A Tucker Abroad: No. 1020

Tucker No. 1020

Tucker No. 1020 is the second Tucker '48 located in Japan, but not a lot is known about it. We understand that it's owned by Shoujirou Hani, president of the Hani Corporation in Kagoshima, Japan.  The photo to the right was taken before No. 1020 was purportedly re-painted in its original maroon color in 2004.  We understand that Mr. Hani also owns one of the Ida Automotive Tucker replicas.  A soft-cover book of photos of the Hani Classic Car Collection bears a photo of the Tucker replica on its cover.

(Source: TACA message board)

(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: TACA website)

Last Week to See Tucker No. 1007 On Display in Portland, OR

Tucker No. 1007

As we reported earlier this summer, Tucker No. 1007 has been on loan to the Portland Art Museum in Portland, OR as a part of the exhibition, The Allure of the Automobile.  The exhibition closes on Sunday, September 11th, after which No. 1007 will be returning to its home at the LeMay Museum in Tacoma, WA.

(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: TACA website)

This Month in Tucker History

1903 - On September 21, 1903, Preston Thomas Tucker is born on a peppermint farm near Capac, MI.

1947 - It was September 12, 1947 that the court ruled on behalf of the Tucker Corporation. The agreement Tucker was able to reach with the War Assets Administration requiring an initial payment of $15,000,000 to lease the Chicago plant was ruled valid. Tucker gained formal control of the former Dodge B-29 engine plant and showed $15,007,000 had been raised by the sale of stock, yet both came six months behind schedule due to court delays.

September 1947 also saw the resignation of Tucker Corporation Board Chairman, Harry Toulmin, who cited “Preston Tucker’s hard sell tactics” as his reason for leaving.

While a lawsuit by Tucker stockholders asked the court for receivership of the corporation, in September 1947 six Tucker cars began testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—the famous “Brickyard,” best known for the Indy 500 race.

1949 - The September 1949 issue of Reader's Digest carried a reprint of the June Collier’s article that had attacked Tucker and called the car a fraud. Bad press seemed to snowball and, on the 22nd, a reorganization hearing was held on Tucker Corporation. One year later, Preston Tucker and Corporation, now acquitted of all charges, sued the publishers of both Collier’s and Reader’s Digest for damages totaling $19 million.

2000 - The Tucker Historical Collection and Library (HCL), the Tucker Automobile Club of America’s archive collection and exhibit, was established on the grounds of the Gilmore Car Museum located in Hickory Corners, MI. The display features a recreated 1948 office, reminiscent of what one may have found at Tucker Corporation, along with Tucker #1047. On September 30, 2000, Mary Lee Tucker-McAndrew proudly dedicated this new venture in the memory of her parents—Preston and Vera Tucker.

(Post credit: Jay Follis)

New Location for Stahl's Automotive Foundation

Tucker No. 1015

According to its website, Stahl's Automotive Foundation has relocated from St. Clair Shores, MI to nearby Chesterfield, MI.  The new address is 56516 N. Bay Dr., Chesterfield, MI 48051.  Stahl's is the proud owner of recently-restored Tucker No. 1015, which won "Best in Class" at the 2011 Concours d'Elegance of America.

(Post credit: Stahl's Automotive Foundation website and Kit Fox; photo credit: TACA website)

Tucker Memorabilia on an Upcoming Episode of A&E's "Storage Wars"

We understand from TACA member (and owner of Tucker No. 1031) Eric Breslow that he'll be appearing in an upcoming episode of A&E's "Storage Wars."  Eric will be providing his assessment of the value of some Tucker memorabilia.  The episode, filmed at the Breslow Collection with No. 1031 in the background, is slated to air in about 8 weeks; we'll post more information once we know the actual air date.

