Classic Tucker auto goes on sale locally

Acorn Automotive Editor


 

 

Preston Tucker was a car-crazy kid who hung around auto speedways and grew up to create a unique automobile, the Tucker, that was years ahead of its time. He was a man of pioneering spirit, ingenuity and daring, who revolutionized Detroit in the late 1940s with his stunning "Car of Tomorrow." It was streamlined, futuristic and fast. The car every American dreamed of owning, at a price most people could afford. A man of endless enthusiasm, Tucker publicized his model across the country to wild acclaim. He sold stock, set up a factory and then the auto industry launched a devastating anti-Tucker campaign.


Tucker was plagued by powerful enemies, stalled by production problems and hounded by the SEC. And it seemed that his dream might never get off the ground. Yet in the dizzying world of high finance, strangling regulations and political power plays, Tucker held fast to his unique American vision. 51 Tuckers rolled off his assembly line in 1948, prized by collectors and copied by competitors—bold, dynamic designs that live on in the cars America drives today.


Now, over 50 years later, a fully restored and drivable Tucker has come onto the market and will be offered for sale at the Barrett-Jackson auction to be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum on June 14 and 15.


Of the 51 original cars all but 4 still exist. This car is serial number 7 and it is expected to fetch around $300,000.


The car was made famous when Francis Ford Coppola, "The Godfather" producer/director, made the movie "Tucker: The Man and his Dream" in 1988. It starred Jeff Bridges and has become a cult movie having a better success on TV than it did in its original theatrical release.


The Tucker featured a 335 cubic inch six-cylinder ohv engine that gave 372 lbs/ft of torque. There were never established horsepower figures but the car had an estimated top speed of over 120 mph and, in 1948, rocketed from 0-60 in just 10 seconds. The original selling price was to be $2,450.


In the last few years the Tucker has been reborn. "Some people don’t get it," Bob Ida told Car & Driver, relaxing behind the wheel of the prototype reproduction Tucker that he and son Rob have constructed in preparation for a production run of, they hope, 50 cars.


But the New Tucker 48 is something different and built for another reason, going back, in fact, to 1947, when Bob Ida’s father, Joe, and his uncle, Dominick, scraped up enough cash to establish a Tucker dealership in Yonkers, New York. The demise of Tucker is well-known, and although the brothers lost their investments, they didn’t lose their faith in Preston Tucker or his cars. Joe was outbid trying to buy a Tucker when the company was dissolved.


Fifty years later, Bob and Rob decided to use the skills and equipment from 35 years in the business of building street rods to build a Tucker for the elder Ida.


Original Tucker No. 51, owned and restored by fellow New Jerseyite Chick DeLorenzo, was put in a jig to obtain exact body measurements. Entered into a CAD system, the data were used to make templates for the Tucker replica. The body panels themselves are made from resin-infused plastic, which is more durable than fiberglass and even steel. The taillight housings and the front and rear grilles are all machined from billet aluminum. The fender grilles are cast from the original wood patterns, and the bumpers on the prototype are of the same composite used for the body but are vacuum-chrome-plated. The true Tucker experience, or as close as possible, meant rear-engine configuration. Bob and Rob chose to achieve that by dropping in a complete Cadillac Northstar front subassembly, engine, transmission and suspension. It’s not air-cooled or hung out behind the rear axle as in the original Tucker, but the new, powerful and reliable drivetrain fits perfectly and offers modern performance.


The Tucker Automobile Club of America, Inc. will host its 28th annual convention in Las Vegas June 20 through 23. John R. Tucker, son of Preston and Vera Tucker is scheduled to speak. Details are on the Tucker Club Website at tuckerclub@cox.net or you can contact them at (702) 558-3862.


The Barrett-Jackson auction will also feature Hot Rods, especially the famed 1957 Chevrolet "Chezoom" and two V-16 engined Fords, a 1923 Ford T-Bucket and a 1937 Ford Coupe. But for real power, up for sale is the 1957 Al Schieb Plymouth Fury with its 460 cu.in. nitrous oxide powered HEMI engine.


Information on the auction is on the organizers’ Internet Website, www.barrett-jackson.com, or you can call (480) 421-6694.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *