VIDEO: Archival footage reveals Preston Tucker's novel military Combat Car

Preston Tucker was nothing if not an innovator. While best known for the failed automaker that bore his name and the 51 iconoclastic Tucker Torpedo sedans his venture managed to push out before shutting its doors for good in 1948, that company was not the entrepreneur's first foray into the transportation sector. Way back in the mid 1930s, Tucker and famed engine builder Harry Miller began designing race cars for the Indianapolis 500 before Miller's death in 1943.

Upon returning back home to Michigan, Preston Tucker commenced designing an armored Combat Car for the U.S. military. Though the design was ultimately rejected, the vehicle featured a number of innovations and eventually led to the successful manufacturing contract to produce Tucker Turrets for the U.S. Navy.

Hit the jump for some awesome archival footage of Tucker's Combat Car in action along with such innovations as same-size swappable bulletproof windows, separately adjustable headlights (not unlike those slated for the Torpedo), a bulletproof and multi-chambered radiator, individually-braked wheels and the ability to traverse rough terrain with a top speed of 115 mph.

[Source: YouTube | Photo: US Army via Warwheels.net]

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