(Post credit: Eric Breslow and Kit Fox)

Tucker No. 1015 Wins at the Concours d'Elegance of America

Tucker No. 1015 at the 2011 Concours d'Elegance of America

The culmination of the extensive and painstaking restoration of Tucker No. 1015 was its "Best in Class" win at last weekend's Concours d'Elegance of America in Plymouth, MI.  Stahl's Automotive Foundation of St. Clair Shores, MI is the owner of No. 1015; it was restored by Classic & Exotic Service, Inc. of Troy, MI.  Click here for a Detroit News article about the Concours.

(Post credit: TACA message board; photo credit: The Detroit News website)

A Tucker Abroad: No. 1004

Tucker No. 1004

We begin our new feature series, Tuckers Abroad, with the story of Tucker No. 1004.  Readers of this blog may recall that Tucker Road Trip, Day 3 featured a visit to No. 1004 at the Toyota Automobile Museum in Japan.  This is the only expatriate Tucker '48 that is currently on public display.

Tucker No. 1004 is among the cars that was featured in 1988's Tucker: The Man and His Dream.  We believe that, after leaving the ownership of Ray Burton and passing through the hands of Happy Auto Access of Las Vegas, NV, it ended up at the Toyota Museum.  For some reason, No. 1004 has not previously appeared on any list of vehicles in the museum's possession, but does now show up on that list and visitors have reported that the car is there. We're also happy to report that No. 1004 was apparently not damaged during this year's catastrophic Japanese earthquake.

(Sources:.TACA message board and Toyota Automobile Museum website)

(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: TACA website)

Joe Merola's No. 12 Tucker Stock Car

I was cleaning out my Tucker Tribune in-box and came across these photos of Joe Merola's No. 12 Tucker "stock car," recently submitted by blog viewer Tom Merola.  Feel free to comment on this post if you know anything about these photos.  Thanks, Tom, for allowing me to share these!

(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credits: Tom Merola)

This Month in Tucker History

1947 - After working on the 589 engine for several months, an August 1947 engineering report deemed the cost for the starter would be prohibitive. The report also pointed out that the piston load was three times greater than that of any competitor’s engine.

1948 - After a rather difficult July, August 1948 seemed to hold some promise for Tucker Corporation and the fulfillment of Preston Tucker’s dream. Renowned automotive journalist and regular contributor to Mechanix Illustrated, Tom McCahill test-drives a Tucker ‘48 and writes a glowing review on the auto for the magazine. Work continues swiftly on the less expensive helicopter engine, the 335, with 91 units being delivered by Tucker Corporation’s newly acquired Aircooled Motors of Syracuse, NY.

The War Assets Administration awards a Cleveland blast furnace/steel plant to automaker Kaiser-Frazer even though Tucker Corporation’s sealed bid proves to be the highest. The second Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of Tucker Corporation officially ends.

1988 - The Tucker auto again captivates America’s interest in August of 1988 when the movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream is released nationwide. The Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”) and George Lucas (“Star Wars”) production stars Jeff Bridges and his father, Lloyd.

The 1960 Charles Pearson book The Indomitable Tin Goose: The True Story of The Tucker Auto is re-released in paperback following the release of the movie.

1995 - August of 1995 finds the Tucker Automobile Club of America on the internet with a website created by member Chris Miller.

1996 - Larry Clark, automotive historian and TACA member, nominates Preston Tucker for induction in the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, MI.

2010 - The Tucker Automobile Club of America expands its internet presence even further with the introduction of a blog (Tucker Tribune) and a Facebook page.

Tucker No. 1045 sells for a record $1,127,500 at auction in Monterey, CA on August 14, 2010, and is relocated to Melbourne, Australia, making it the fifth Tucker to be located overseas.

(Post credits: Jay Follis and Kit Fox)

"Tucker Tribune" Blog Celebrates its First Anniversary

With this, our 150th post, the Tucker Tribune celebrates its first year in cyberspace today.  Thanks for your interest and support in "keeping the dream alive!"

(Post credit: Kit Fox)