The One And Only 1948 Tucker Convertible!
Update 6/29/19 – The seller has dropped the price over a million dollars, but is that enough for it to sell? Find the new eBay listing here on eBay.
From 11/30/18 – Just a few weeks ago, I watched the movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream as well as read the article “Toward the Tucker: Creating Preston Tucker’s Bid for Glory” in my December edition of Collectible Automobile. Still, these two things do not make me an expert on the Tucker automobile, but you have to say the story of the Tucker 48 automobile is a fascinating one. I have now learned there was, in fact, a Tucker convertible produced. This 1948 Tucker just so happens to be the one prototype Convertible that was ever built and is for sale here on eBay in Rowlett, Texas at the Buy it Now price of $3,498,100. No, I did not add any extra zeros.
This car was a prototype for a convertible which was started back in the forties, but not finished until 2010. Preston Tucker was caught up in a stock fraud trial after being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Even though Preston Tucker was acquitted in the trial, there was no money to bring the Tucker 48 into further production than the initial thirty-six cars that were produced.
This car started life as a sedan and had its roof cut off. It was then apparent that the frame sagged, therefore, the chassis had to be strengthened. An employee of Lenki Engineering (who Preston Tucker contracted to produce the convertible) purchased the car, intending to complete it, but never did and sold it to another individual who also didn’t complete it. The car was eventually completed by Benchmark Classics in Madison, Wisconsin in 2010. The car is referred to as Vera and sometimes as Tin Goose.
Here’s proof of the low mileage of this convertible. It has traveled only 10 miles and only titled to one owner since completed. This is car number 57. Many features were incorporated into all Tucker 48s that would not appear on other cars until some years later or not at all. These include a center swiveling headlight, safety windshield, quick sway powertrain, disc brakes, fuel injection, seat belts, and padded dash.
The engine used in the Tucker 48 was a rear-mounted Franklin aircraft flat six design, having six horizontally opposed cylinders. The engine gave it a lower center of gravity and enabled it to go around corners and winding roads easily. It was capable of going from zero to sixty in seven seconds, surpassing what some modern cars can do. So if you recently won the lottery, it can be yours for slightly south of $3.5 million and the seller can arrange for FREE delivery.
There is not enough room in this article to tell you all the amazing facts about this car or the history of the Tucker 48. So please make sure when you click on the eBay listing, you scroll all the way to the bottom to read the description, and then read more about the Tucker Convertible at this link.
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Comments
Great looking rig, sad story though. It looks like an old Willys pickup truck push button door opener on the inside. I am going to start a go fund me page.
I don’t rally like the old Dodge tail lights
If Tucker could see what his cars are selling for now he’d roll over in his grave. The securities commission wasn’t his only problem the big three were making sure he couldn’t get steel either. They new his car design was a threat and they did there best to crush him.
Tesla is getting revenge on the big 3 for Preston Tucker.
That was portrayed in the movie, but was not actually true.
The movie wasn’t at all accurate. There has never been any evidence that the big car companies did anything against Tucker. It was a overly ambitious government agent that convinced himself that Tucker should be prosecuted. The best story of the Tucker is the book called “The Indomitable Tin Goose”
When the SEC came after Tucker, one of their assertions was that Tucker was not really trying to start a car company, but was out to defraud the investors. This is where they believe the Tucker convertible came into being. If you are out to defraud the investors, you certainly not out to add new models. They think Tucker wanted to build the convertible to prove to the SEC and the investors that he was moving to scale up his company..
Bert – you’re one of the few who gets it! Did you live in Mexico? By the way, there’s a good reason that the late unlamented auction company came to be known as “Rustle & Steal.” Just ask any of us who had dealings with them!
There were 52 Tuckers built and the name “Tin Goose” is the name of the very first Tucker Sedan ever built not this convertible.
There were actually only 51 Tuckers produced. #1052 was recently built from spare parts on the test mule chasis. Amazingly enough there are 46 -47 original cars still in existence.
Jack,
The easiest way to identify the Tin Goose is the rear door. The tin Goose is hinged on the center post, and all the other Tuckers have the rear door hinged at the rear post [suicide doors].
The Tin Goose is on display at the Swigart auto museum in PA.
That is one sweet Mutha Tucker..!Looks great as a convertible,
I wonder what the initial investment was to get this finished..?$$$
This car was Feared by most auto makers,because it was way advanced,
in many areas,and was a great performer.I wish Tucker could have survived,
atleast for 5-10 years,as they would have been leading the pack,in a lot of areas.Beautiful car,should be “almost”priceless, but…yeah 3.5 million..?well that certainly puts a $ price $ on it…!LOL….
I talked to the guy who restored it back around 2010 at Russo and Steele. He was selling it with an $800k reserve (I believe). I asked him what he paid for it unrestored and he said “traded a few cars and a huge bag of money.” Really good guy, we spoke for about 30 minutes and he showed me every inch of the car. The restoration was excellent. My Dad and I were fascinated to learn there was a convertible in existence. Amazingly later that day a storm blew thru Scottsdale and a large tent pole fell on this car. The car did not sell and he took it back to Wisconsin to fix it.
