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History Tucker Stock Car

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Dec 31, 2008.

  1. The wrecked movie car was rebuilt from a Studebaker, per various accounts at the time. It was not fiberglass, or there would have been pieces of it everywhere. The fiberglass cars you can buy today didn't even hit the market until like 5 or 10 years after the movie.


    They probably used the small track in the movie to avoid the budget needed to rent Indy for a day - plus Indy has changed so much since 1948 it wouldn't have looked right.

    My grandparents could have bought a Tucker - one sat on a used car lot here in town about 1952. The price? $800. Of course, that would be like $8000 in today's money, but still cheap for one of those.
     
  2. super-six
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 191

    super-six
    Member

    I don't know if ALL of the replicas used in the movie were fiberglass, but I know some were. There is one at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage museum.
     
  3. Wowcars
    Joined: May 10, 2001
    Posts: 1,027

    Wowcars
    Member

    As copied from Internet Movie Data Base: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096316


    • Jeff Bridges wears cufflinks formerly owned by the real Preston Tucker.
    • A bottle of Rubicon wine can be seen on the dinner table. This is a wine produced by the vineyard owned by Francis Ford Coppola.
    • The Tucker that was crashed in this film was a Studebaker fitted with a replica Tucker front end. This car is now in the Tallahasse Antique Car Museum in Tallahassee, Florida.

    • The former Dodge plant in Chicago was as big as stated (now Ford City Shopping Center).
    • The "junk" car used as the starting point for the prototype of the Tucker car started life as a 1942 Oldsmobile.
    • The Tucker never did have fuel injection as originally advertised.
    • Unused music by John Williams.
    • Of the 51 Tuckers ever made, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola each own two.
    • The H6 engine (six-cylinder horizontally opposed "FLAT") built by "Air Cooled Motor Co." is very similar to engines used on Porsche 911s, some Subarus and many civilian aircraft to this day. It had overhead valves (pushrods) and was converted to be water-cooled. It was 335ci displacement 5470 (slightly smaller then a "small block" Chevy V8) and had 166bhp with 372lb. of torque.
    • Cameo: [Lloyd Bridges] [Senator Homer Ferguson.]
    • Cameo: [Dean Stockwell] [Howard Hughes.]
    • Four Tucker replicas on 1974 Ford chassis were constructed for the film. One of these, in Tucker-trademark Waltz Blue color, has been donated to the Ypsilanti (MI) Automotive History Collection by members of the family of Preston Tucker.
    • In real life at the end of his criminal trial, Preston Tucker had only eight cars--not 50 as shown in this film--taken to the courthouse.
    • Francis Ford Coppola originally planned on making a biopic of Tucker after he completed The Godfather: Part II (1974) and wanted to cast Marlon Brando as Preston Tucker. The film Coppola actually did make after the sequel was Apocalypse Now (1979), with Brando appearing as Col. Kurtz.
    • When Preston Tucker is walking Sen. Ferguson to his car, Ferguson tells him, "Problems are opportunities in work clothes. That's a quote from my friend Henry J. Kaiser." Kaiser also took on the Big Three at the same time Tucker did when he teamed with Joseph Frazer to form the Kaiser-Frazer Motor Corp. in 1946. Kaiser's cars were equipped with some of the same safety features (pop-out windshields, shatterproof glass, padded dash) the Tucker had. The 1947-48 Kaiser-Frazer cars even used the same outside door handles as the Tucker.
    • There is a painting/mural of Nikola Tesla shown at least twice during the Tucker trial.
    • Michael McShane's film debut.
    • As depicted in the movie, the Tucker vehicle had rear-hinged coach doors, which would be known as "suicide doors" for their risk to rear passengers if they accidentally open while the car was in motion - ironic since the Tucker car had pioneered safety features.
     
  4. Racewriter
    Joined: Nov 14, 2008
    Posts: 780

    Racewriter
    Member

    Tucker and Miller were the driving forces behind the ill-fated 1935 Ford Indy project. They ran FWD cars with flatheads tuned by Miller, and dropped out due to steering trouble; the exhaust was located too close to the steering box.

    One of those cars later served as Andy Granatelli's first Indy entry in the 40s.
     
  5. Zeke
    Joined: Mar 4, 2001
    Posts: 1,716

    Zeke
    Member

    Regardless if it raced or not it looks pretty cool.
     
  6. jonzcustomshop
    Joined: Jun 25, 2007
    Posts: 1,927

    jonzcustomshop
    Member

    when I was 12 we flew down to vegas in a cesna with one of my dads friends to the harrahs auction, the friend bought # 11. if I remember correctly he started the restoration, and subsequently lost some pieces due to a dishonest plater.
    we have lost touch with the friend, so I don't know the status of the car now...

    ** another intresting note, when he was taking one of the rear doors apart, he was looking inside it, and there were what appeared to be 3 bullet holes in the jamb part of the door. on the outside of the jamb you could see where there were patches and a bit of lead work.
     

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  7. monsterflake
    Joined: May 13, 2003
    Posts: 3,763

    monsterflake
    Member

    from the TACA site, referring to the burned car...

    Notes: Remains of car after fire were buried under the garage of a TACA founder.

    what's the point of that?
     
  8. retro54
    Joined: Apr 1, 2004
    Posts: 735

    retro54
    Member
    from PA


    That seemed incredibly odd to me too... very odd.
     
