Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Margie Petersen, 1935 - 2011

Robert & Margie Petersen
The Los Angeles Times reports the passing of Margie Petersen on November 25th in Beverly Hills, CA.  Margie and her husband, Robert, were Los Angeles-area philanthropists whose many cultural contributions included the creation of the Petersen Automotive Museum, which is the home of Tucker No. 1030Robert Petersen passed away in 2007 at the age of 80.

(Post credit: Kit Fox and LATimes.com; photo credit: LATimes.com)

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Out & About with Tucker No. 1017

Tucker No. 1017 at the Winter Park Concours d'Elegance
Eileen Carpenter reports that Tucker No. 1017 had the honor of appearing in Trophy Row at the Concours d'Elegance in Winter Park, FL this past Sunday, November 6th.  This is the second recent appearance of No. 1017 in the Sunshine State.

(Post credit: Kit Fox and Eileen Carpenter; photo credit: Eileen Carpenter)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

New Boyd's Crystal Art Glass Tucker Now Available

Boyd's Crystal Art Glass Tucker
in Cobaline Green
Boyd's Crystal Art Glass of Cambridge, OH has recently released a new Tucker figurine in a color they call Cobaline Green.  Click here to order yours today!

(Post credit: Kit Fox; photo credit: Boyd's Crystal Art Glass website)

A Tucker Abroad: No. 1045

Tucker No. 1045
Tucker No. 1045 has emigrated only recently from the shores of its American homeland to its new home "down under" near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Until 2009, No. 1045's most-recent owner was John M. O'Quinn of Houston, TX, and it was the crown jewel of his private museum, O'Quinn's Classy Classic Cars.  Mr. O'Quinn was reportedly a very flamboyant trial attorney who represented plaintiffs in Texas lawsuits against tobacco companies and other high-profile cases.  Tragically, Mr. O'Quinn perished in an automobile accident in October 2009.  Previously, No. 1045 had been owned by Nick Jenin and a succession of other owners.

After Mr. O'Quinn's passing, No. 1045 eventually came into the possession of RM Auctions, which offered it at the annual Monterey, CA auction in August 2010.  The car earned a record auction price of $1,127,500 (including fees).  The lucky winner promptly shipped No. 1045 (now affectionately know as "Tuckeroo") to his home near Melbourne.  Shortly after arriving, however, Tuckeroo made a huge splash in its inaugural appearance at the Motoclassica car show in October 2010.  It has subsequently been featured in a video hosted and produced by TACA member Brendan Edgerton and has appeared at other car shows around Australia.

(Post credit: Kit Fox, TACA message board, Brendan Edgerton; photo credit: TACA website)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

This Month in Tucker History

1946 - It was in November of 1946 that articles detailing concepts for the “Car of the Future” appeared on newsstands in both Mechanics Illustrated and Popular Mechanics magazines. A year later in November 1947, the Tucker Corporation was well on its way to bringing the Tucker ’48 to the car-hungry public.

1947 - The company launched a national advertising campaign featuring full-page (or two-page) ads in Colliers, Saturday Evening Post, Life, The New Yorker and Time magazines. Its ten-year lease of the former Dodge Chicago plant formerly began and the company was awarded six different patents. The day after the failed testing of the 589 engine, Tucker Corporation contracted with Hoffman Motor Development Company of Detroit, MI to build six engines. In the arrangement, Borg Warner Corporation would also develop three experimental transmissions for Tucker. The development of each would end just four months later when the Aircooled Motors 335 engine was selected to power the Tucker ’48.

1948 - By November of 1948, Tucker Corporation sees the value of its stock fall to an all-time low and suspends plant operations. In less than a year, criminal indictments are issued against Preston Tucker and seven associates, and a trial begins in October of 1949. By the following January all defendants in the case are found NOT GUILTY.

(Post credit: Jay Follis)