Friday, September 30, 2011

Interesting Tucker Ephemera

TACA Facebook fan Charlie Lecach has recently shared a couple of rare and unusual items of Tucker ephemera that we thought we'd pass along to blog readers.  Enjoy!

The "cut-away" illustration on the cover of this
French magazine from 1948 depicts the 589 engine
and the flat-bottomed steering wheel.

This reader contest was published in the
May 1954 issue of Rod & Custom magazine
(Post and image credits: Charlie Lecach)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tucker No. 1043 to be Auctioned at Scottsdale, AZ in January 2012

Tucker No. 1043
We understand that Tucker No. 1043--which appeared (briefly) in an episode of the short-lived NBC game show "It's Worth What?" over the summer--is expected to cross the Barrett Jackson auction block in Scottsdale, AZ next January.  We'll keep you posted as we hear more details.

(Post credit: TACA message board; photo credit: TACA website)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Happy Birthday, Preston Tucker!

Preston Tucker
(1903-1956)



Preston Thomas Tucker was born 108 years ago today--and the automotive world has never been the same since! Read more about Preston Tucker on the TACA website and on Wikipedia.

(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

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)

Sunday, September 4, 2011

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)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

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)