Best Tucker feature to me is the 6 tail pipes. That must have blown people away back in 1948
Sorry but who proof reads these write-ups?? The writer proclaims Fuel Injection right above the photo of the carburetor!
I’m guessing Bill was referring to the fact that Tucker had originally designed the car with fuel injection, but it ended up being too expensive.
Chinga & Jesse
I have a great interest in old vehicles but much of it is what lies under the skin rather than the outside.
I believe I have your answer to the apparent fuel injection & carburettor dilemma. It comes from an incorrect description in the Smithsonian Museum. It has an example of the engine Tucker designed for the car which is not the modified Franklin helicopter engine that went into the production cars.
The Franklin engine was placed north-south and used the old Cord vacuum gearbox.
Tucker wanted a car without a gearbox. Obviously you need torque if you don’t want gears and the Tucker engine was a flat six with a comfortable 588 cubic inches.
The engine was placed east-west with direct drive to the wheels (ideal if you don’t want a gearbox).
To provide the differential action, a torque converter was placed on each end of the crankshaft. Power was transmitted to the wheels by two short driveshafts.
The next problem becomes, how do you provide a reverse gear? I understand Tucker experimented with torque converters with vanes that could turn to give reverse thrust.
This must have been too hard at the time or he ran out of time.
This is where the fuel injection error arises. The tucker engine used hydraulically operated engine valves. In this way the engine rotation could be reversed, after the engine was stopped. The vehicle could then drive in reverse. What looks like fuel injection piping on the Tucker engine is the piping for the hydraulic valves. There is a pump on the engine something like a Bosch L-Jetronic but is the hydraulic pump.
I contacted the Smithsonian to advise but it looks as though they haven’t changed the sign on their engine.
Tucker was certainly a brilliant person.
Peter
Peter-that was a great sidebar! Thank you for the info-it really illustrates the paradigm shift that Tucker was working, and an insight to the man himself from an engineering perspective.
Trust an Aussie to come up with the goods!!
Peter,
You are correct in everything you said. I know the experimental chassis with the V-8 between the rear wheels & dual torque converters, it used to belong to my friend Tom Cammack, and I helped Tom work on it several times.
The exp chassis/motor also had a huge 24 volt aircraft starter motor because in starting the engine with the hydraulic valves, it took several minutes of cranking before the oil pressure built up to the point it would open the valves.
Tom Cammack was known as one of the top Tucker experts in the world, and he actually had the entire Tucker Corporate records & all the blueprints to make Tucker parts. Before he passed away, Tom told me the convertible was not a real Tucker, and was created from a lot of spare parts or parts that were created from new. He said it didn’t have the Tucker elastic rubber suspension either, something it would have been equipped with from new.
Tom also said there were NO corporate records of the convertible anywhere, nor was he able to find any records concerning the creation of a convertible.
His opinion was this car is a very accurate re-creation of a 1948 Tucker convertible, using as many Tucker parts as possible, but the history of this car was [in his words] “very dubious”.
The Tucker company was near bankruptcy to the point Mr. Tucker borrowed extra Lincoln Zephyr steering wheels from Henry Ford because they didn’t have any steering wheels for the Tucker cars. Tom said there was no possibility Mr. Tucker would spend such a large sum of money on an experimental convertible, as the company simply didn’t have the funds.
Tom’s collection of Tucker cars, the experimental chassis, and a treasure-trove of Tucker parts & information are now in the Tom Cammack wing of the AACA museum in Hershey, PA. If you like Tuckers, This is a must-see.
As for the “Tin Goose”, that car is to be found at the William Swigart automotive museum in Huntington, PA, a small but fascinating transportation museum, with what has to be the largest collection of rare automotive badges & emblems in the world.
I need to make a correction to my long comment on the Cammack Tucker collection. There were 2 brothers and by mistake I switched the brother’s names. I gave credit to Tom Cammack and didn’t proof read my message until a good friend of mine, who knew the Cammack family too, messaged me to give me a hard time for my idiotic mistake!
For the record, the Cammack Tucker collection was founded and owned by David [Dave] Cammack, not his brother Tom, from whom I bought a Packard Custom 8 years ago.
That’s more than I’ve ever read about Tucker technology. It’s amazing. I’m reading this through the eyes of 2024. This stuff is way advanced for the time.
Excellent side profile.
Just a beautiful example of art-deco meets mid-century design.
I think controversy still exists as to whether this car is legitimate or not . Wasn’t it pulled from the Rustle & Steal Scottsdale Auction because of questions about it’s provenance a number of years ago? And if it’s too crooked for Rustle & Steal, you know the questions are serious!!
The Facebook page of Barnfinds is all over this legitimacy question. One guy swears that it’s a parts pile build and isn’t real.. which, in the end, it was anyway. So what if it isn’t a “real” Tucker build by the factory. If it has all the Tucker correct parts… doesn’t it make it a Tucker, regardless of who built it? And realistically… if you have that kind of money to burn, you probably don’t care it it’s legitimate or not…
Actually, if you’ve got the scratch to blow on a $3 Million plus car, you’ve also got the smarts not to buy a high priced fake which realistically should never be more than the cost to snap out another one. So the question of genuineness is most important, no matter how much money you have.
Most people with that kind of money don’t care about ALOT of things….
