A post on Jalopnik by Jason Torchinsky speculates on what could have been if Preston Tucker had been successful in manufacturing and distributing the Tucker '48.
(Post credit: Kit Fox, image credit: Jason Torchinsky)
Friday, March 23, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Tucker No. 1034 Sells for $1,320,000!
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| Tucker No. 1034 |
Just moments ago, Tucker No. 1034 sold for $1,320,000 (including fees) at Gooding & Company's Amelia Island (FL) auction. This appears to be the second-highest recent auction price paid for a Tucker '48, falling between the record high of $2,915,000 paid for Tucker No. 1043 in January 2012, and the previous second-highest price of $1,127,000 paid for Tucker No. 1045 in August 2010.
(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: TACA website)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
MISSING: Tucker No. 1018
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| Tucker No. 1018 |
Tucker No. 1018 was sold to Buffalo (NY) Motor Sales in July 1948. During the fall of 1948, the car was driven around and displayed widely in New York and Pennsylvania by George McKinney, who owned the Buffalo distributorship and a dealership in Titusville, PA.
Unfortunately, some time in late 1948 or early 1949, Tucker No. 1018 struck a tree near South Wales, NY and was a total loss (luckily, there were no injuries). However, many parts of the car were salvaged and later sold to other collectors, including the front clip that TACA Director John Schuler is using to assemble his Tucker No. 1052.
(Post credit: Jay Follis and Kit Fox; photo credit: TACA website)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
This Month in Tucker History
1947 - Excitement was in the air! The March 1947 issues of the New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune introduced many readers to the Tucker with full-page advertisements. Those who picked up LIFE or Saturday Evening Post magazines nationwide found two-page ads announcing the "Most Completely New Car in Fifty Years." In all of these ads the car was described as the Tucker '48 and not the Tucker Torpedo as early promotional items had called it. If you have ever doubted the success of the initial promotion of the Tucker Motorcar, you only need to remember that even today many people will refer to the car as the Tucker Torpedo!
The future looked bright and, with all the activity, most were confident that Tucker Corporation would be in production shortly. By March 1947, the company had already raised $20 million with its sale of stocks and was able to secure a purchase / lease agreement with the War Assets Administration for the Dodge-Chicago plant.
Preston Tucker brought in the J. Gordon Lippincott design team, made up of Read Viemeister, Hal Bergstrom, Tucker P. Madawick, Budd Steinhilber, and Philip S. Egan, to complete design details for a Tucker prototype. Two full-scale clay models -- those of Chief Designer Alex Tremulis and the Lippincott team -- would eventually be built side by side as each team highlighted different features.
1948 - By the following year, March 1948, the highlight of the first annual stockholder's meeting was the demonstration of a complete car featuring the modified helicopter engine. The pilot production of Tucker automobiles had begun and 125 engines were ordered from the Franklin - Aircooled Motors plant in New York. Within just days of that order, Preston Tucker announced the purchase of Aircooled Motors by Tucker Corporation for a reported $1.8 million. It was also at this time that Audrey Moore, a leading female in the automobile industry, joined the Tucker Corporation design staff to handle interior styling.
1949 - By March of 1949 what had started as the vision of one man and became the dreams of so many seemed to be lost as Tucker Corporation entered into receivership with Preston losing control of his company to trustees A.J. Colnon & J.H. Chatz.
A factory inventory compiled by Dan Leabu on the third of March appeared to list Tucker # 1040 as being the last completed car. Sixteen other cars were shown as being "nearly complete," but without installed transmissions, engines or both, and Tucker Corporation's "cash on hand" was reported as only $219,193.00. Today, you would be hard pressed to find any owner of a restored Tucker willing to sell it for that amount! Also in March of 1949, the Detroit News brought further negative attention to the Tucker saga when it published, based on leaked SEC reports and misinformation, the very damaging article entitled "Gigantic Tucker Fraud."
1953 - Preston Tucker's own response to the demise of his car of the future -- "My Car Was Too Good" -- appearing in the premier issue of Cars Magazine, didn't hit newsstands until March of 1953.
The future looked bright and, with all the activity, most were confident that Tucker Corporation would be in production shortly. By March 1947, the company had already raised $20 million with its sale of stocks and was able to secure a purchase / lease agreement with the War Assets Administration for the Dodge-Chicago plant.
Preston Tucker brought in the J. Gordon Lippincott design team, made up of Read Viemeister, Hal Bergstrom, Tucker P. Madawick, Budd Steinhilber, and Philip S. Egan, to complete design details for a Tucker prototype. Two full-scale clay models -- those of Chief Designer Alex Tremulis and the Lippincott team -- would eventually be built side by side as each team highlighted different features.
1948 - By the following year, March 1948, the highlight of the first annual stockholder's meeting was the demonstration of a complete car featuring the modified helicopter engine. The pilot production of Tucker automobiles had begun and 125 engines were ordered from the Franklin - Aircooled Motors plant in New York. Within just days of that order, Preston Tucker announced the purchase of Aircooled Motors by Tucker Corporation for a reported $1.8 million. It was also at this time that Audrey Moore, a leading female in the automobile industry, joined the Tucker Corporation design staff to handle interior styling.
