Reading Steve Lehto's book about Preston Tucker felt like uncovering a hidden chapter of automotive history. Tucker's passion for cars wasn't just professional - it was deeply personal, evident from his childhood fascination to his audacious dream of building the car of tomorrow.

The most striking aspect was how Tucker's story plays out like a modern David vs Goliath tale. His innovative '48 Torpedo featured safety elements like seat belts (revolutionary for the 1940s) and a third headlight that turned with the steering - ideas so ahead of their time that they became industry standards decades later.

What really surprised me was learning about the government's aggressive prosecution. The courtroom scenes were particularly gripping - especially when Tucker drove his car to court daily as living proof he wasn't running a scam. The fact jurors could test drive it themselves made the government's case look ridiculous.

The book does an excellent job balancing Tucker's brilliance with his flaws. He was clearly visionary but perhaps too optimistic about production challenges. Some passages about missed opportunities made me genuinely wonder how different today's auto industry might be if he'd succeeded.

As someone who'd only known Tucker from the Coppola movie, I appreciated learning about his earlier life too - from modifying police cars to wartime inventions. The post-trial chapters covering what happened to surviving Tuckers (now worth millions) added satisfying closure.

Lehto presents everything in such an engaging narrative that I found myself rooting for Tucker despite knowing the outcome. It's rare for business history to feel this dramatic, but between SEC investigations, media battles, and automotive innovation, this story has it all.

Whether you're into cars, business history, or underdog stories, this book delivers. Just be warned - you'll finish it desperately wishing you could take a '48 Torpedo for a spin.