You have to wonder about the motives of all of the people on both sides arguing as to the legitimacy of this vehicle. It has a Tucker drive train, clearly has a huge number of Tucker parts, and there are people who were involved at the time the company was having difficulties.
Just as the Bugatti Aerolithe contains many Bugatti parts and the first Atlantic frame, there are those who like to dismiss it too. Personally, I am glad that there were individuals who were willing to spend the time and money to make these vehicles a reality. I just don’t get the Tucker owners who are so dead set against this vehicle.
I agree Sarah. I would guess with so few built that owners believe another might reduce the value of there own. Now I have to find out what a Bugatti Aerolithe is. Take care, Mike.
Has anyone noticed that in all the photos of this vehicle on Barnfinds, that this car has vent windows in all photos except one? In the photo of the car with the top down, there are no vent windows.
Curious.
you are correct, still no proof that this was a real tucker, not a custom build.
cool car. not worth the price with out documentation.
Didn’t they have a letter by Mel Kippen, the former CFO or accountant for the Tucker Corporation referencing this convertible? How much proof do you need?
Agreed! It’s actually a Hudson push button door opener. All Tuckers used them and a number of other parts from other manufacturers.
It wasn’t pulled because of questions about the provenance of the Tucker convertible by Russo & Steel(by the way, you mean Barrett Jackson). It was pulled by the children of the father, who didn’t want him to sell it. They believed it should be a family heirloom.and should stay in the family. i know the family personally.
Rustle & Steal? No such auxtion car company ever existed! You got your wires crossed!
If you ever dealt with them, you quickly adapt the more descriptive “Rustle & Steal” moniker as it is accurate. Good riddance that they folded!
With a name like Chinga-Trailer, you know the information got to be right! Right?
Tucker. An unfortunate name, I always thought, both for a man and for a car. Perhaps he should have gone with his first name, ‘Preston’ which conveys and implies much more of a sense of prestige without the highly unfortunate rhyming connotations of ‘Tucker’..
Smucker, sucker, trucker, mucker – what’s the problem?? But then years ago, a purveyor of model car once advertised “Surprise her with a Kaiser, Amaze her with a Frazier, but what about a Tucker?” I think the ad only ran once!
Frazer.
Wow- lots of questions and huge pricetag–sure is a looker though. Good luck to the new owner!!!
Cheers
GPC
Because asking the extra $1900 would put most people over the budget edge…
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2014/06/19/tucker-tin-goose-prototype-to-be-added-to-national-register-of-historic-vehicles/
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19841018&id=DAFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-YsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4390,2885302
https://historyrat.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/the-tucker-car-company/
Mighty neighborly fellow to be picking up the shipping costs.
Sorry, but there is way too much conjecture as to this car’s lineage, and whether or not Preston Tucker even tried to build a convertible. As I read elsewhere, this car was supposedly constructed with ‘parts left over at Tucker’s plant in Chicago long after the co. shut down’. Yet, in MY 40+ years of reading various Tucker articles, not one writer mentions anything about a shell of a convertible Tucker having been found among the ‘ruins’ of the company. In fact, this car hadn’t materialized at all until about 2 or so years ago, and *PRESTO!* we have a Tucker “no one knew about”. (sniff, sniff) smell that? Yup; me too. And it can be found where bulls graze….and it stinks…..)
Wasn’t Mr. Tucker all about safety? No disrespect to converts, but they just aren’t as safe, right? Why would he build this?
He did not build. It was built long after 1948
I think you mean about 11 years ago. You’re timing is off as so maybe your comments. A little research always helps.
We didnt know you had a farm where the bulls graze! You must know those are steers, not bulls! Surely you do!!!
Tucker raffle winner reunited with his car after 63 years
Back in 1949, Rudy Schroeder was 21 years old and lived at home with his parents. In the summer of that year, Schroeder worked at the International Shoe Company plant in Perryville, Missouri. His father worked at the plant as well, and it became a custom with the two of them to stop at the local tavern near the Court House Square in Perryville every Friday on the way home to have a beer.
On one such Friday in the early summer, he noticed several people gathered around a gentleman with a car. When he approached the car, the gentleman told Rudy that he was selling raffle tickets for the VFW for a chance to win the car, a 1948 Tucker. Rudy thought it was a sharp-looking car and walked around it a few times. He decided to buy just one chance and gave the man 35 cents for a ticket.
Rudy forgot all about it until several days after Labor Day 1949 when someone from the VFW came by his work and asked if he was Rudy Schroeder. The VFW Missouri State Headquarters in Jefferson City, Missouri, held the raffle for Tucker #1008 on September 5, 1949, and drew Rudy’s name. Several days later, Rudy went to the VFW in Perryville and was introduced to the State VFW Commander, the local Post Commander, and a bunch of other people who all came to give him the car. They presented him with the keys and took several photos, some of which Rudy still has.
The car had 90,000 miles on it when Rudy got it, but it did have new tan paint, its original color. As it turns out, the Tucker was the first one sold to a private party: A Tucker distributor in St. Louis used it as a demonstrator to sell both dealerships and cars before making a deal with the VFW to get a “cut” of each raffle ticket sold. Rudy drove the car for the next several weeks, but had trouble getting insurance on it. He bought insurance from three different companies, but was cancelled each time after a couple of weeks. He was given the same story each time. The car was a bad risk because there were no parts to fix it if he were in an accident. With that, he took the car home and put it in the garage.