1949 - By March of 1949 what had started as the vision of one man and became the dreams of so many seemed to be lost as Tucker Corporation entered into receivership with Preston losing control of his company to trustees A.J. Colnon & J.H. Chatz.
A factory inventory compiled by Dan Leabu on the third of March appeared to list Tucker # 1040 as being the last completed car. Sixteen other cars were shown as being "nearly complete," but without installed transmissions, engines or both, and Tucker Corporation's "cash on hand" was reported as only $219,193.00. Today, you would be hard pressed to find any owner of a restored Tucker willing to sell it for that amount! Also in March of 1949, the Detroit News brought further negative attention to the Tucker saga when it published, based on leaked SEC reports and misinformation, the very damaging article entitled "Gigantic Tucker Fraud."
1953 - Preston Tucker's own response to the demise of his car of the future -- "My Car Was Too Good" -- appearing in the premier issue of Cars Magazine, didn't hit newsstands until March of 1953.
(Post credit: Jay Follis)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tucker No. 1034 to be Auctioned at Amelia Island on March 9th
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| Tucker No. 1034 |
Gooding & Company has announced that Tucker No. 1034 will be offered at their Amelia Island (FL) auction on March 9th. TACA members who attended our 2010 annual convention in Atlanta, GA will recall seeing No. 1034 in the exhibit The Allure of the Automobile at the High Museum of Art. At that time, it was on loan from the Cofer Collection of Tucker, GA.
(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: Gooding & Company)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Mystery of the Missing Tuckers
Fans of the Tucker '48 know that the Tucker Corporation produced a total of 51 vehicles during it's brief lifetime: the "Tin Goose" prototype and 50 "pre-production" models, serial numbered 1001 through 1050. Of these original 51 vehicles, 47 still exist today.
Beginning next month, we'll be presenting a brief survey of the stories of the 4 Tucker '48s that did not survive into the 21st century, based upon an excellent article by TACA President Jay Follis from the October 2010 issue of Tucker Topics. See you next month!
(Post credit: Kit Fox)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
This Month in Tucker History
1948 - In early 1948, Tucker Corporation was still looking for a suitable engine to power the "Car of Tomorrow." The Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company of Pottstown, PA and Aircooled Motors of Syracuse, NY both became involved in development projects for the Tucker. By February, Jacobs reported that the Ex-Cell-O fuel injection had been received and was favorably tested on one of their engines. Tucker engineers, out of fear that Jacobs would not be able to deliver its engines in a timely manner, told them to drop the fuel injection project. Within a week, the Jacobs engine was ready for testing by Tucker but the project was eventually dropped entirely as being unsatisfactory. Without letting a week pass, Preston Tucker ordered that, "two cars be produced as soon as possible," using the "Franklin" aircraft engine built by Aircooled Motors. The Ypsilanti Machine and Tool Company, managed by Preston's mother, had successfully converted the air-cooled helicopter engine to water-cooling. At the same time, Tucker engineer Ben Parsons proposed that he be allowed to build three of his "339" engines, but the project doesn't get off the ground.
1949 - Fast-forward a year to February 1949: Federal District Attorney Otto Kerner made the announcement that a Grand Jury investigation of Tucker Corporation would take place. Kerner, who later became a Federal Judge, the Governor of Illinois, and authored the famous Kerner Report while serving on President Johnson's Race Relations Committee, served as Prosecutor of the Tucker case. Ironically, in 1973 Tucker's former mimesis Otto Kerner, now Governor of Illinois, was sent to Federal prison for a conviction on charges of mail fraud, bribery, perjury, and income tax evasion tied to his dealings in stock of a racetrack operation.
(Post credit: Jay Follis)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Happy Birthday, Alex Tremulis!
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| Alex Tremulis' rendering of the Tucker Torpedo |
Alexander Sarantos Tremulis was born 98 years ago today. As chief stylist for the Tucker Corporation, he played a crucial role in making Preston Tucker's dream into an automotive reality. Read more about Alex on the TACA website and on Wikipedia.
(Post credit: Kit Fox; image credit: Wikipedia)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Tucker No. 1043 Sells for $2,915,000!
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| Tucker No. 1043 |
Just moments ago, Tucker No. 1043 sold at Barrett-Jackson's 2012 Scottsdale, AZ auction for $2,915,000 (including fees). We believe this to be a record auction price for a Tucker '48. Recent auction prices for cars in comparable condition include $1,127,500 for Tucker No. 1045 in 2010 and $1,017,500 for Tucker No. 1038 in 2008.
(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: Barrett-Jackson website)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Tucker No. 1008 Featured in One of "Hemmings Blog's" Top 10 Posts for 2011
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| Rudy Schroeder accepts his raffle prize in September 1949 |
The stranger-than-fiction story of Tucker No. 1008 is number five of the top 10 posts in Hemmings Blog that was selected as the best of 2011. Click here to read Mike Schutta's fascinating report.
(Post credit: Kit Fox and Mike Schutta; photo credit: Hemmings Blog)
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