificent car and his battles with the government. And in this book, Lehto finally answers the question automobile aficionados have wondered about for decades: exactly how and why the production of such an innovative car was killed.

“Car enthusiasts of every stripe—including Jay Leno, who was inspired to provide a thoughtful introduction—will appreciate Lehto’s meticulous research, which re-creates a lost era and cogently and accurately presents the full dramatic story of one of the auto industry’s seminal innovators.” —Booklist

“This is not just a book for automobile buffs; there’s enough insight and intrigue to appeal to a wider audience.” —Chicago Review of Books

“A deeply researched and highly approachable new biography written by Steve Lehto (with a forward by Jay Leno), Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow, describes the mad, madcap, and often maddening efforts Preston Tucker undertook in his attempt to create real and practical change within the American automotive industry.” —TheDrive.com

"Smoothly written and well researched." —Wall Street Journal

"An exceptional and truly impressive study based upon painstaking research and presented in a thoroughly 'reader friendly' style in tone, commentary, content, organization and presentation..." —Midwest Book Review 

"Impressively researched, exceptionally well written, accessibly organized and deftly presented..." —Midwest Book Review

Steve Lehto is the author of Chrysler’s Turbine Car, Death’s Door, Drawn to Injustice, and The Great American Jet Pack, among others. His articles have been published by the Huffington Post, Michigan History, and other publications. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida. Jay Leno was the long-time host of the Tonight Show. His extensive collection of classic cars is world famous.