A few days later a cab pulled into the driveway of Rudy’s house. Two gentleman got out and asked if he was Rudy Schroeder and if he still had the Tucker. He told them yes. They settled on a price of $3,500, which left Rudy with enough to buy a new Pontiac and have some cash left over. One of the men who bought the Tucker was Willis Jones, who took it to state and county fairs all over the country in 1950 and 1951. By charging 25 cents to sit in the car, he took in $20,000 over those two years. Jones then sold the car to longtime Tucker mechanic Les Schaeffer of Steelton, Pennsylvania, who in turn sold it to the Imperial Palace collection before the current owner bought it.
Rudy had thought about his old Tucker over the years and wondered what ever happened to it. Late last year, Rudy was tracked down still living in his hometown of Perryville.
This summer, Stephen Murphy, the curator of the Richard H. Driehaus Collection at Chicago Vintage Motor Carriage, which currently owns Tucker #1008, learned that Rudy was still alive. Soon a plan was launched to bring Rudy to Chicago.
On November 18, Richard Driehaus had Rudy and his son Steve flown to Chicago to see and drive his old car, Tucker #1008. Rudy said his old car looked even better than it did when he owned it. He sat behind the wheel and told many stories about riding in the Tucker with his friends.
The next day, the Tucker was returned to the Tucker Factory on Cicero Avenue in Chicago, which currently produces Tootsie Rolls. Rudy got behind the wheel and took his old car for a drive. He said after a minute or so, it all came back to him and the car drove just like when he owned it. Rudy was asked if he’d trade his current car, a 1992 Buick Roadmaster, for the Tucker. Rudy thought about it for a moment and said no, he probably still wouldn’t be able to get insurance.
When it was time to take the Schroeders to the airport, Stephen Murphy grabbed their bags and tossed them in the trunk of the Tucker. We all jumped in the Tucker and headed for Midway Airport which was just a couple of miles away. The police at the airport who usually tell you that you have to keep moving all had their camera phones out taking pictures of unloading Rudy’s luggage from the front of the car.
The Tucker Historical Foundation is always interested in hearing about Tucker-related stories. If you or someone you know owned a Tucker at one point, or if you have Tucker photos you’d like to share, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or post on the Tucker Historical Foundation website at TuckerMuseum.org.
This Gentleman still lived in Perryville, when all of this took place, sadly he passed away in 2017 at the age of 88. I got to meet he at a car swap in Perryville, some years ago, and we talked about the Tucker 48, he always said not bad got a car for .35 cents and sold it for $3500. Good investment of his money!!!
I’m just tuckered out reading all this stuff.
Thanks for that story, Big Mike. Very interesting!
Loved the story on Tucker 1008. I was at Les Schaeffer`s property in the early 80`s and he showed us some of his cars. He also had a Franklin as I remember.
We were there scrounging around looking for some aluminum Buick V-8`s for some crazy race car project. I was amazed at the Tucker and never new Les was a Tucker mechanic. That was the first and only time I was at his property but I always will remember his name and that experience.
Les Shaeffer is long gone too. I knew him. 2 of his nephews are in our local Studebaker club.
I believe I am the OLDEST living tucker mechanic alive..
I worked for Kar Krazy Karl Wurz in Reno Nevada 1n 1949.. Karl was the Tucker Dealer (no demo car) but to be a dealer he had to have a mechanic familiar with the car, so they sent a rep who gave me a week end course on Franklins..( Peter from Australia has been the closest to reality) I was a full time mechanic for the Lincoln Mercury dealer next door, so my tenure was on week ends; interestingly the demo had a problem in Susanville and I was sent to check it out.; turned out to be an electrical connection.. They thought I was really on the ball and sent a note to Karl which I treasured for years… ,
Great story, Sam…welcome…bring more of your stories here!!
Cheers
GPC
90,000 miles on a used car that is 1 year old? Must be a misprint.
Mike, I think I’ll put the ’63 Dodge hearse
on the back burner and draw this car
instead–much more interesting! I sketched this car in 2010, and just for
grins and giggles, I “painted” it a deep
red color outside with a cream leather
interior inside. I also added a set of
rear fender skirts to make the car look
a bit more sleeker than it normally would
look without them. Then, I added my
signature wire wheels with Coker wide
whitewall tires. Wound up selling it for
$85 at one of Mom’s yard sales in 2011.
The guy who bought it just had to have it!
I was using it as a display piece for my
automotive art business and had no
thought of selling it. I’ll lay the car out and take pictures of it along the way.
If anyone wants one, they can contact
me by email. Bear in mind that these
are handmade prints and NOT photo
shopped photos. It will take a fair
amount of time to make them. All
prints are numbered and hand-signed by
me. Enough on that. Oh God, do I want
this car!!!
I like this car!
Do u like it as much as u like mopars?
I always liked the Tucker cars, the movie was great too.
The movie was a lot of fun but in typical Hollywood fashion wasn’t totally factual. Of course it was filmed as entertainment, not a documentary, so that is to be expected.
