After their mechanics jumped upon the shapely sedan following last week's event, the issue (a brake-adjusting starwheel was stuck) was resolved, and the Torpedo was once again ready to roll.
That's not to say this car wasn't well-sorted to start. This is the fourth Tucker to have been completely restored by RM's team in Canada. It's safe to say they know their Tucker, for car #38 is absolutely immaculate.
But as gorgeous as the car may be, I wasn't there just for its looks - I was there for a quick ride. The ride around Oakland University's campus was, as an enthusiast, painfully short, but it was a thrill to be up and moving within Preston Tucker's dream machine.
That big 5.5-liter flat-six out back only makes 160 hp, but it was rather big on torque - enough so that the 4200-lb Tucker moved quite well through first and second gears, and could reportedly hit a top-end of 120 mph.
The Cord-based pre-selector gearbox functions well today - so long as you're not hoping to power-shift the car. One doesn't 'row' through the gears per se; instead, you're relegated to shift and wait for your desired cog to engage.
But the ride is quite comfortable - as previously noted, passengers have hordes of space within the car, and thanks to some oft-overlooked ingenuities. Controls are all placed within easy reach of the driver's left hand, allowing the typical cross-car dashboard to be eliminated in favor of extra legroom.
That also perpetuated Preston Tucker's call for the car to be safe, eliminating the deadly impact surface of a solid-steel dashboard. Other features - including a pop-out windshield and the famed pivoting center headlamp - also placed the Tucker ahead of its competitors.
Those competitors may have outlived the Tucker, but even today, few have truly offered automobiles anywhere as innovative.