Well, I'll be Francis Ford Coppola! A 1948 Tucker is headed for auction
Many entrepreneurs have tried to break into the auto industry over the past century. Since the very early days, almost none have succeeded – or even lasted very long. Most such names have been forgotten and consigned to the dustbins of history. On the other hand, one of the most memorable failures of all time was Preston Tucker and his radically unconventional Torpedo. Only 51 of the forward-thinking sedans were built in 1948 before the company finally went belly up permanently.
One of those rare completed cars (no, not this one) will be put up for auction next month in Oakland, along with a a second engine and assorted other parts. Given the current economy, it will be interesting to see how high the bidding gets on this special piece of automotive history. The auction will be held on June 7 at Clars Auction House, but no, a DVD copy of Coppola's Tucker: The Man and his Dream will not be included in the purchase..
[Source: TuckerForSale.com, Photo by norjam8 | CC2.0]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Smegley 7:16PM (5/15/2009)
It's like a DeLorean triclops
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oby 7:28PM (5/15/2009)
"Only 51 of the forward-thinking sedans were built in 1948 before the company finally went belly up permanently. "
I can see why. That thing is an abomination. It looks like a cross between an electric toaster and a GM locomotive. If that's 'forward thinking' then the alien creature from the movie 'Aliens' is a cute cuddly house pet!
It looks like something Gimme Motors (GM) would build!
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PJ 8:02PM (5/15/2009)
Forward-thinking:
- Perimeter frame, all-independent suspension (with rubber springs)
- Subframes for engine/transmission--undo six bolts for an engine swap!
- Rear-mounted, alloy-block fuel-injected flat-Six - 166 hp and 335 lb ft of torque
- 0.27-0.30 cD
- Safety features: recessed controls, pop-out windshield, third headlight, etc.
Amazing stuff for 1948.
MoonRover 9:20PM (5/15/2009)
Considering most cars were shaped like box turtles in that era, this car was a looker.
zelosu 10:28PM (5/15/2009)
ur an idiot
danat86 3:05AM (5/16/2009)
clearly, you don't understand anything about this car and you should open up a history book again. Tucker was years ahead of his time, he wanted to introduce things that manufacturers started putting on their cars only 5-10 years ago. He was a genius.
CarlosMC 12:26PM (5/16/2009)
@ oby:
No you can't; you would if you'd watched the movie, though:
basically, the big three felt the heat of the competition and the technological
innovation and put their best efforts into... wait... putting him out of business (what else?).
bilsharp9 6:09PM (5/16/2009)
I am always amazed at the arrogant historical views of this generation! They have no ability to view history in it's proper reference. This car was designed by a mechanical genius who was a financial failure. Park this car alongside a 1948 Ford/ Chevy and the genius will become obvious. I remember at the age of 10, marveling at the full page ad's in the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader. These kinds of people also designed the B-17,for which we should all be greatful!
howard 2:42AM (5/17/2009)
I don't have any idea how old you are oby but you wouldn't know class if it ran over you! IF you ever rode in one of these AUTOMOBILES you wouldn't let your mouth overload you ass this way! My father and two of his brothers were ready to sign all the necessary papers to become the first TUCKER DEALER in Hollywood, CA. in January 1949! I had the pleasure of taking a 110 mile ride out in the desert on old HWY 6, the old road to Las Vegas in one of these along with my Dad, his brothers and the driver! They had a sign that the driver could pull down in the rear window from the drivers seat that read"YOU'VE JUST BEEN PASSED BY A TUCKER!" The driver took the speedometer up to 125mph for about 2 miles to show the power this car had! When I got older and started race driving in SPORTSMAN class I realized just how stable the TUCKER was! The reason the American Automobile Manufacturers wanted it gone was they didn't have anything on the drawing board for 20 years that could compete with it! So lets give these old ideas a fond fairwell instead of talking about them the way you just did! They filled a gap the other companies failed to fill! Incidenty I'm 79 years young and have a vivid memory of that trip!
artandcolour 7:46PM (5/15/2009)
the idiots that read and comment int this blog continue to astound me. do some friggin research before you make proclamations such as the first two in this comments section. the Tucker was far advanced for it's time. i won't even bother with listing it's forward-thinking attributes, i doubt you idiots can even read. i doubt you have any idea what the prevailing styles of the late 40s were either.
that being said, i've never seen a Tucker with those ventilating louvers in the forward section of the hood before.
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Tomac 8:01PM (5/15/2009)
Technologically, the Tucker was indeed outstanding. It was a true engineer's car. And as a fan of all things automotive (particularly from the 40s through the 60s), I appreciate what this car represents. However, the comments about its styling are not unfounded-- it is not regarded as having particularly attractive styling even by automotive historians. The late 40s and early 50s are full of some of my favorite designs of all time, and a great many of the Tucker's contemporaries were far prettier. Not as advanced, for certain, but much more attractive.
mcampasini 8:01PM (5/15/2009)
+1 this was way before its time,all you have to do is watch the movie Tucker a man and his dream, the guy was a genius.
RAV Designs 9:05PM (5/15/2009)
This particular car has been modified. They pulled out the stock rear engine and swapped a Ford engine in the front.
MajorGeek 9:20PM (5/15/2009)
Thank you. Made same comment earlier regarding the armchair CEO's telling Toyota how to run a business.
adrenalnjunky 10:19PM (5/15/2009)
The car for auction is not the car pictured on the posting - another misleading Autoblog post.
If you follow the tuckerforsale.com link it shows a stock Tucker in the brochures.
Galley 8:01PM (5/15/2009)
Of the 51 built, 47 of them survive.
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Nateb123 8:31PM (5/15/2009)
That really says it all as far as the craftsmanship and appeal this car had. I don't think any other car produced in such limited numbers was so highly sought after or prized by their owners to keep such a high percentage of them around, let alone 61 years later.
Eric 9:01PM (5/15/2009)
I've seen that car up in its garage in San Francisco. The owners are daft to offer a car like that through the auction house they are using. It really deserves to be sold at a proper car auction.
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dukeisduke 9:04PM (5/15/2009)
That one is a mild custom. The only thing I can't take is the louvers on the front. Those aren't easy to undo.
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dukeisduke 9:07PM (5/15/2009)
The car that's up for auction is a nice-looking one. But no details, like which one it is of the 51 built.
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