Two things off the top of my head… Tucker did not put seat belts in the cars because he believed that they implied the car was unsafe. (Instead the passenger had a ‘crash chamber’ to hurl him/herself into in case of an impending crash.) Also the rousing speech Preston Tucker makes on screen warning of a future in which Americans wind up buying cars and radios from our former enemies never happened, it was pure Hollywood.
The cars did not have disc brakes or fuel injection either, though it’s possible those might have been added later had the company survived. (Honors for the first postwar American car with disc brakes goes to the 1949 Crosley.)
Tucker was seriously interested in disc brakes, and was in discussion with a company that produced aircraft disc brakes, Ausco Lambert. But these were not externally contracting, they were internally expanding against 2 discs that bolted together.
You can see examples of the Ausco Lambert disc brake system on the 1949 to 1955 Chrysler Imperial limousines. While they are quite complicated, they do provide superior braking compared to drum brakes [I know, I had a couple of 1955 Imperial limousines.]
Have been fascinated by Tuckers since I was a child – has always been an interesting story.
I remember seeing this car in person at the Russo sale a few years ago. It seems to me it had some damage that year from the tents and poles blowing over. Controversy or not it is still a very cool car.
Basically we have a real Tucker body shell (sedan), cut and chopped into a convertible, for whatever that’s worth. If we say that a genuine Tucker sedan in fine condition is about a $2,000,000 car, then what is one chopped and “customized” into a convertible worth? More or less than an original sedan? My personal opinion is it is not worth almost twice as much as an original verified car. Seems the seller is banking on people believing the unverified “prototype” story.
From what I know, it seemed that Tucker had his hands full just trying to build as many as he possibly could before they pulled the plug on him and it makes no sense that he would have been allowing people, money or time to be spent on a “what if”.
I personally own a Streamlined Pierce Arrow land speed car that I am confident was built by Tucker, but I can’t prove it. I have offered a $1,000 reward for anyone that can PROVE who built my car. Any takers?
This was the first car to be built using a plastic body, the fist car to be built with slab sides and no front protruding fenders, built like an aircraft (tucker built aircraft and had an aircraft parts business) has all aircraft gauges including an altimeter and all of the parts are pre-war right down to the tires. Tucker worked at Pierce Arrow from 1930-early 1932. The Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow from 1932 shares some of the side styling. There is a facebook page dedicated to it if anyone wants to take a crack at solving the mystery.
https://www.facebook.com/PierceArrowLandSpeedRecordCar/
It is a fact that Tucker engineers Phil Egan and Reid Weinmeister drew pictures of a Tucker convertible for the Tucker corporation. How far along they got, no one knows for sure. It was on the drawing board though.
For the record, it’s Reid Viemeister, not Weinmeister. Reid was an Industrial Designer not an engineer (big difference). Reid named his son Tucker, a famous Industrial Designer in his own right.
Basically we have a real Tucker body shell (sedan), cut and chopped into a convertible, for whatever that’s worth. If we say that a genuine Tucker sedan in fine condition is about a $2,000,000 car, then what is one chopped and “customized” into a convertible worth? More or less than an original sedan? My personal opinion is it is not worth almost twice as much as an original verified car. Seems the seller is banking on people believing the unverified “prototype” story.
From what I know, it seemed that Tucker had his hands full just trying to build as many as he possibly could before they pulled the plug on him and it makes no sense that he would have been allowing people, money or time to be spent on a “what if”.
I personally own a Streamlined Pierce Arrow land speed car that I am confident was built by Tucker, but I can’t prove it. I have offered a $1,000 reward for anyone that can PROVE who built my car. Any takers?
This was the first car to be built using a plastic body, the fist car to be built with slab sides and no front protruding fenders, built like an aircraft (tucker built aircraft and had an aircraft parts business) has all aircraft gauges including an altimeter and all of the parts are pre-war right down to the tires. Tucker worked at Pierce Arrow from 1930-early 1932. The Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow from 1932 shares some of the side styling. There is a facebook page dedicated to it if anyone wants to take a crack at solving the mystery.
Seems like a wrap done by a amateur.
WHAT? There was an aluminum bodied Tucker??? I need one to go with my hat.
How.many rolls of Reynolds wrap did that take???
Anyone offering a $1,000 for information proving that his Streamlined Pierce Arrow was built by Tucker is a “real authority” on Tucker history, even though this would make his car worth millions.But a $1,000 for info. Low budget! I think I’ll stay with the Tucker convertible story.
I remember seeing this Tucker for sale in Hershey several years ago. I believe I heard someone say the owner was offered 7 figures at that time and turned it down.
I always liked to believe there has to be at least some truth to the factory starting the conversion. These have been worth money for practically forever. Why take a chance at faking one, when you can just restore a ‘regular’ one for far less than the selling price? Then again the others are so well documented, maybe this was the only way to create a new car.
As much as I love the story of Tucker; I wonder how much of his failure was due to his short comings as a businessman as opposed to the opposition of Detroit.
Interesting that the last “official” Tucker built (1052) was assembled from the parts from the left over inventory from the Tucker factory auction. One of the main pieces that had to be fabricated from scratch for 1052 was the entire roof assembly. Perhaps that is why this one was made into a convertible because there were no left over roof panels contained in the factory left over parts stock.
