10. Tucker Automobiles advertised in the 1948 edition of the Green Book
The Tucker ’48 was introduced in the 1948 Green Book, with a one and one third page announcement of the vehicle’s innovations and design features. The sealed engine coolant system – with no water or antifreeze ever needed to be added – was presented with pride. The description included the car being equipped with disc brakes on all four wheels, with hydraulically assisted incremental increases in brake pressure, sponge rubber padding on the dash board, a safety glass windshield which could be popped out in one piece, and other innovations which were decades ahead of their time.
Both Tucker and a competitor, Keller Motors, actively solicited Black customers for their cars, which in the case of Keller were the Chief and Super Chief. Keller also made efforts to control all sales of its models through the factory, rather than through dealerships, which its management believed were dominated by illicit price increases in the post-war years. Both companies sponsored the Green Book in 1948, hoping to increase the number of Black motorists and thus creating a new market for their cars. The Keller Automobile Company folded in 1950, having failed to sell enough cars to keep its Huntsville, Alabama facility open. Only about 50 Tucker 48s were built before the company closed in early 1949.