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/07/28/the-last-tucker-assembled-from-original-parts-to-make-its-public-debut/
There were actually 58 bodies made, so 1058 would have been the last number assigned, if completed.
Yeah, Tucker is my real name. Heard a short poem once.
If I had a Kieser, I`d surprise her.
If I had a Fraiser, I`d amaze her.
If I only had a Tucker, maybe I could…
Buy her some flowers?..ahahaha!
Back in late 1965 I was a freshman in college in Los Angeles. A good friend invited me to spend the weekend at his folks home way south of LA When we arrived, I parked in the driveway. We entered the home thru the open garage door, then into the home. Parked next to their Buick sedan was a silver Tucker. I was a car guy even back then. When meeting his folks, the first thing I asked about was that Tucker. Even then I knew it was super special. His dad asked if I wanted to buy it. They were not totally happy with the car. His wife didn’t like riding in it, mainly that it didn’t have A/C. The Buick did. Said he was asking $10,000 for it. I don’t know what Tuckers were going for then. This poor college slob could barely afford his “57 VW. It was eventually sold I heard. I lost track of the family and the Tucker.
Sad story. The whole Tucker thing. Just imagine what kinds of turns the entire automotive industry would have taken had he not been kept down. Growing up in Chicago and knowing the Tootsie Roll factory is the site that these beautiful machines were built always made me dream about them when I was a kid. Now I’m living just south of Madison, Wisconsin where this one was supposedly finished. I never heard anything about a convertable in the plans from the original builders so yeah, I’m seriously wondering if that was supposed to be in this cars future. I’ve always read anything I could get my hands on about them too. Regardless of how it came about, it is still a beautiful car. Worth $3.5m? Ha! Sorry, but in my opinion NO car is worth that kind of money. No way, no how, NO CAR!
Hey Steve, ever get near Albany? 30 miles south of the Mad City. Let me know if you have time for a beer and some car talk. Take care, Mike.
Regardless of the controversy this is a stunning, stunning piece of artwork.
I realize there is some sort of controversy about the car but if the buyer can be satisfied at 3 1/2 million dollars in five years this may be a $7 million car.
Jay Leno turn down a Veyro for $1 million a few years later he have got 2 million for it.
The Ferraris have been insane, if you invested 10 years ago in most any of them you would have made a Ton of money.
This has all the ear marks of doing the same.
But thrilled to see the pictures. Thanks.
Hello John C…. I also saw a Tucker many years ago on a vacation… did not know much about them back then… great comments today from all who have some connection and knowledge of this automobile.
$3,498,100. Plus some rich guy’s right nut.
3.5 million bucks! That’s a lot of piggy banks even though this car is stunningly beautiful.I can say I have seen one Tucker in my lifetime ( silver grayish) as a little kid in the early to mid 70’s on a used car lot and even then as a kid I knew something was special about this car because it was perched on a pedestal.The car lot is long gone but I can’t forget that Tucker.
Wow. Speechless. What a gorgeous build of a gorgeous car.
I have to admit, when I first opened this one my thought was “million dollar car” Imagine my surprise…still, don’t like the price? Find another one
At the end of the day there is no proof that it is a legitimate car – and a this kind of money that is a deal killer. There are reasons this one does not ever sell – and whoever ends up with it is just going to be stuck with it forever like this guy.
If I had 3.5 million bucks I would buy it in a heartbeat and be glad to own it until I croak, irrespective of whether it’s accepted by the Tucker aficionados or not. I could care less about their views as I would be so proud to own, and show it, at any car show I could get to. If nobody can prove that it’s a genuine Tucker, then by the same token, nobody can prove that it isn’t.
I think the numbers on the car show the car existed. Whether you believe it or not is subjective, but as they say, ignorance is bliss.
Bert,
Typically with a special car of this magnitude there would be period photographs, period paperwork, etc. Great claims require great substantiation. This car has all the earmarks of something that was cobbled together after the fact as a tribute. I would love to be proven wrong.
If you cut the top off a Tucker, is it still a Tucker? I think the answer is not far from you!
When I was in High School, in the 1950s, there was an old barn between 4th and 5th st. in a plasticMarysville, Ca. It housed a car and boat repair shop. Place was a mess, with junk piled all over. In the north end was a flat 6
Tucker engine. I think it had Tucker cast on the valve covers. Years later, I returned, and the the shop and building was gone.
I was in the Green Field at Hershey in the early nineties. Across from us there was always a crowd gathered. “After hours”, we walked over to see a Tucker engine and taillights. Story was it came from under a workbench in an old auto shop. Maybe the same one? Who knows….
Barn find ?
infact got to meet he
Hmmm, 48 comments on the ’48 Tucker 48 ( sorry, 49 now) Never saw the movie, but it really was too much for the time. 3rd headlight didn’t help. People were very conservative after the war, and many didn’t even have a car, much less this spaceship. The engine alone was a marvel. I don’t know if it’s worth 3.5 mil, I mean it’s still just a car. Just shows what someone can do to try and stand up to big auto makers, but history has shown, few, if any, make it.
Good to see you here again, Howard A.!
Yes it’s just a car but to some folks certain cars are an icon, and then the question becomes what does that icon represent, therein its worth?
WTH?! A Tucker convertible?
why would you count the comments ?
Maybe because I have been on this website for a couple of years and this article regarding the Tucker convertible has by far and away garnered the most comments that I have ever seen about a vehicle on BF.
Whenever I spend this much, I always get free shipping.
Its called PRIME 😁😂🤣
The car is worth what somebody will pay for it. It’s an interesting piece as an automobile; and the architecture is lovely. And I loved Rustle and Steal. You folks are great!
Hi every one
I try to explain what I know about this car, sorry for my poor English, i’m French.
There was an only one Tucker 1949 sedan prototype, find in the factory, it was not finish, you can see a back window different as the 1948 modele.
I have two pictures here on my Facebook page, there are the two pictures only known about this pre serie sedan 1949. have a look here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2252614331416414&set=pcb.2252614431416404&type=3&theater
I Don’t know who keep the car so many year in a barn or else and who find it, cut the top to make this unicorn… It’s a fake convertible, some one put a lot of money in this project car to try to get the jackpot!!!
But it’s a pity, they destroyed a real and unique 1949 Sedan, I hope they’ll never sell this car.
I hope you anderstand what I mean.
Best regards.
I remember seeing this jn Peninsula Ohio. Is there a chance it was drivable in the early eighties? As the bar in Peninsula is a few miles from me I also saw a SL 300 gullwing alloy drive by in those days. It was dirty and driven. Was John Lemmon a Merc collector?
If you cut the top off of a Ford, it is still a Ford and not fake. If Tucker was considering making a Tucker convertible for a protoype, he certainly would not have all the stamp dyes changed to produce a convertible concept car. Remember, he was short on money. Logically it would be to see how it looked first, in concept, before he moved to mass produce it. He definitely was considering a convertible because Engineer Egan drew up pictures for Tucker to view of a convertible.
No, sorry,we don’t get your point….try again!
Well, if I can’t have at least two, I don’t want any!!! I remember when I was 16 I saw one at a shopping center being used as a daily driver in Maine. I had no idea what it was at the time and I knew every car on the road at the time. That car was black from smoke in the rear end. Wish I had appreciated what I was looking at back then.
Question for Bill Owens (writer of this article) What does the term “quick sway” powertrain refer to?
Hi RicK, it should have said “quick swap powertrain” not “quick sway powertrain”. Thanks for catching that, Grammarly didn’t and unfortunately I didn’t.
What would you do but trailer it around? It has no VIN.
What, you mean stuck with the most famous car in the world! You call that stuck! I would be an instant celebrity!
Beautiful car! Only one out there, “original or not”. Original sheet metal, original drivetrain, ( no one has disputed that) and Preston is not here to say it is a fake. There were barely enough cars produced to actually have any of them to be able to claimed as original. So stop with the frightened proclamation that mine and only a few others are “original production” cars. It will just slow up your appreciating value a little bit.
Enjoy the beauty!
And you can be sure there will never be another one, at least not from an original body.
Anybody can make anything from fibergalss.
I had my chequebook out until I saw the colour of the interior carpet.
;)
Bob
Interesting…..verrrry interesting…….
Thats in fact My handy work boy’s. .i know every millimetre of the build,, best looking car on the planet. .
My Gawd !
This one brought out the yappers.
Jeez. Keep it to 4 lines ?
Allow me to quote Indiana Jones “It belongs in a museum!”
“So once again, Jones, what was briefly yours is now mine.”
―René Belloq[src]
10 miles on it. It does not state highway or city driving miles . That would be the deal breaker for me,and maybe the price
I had the radio head for awhile. It had tucker across the front of it. I was somewhat amazed that I had it until someone told me that dealerships took offers that were taking a really long time to fill and in order to appease the frustrated buyers each was sent a radio in advance
Every time this car surfaces there is so much miss information that comes up about it. We know the real story of this car. It is it build not a restoration.
All Tuckers after number 1036 were builds. Hate to disappoint you, but facts are facts.
With original parts and its own Serial #. I think you can call that a restoration!
Watch out for those so called “experts”…I think the “ex” of expert says it all!
“Preston Tucker was caught up in a stock fraud trial after being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
DeLorean, Musk …. see a pattern?
I’m surprised reading through all the comments that 95% of the posters don’t realize that this car has little to no provenance.
Most of the Tucker “experts” are very skeptical that this is a real Tucker Convertible.
About 30 years ago there was an Auburn Cord Duesenberg restoration shop that had a Tucker in the shop doing some repairs. Thankfully I knew the shop owner and I got to drive the Tucker. It was the most nervous I had ever been driving the Tucker from one end of the shop to the other, about 150 feet. I was like a teenager meeting a rock star, and could have squealed like one, too.
Most experts of anything are skeptical. That’s why they are skeptical. Ask your wife!
Most “experts” in general are sceptical about most everything. That is the nature of the beast
Thank you, this car was a hoax from the start. I told the builder that during construction. He was misled and the car should just be marketed for what it is The other continuation Tucker, 1052 is a pretty good car but the seller can’t get the car to the Million mark. I could see a million being a good price but I’d say put it to an honestly represented auction and take what it brings
#1052 Tucker sold at a Mecum Auction. Wrong venue! Don’t sell a high end vehicle at a Muscle Car auction. Bad move!
Does Jay Leno have a Tucker? If not, I hope he reads BarnFinds!
I thought this was ‘Barn Finds’ ???
If I had a Kaiser, I`d surprise her.
If I had a Fraiser, I`d amaze her.
If I only had a Tucker, maybe I could…Get her to pucker. (PG version)
I love this car… legitimate or not… however, I don’t have 3.5 extra large laying around. Even if I did, it would be nearly impossible for me to justify spending it on a car.
Would you “I thought this was Barn Finds” people please stop! There are many of us on here, all with different tastes and interests, not just project people. And with the real estate booms of the past twenty years, there aren’t many barns left, certainly not with old cars sitting in them. The name of the site may be ‘Barn Finds,’ but it seems to me that the spirit of it is sharing the beauty of ALL unique, rare, classic vehicles.
Personally, I really appreciate seeing all the finished cars. I could never take on a resto project myself as a 51 year old crippled lady with no skills or access to mechanical facilities. I’m just looking to buy an affordable, entry level classic that I can have fun with and cruise at Hot August Nights. This site has given me some great leads.
Meh, mine’s red.
No disrespect to Tucker fans intended but 3.5 million for a car you can’t enjoy driving makes no sense to me. I like the Tucker and it has a unique history but I can think of hundreds of Chevys, Fords, Dodges and Plymouth’s, AMC’s and even foreign cars that I could enjoy as much as or more than a 3.5 mil. museum piece that I would dare not drive-and have change left over after the purchase!
Sam D., Do you still live in Reno? I would love to meet you some time!
I am not sure if someone else has mentioned this but your numbers are a little off. You say there were only 36 cars produces, when in fact there were 51 production models built. 47 of those 51 are known where they are. There were others made that were used for testing but there were 51 produced before Preston Tuckers court date had ended.
Again 58 bodies were produced, not 51. Go to Tucker Wikipedia. That may help you.
I did not say produced! I said production which means they went down the assembly line to the end. I also did not say bodies! A production vehicle is a completed vehicle!
Condition:Used
Ended: Jun 30, 2019 , 9:43PM
Price:US $2,198,100.00
If he just comes down another million, I think I can get a bank loan for the rest.
Del did comment;
“If he just comes down another million, I think I can get a bank loan for the rest.”
What bank is that? I’m looking for some financing to buy an electric Tucker SUV I have an eye on…..:-) :-)
That car belongs in a museum!
one of the Tucker cars sold in tupelo miss. Couple months ago . that chasing classic cars guy was there.
That would have been Wayne Carini.
Maybe some light will be shed in this talk……….
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2019/07/02/new-tucker-talk-to-examine-the-tucker-business-model-why-the-feds-went-after-preston-tucker/?refer=news
Still can’t get rid of that albatross, and still trying to pedal it as a unfinished factory prototype convertible. Body #1057 was a prototype, that much is true, but it was Alex Tremulis’s prototype for what was known as the “Big Window” car. It was sitting, in the factory, when the factory was shut down and that body was sold at auction with the other unfinished bodies on the production line in 1950. We know where this body was, at various times until Justin Cole got it and turned it into a fake convertible. A man named Ezra Schlipf bought the unfinished bodies, 1053 through 1058 at the auction. At some point, Nick Jenin, who at one time owned 25% of the existing Tuckers for his road show bought body #1057 from Schlipf, along with some other stuff. Jenin wanted to turn this body into a static display for his show. They cut the roof off and the body flexed so bad that they boxed the inside of the frame. In some stories you will hear Cole talk about the “special factory-boxed frame.” The Tucker factory didn’t do that. Nick Jenin boxed the frame after he cut the roof off. When Jenin climbed into his 80’s, he sold off all of his Tuckers and misc. parts. That’s when Al Reinart ended up with body #1057. By his own admission, all Reinart got was a frame with a cowl tack welded onto it. Then he started looking for parts, some of which came from Gilliland’s since Reinart and Stan Gilliland where friends. Gilliland had at least two of the unfinished bodies from Schlipf. Gilliland had #1054, #1055, and test chassis #1052 which was eventually built into a complete car. Reinart sold body #1057, and the parts he’d collected to Justin Cole. Cole then invented the “factory prototype” story from thin air and even Reinhart distanced himself from this story when Life magazine released the photos it took inside the closed Tucker plant from 1950 in 2011. People had seen this body, sitting inside a building at the Michigan fairgrounds in the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s when Cole was claiming it was gathering fairy dust at some shop called “Lencki’s” in Chicago. So, in essence, Cole turned a Tucker factory prototype into a fake convertible. If he would have completed it with the Big Window top, as Tremulis designed it from the beginning, he wouldn’t have had to lie about what the car was, and he would have also been able to actually sell it.
Nobody lied about it, they just misunderstood it, like you. You guys are always trying build a case using, at your disposal, with your own facts. Or facts as you see it. Just for once, post some actual documentation, instead of just hearsay. Fact is…..you don’t have any documentation! Your documentation is always, “he said, she said” Please be fair and try to be more objective. It will truly go over much better. No facts, no claim! The car is still a Tucker with a true serial number, no matter how you cut it! The convertible part, who cares! Customs today are now bringing more money than originals! So get over it! Please!!!!!!