  9. oilslinger53
    Joined: Apr 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,500

    oilslinger53
    Member
    from covina CA

    I wish they'de have popped out a shitload of those... As anti glass as I am (no offence to anyone with a glass car) thats one glass car I would drive.
    That would be cool If there were more pictures of this stockcar, I've been obsessed with tuckers ever since I was a wee lad.

     
  10. I can say that I learned alot today. there is one gold in Salem ore owned by an older Doctor and he told me that the car on the Hy was real fast.
     
  11. crosleykook
    Joined: Feb 15, 2006
    Posts: 190

    crosleykook
    Member
    from sackamento

    Anyone else notice that the version from Science Illustrated looks a lot like a Tatra?

    [​IMG]
     
  12. HOLY SHIT! This place never ceases to amaze me. I love the HAMB and Tuckers too.
     
  13. thanks for the pic ryan. i've wanted to see that for a long time. one of the members of the tucker board has those pics. he's an ass. he owns a tucker. he would never post those pics or email them to anyone, like they where cia photos or something. a HAMBer over seas somewhere owns one of the fiberglass movie cars. another of the tucker board members is the guy who has 1023 burried under his garage. he also has another tucker. i can't remember his reasoning for burying 1023 other than it was totaly wasted and had no usable parts. still seems weird though.
     
  14. H.R.charlie
    Joined: Oct 23, 2006
    Posts: 61

    H.R.charlie
    Member

    Last week there was a cat from Youngstown who posted a thread about a car that looked like a Tucker in a barn near his house.He also said it held a couple of other rare cars.Everybody discounted his story as a hoax.This track was located in Canfield Ohio.which is a suburb of Youngstown.Maybe this Tucker ended up there after the race since it broke down and the used car dealer didn't want to haul it home.Maybe ,just maybe?
     
  15. classicfins
    Joined: Dec 16, 2006
    Posts: 592

    classicfins
    Member

    I don't know if he could have sold any cars, but he did sell one of my friend's parents a dealership. When everything went to shit he turned the building into a resturant called The Tucker Cafe. I saw some old photos of the building and sign from back in the mid 50's and the sign appears to be the same style lettering as the Tucker name so I'm not sure if he had a sign made up for the dealership and just used it or what. Later on in the 70's he closed the restuarant, added onto it, and started building bass boats. LOL
     
  16. for those in the portland/milwaukie oregon area on Mcgloghlin about two blocks up from the bomber towards freddies at that corner when the old Indian dearship was,it was set up as a stude/tucker dealership in the day per Art Lacy owner of the Bomber (deceased)...some of the lettering was able to be seen even in the 70s
     
  17. jpm49c
    Joined: Nov 23, 2006
    Posts: 397

    jpm49c
    Member

    I went to school with Preston Tucker III in Scottsdale in 1968 and his dad (II) lived around the block from me. I think they still live there or his kids(IV) did till a few years ago.. I'll see if i can find him. John
     
  18. WQ59B
    Joined: Dec 14, 2005
    Posts: 2,618

    WQ59B
    Member

    >>"apparently there may be a photo out there somewhere with the car on a wrecker."<<

    Old Cars Weekly ran this pic (same #12 Tucker on a wrecker) in their 10-09-03 issue. Pic is of worse quality than the one referenced here, but the car is lettered up the same. Differences are- the headlights are not taped and the front bumper is clearly chrome (taped in the first pic??). There is also an 'event' poster on the front door covering most of the dealer name.

    The source of the photo states the car was at the Grand National Circuit Championship race in Rochester NY on 07-09-1950, and the track was a dirt track at the Monroe Cty Fairgrounds, south of Rochester. The Tucker was 'brought in to run a one-lap feature against the winner, but broke an axle and didn't complete the lap'.

    A Tucker was also supposedly at the Poor Man's 500 at the Canfield Motor Speedway on the same day as that years' Indy 500- where it qualified but also broke an axle on lap 1.
     
  19. Insane 1
    Joined: Feb 13, 2005
    Posts: 974

    Insane 1
    Member
    from Ennis TX

    My grandfather still has all of the paperwork that was given to him when he put money down to buy one.

    Also, if you really want to stir the pot start talking about the convertible!!!!
     
  20. briggs&strattonChev
    Joined: Feb 20, 2003
    Posts: 2,234

    briggs&strattonChev
    Member

    I have heard that they are actually called "'48 Tucker" or "Tucker 48" and the "Torpedo" part was dropped before production. Any truth to it?
     
  21. DocWatson
    Joined: Mar 24, 2006
    Posts: 10,273

    DocWatson
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    How cool would one of those glass body Tuckers be with rear engine Gasser style or hell, they would make a cool lakes car too!!??
    I want a body.....
     
  22. James66g
    Joined: Sep 20, 2006
    Posts: 558

    James66g
    Member

    I am so down to build a glass tucker I know it wont be popular here but i would have to go either super high tech think audi s8l if you havent seen the inside of audis big super sedan do yourself a favor man talk about nice. Or how about Bonneville style!? Man slammed moon discs and a flat blue with gold and bone lettering..... I think i know what ill be entering in the next friday art show! Back to the tucker i seem to remember a blue glass one built by Ida automotive i think? The web site also states they are busy building more whats with no new pics? Thanks again Ryan for bringing out the cool and everyone else for adding to the pot.
     
  23. ehdubya
    Joined: Aug 27, 2008
    Posts: 2,315

    ehdubya
    Member

    junior was affected
     

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  24. Hugh's_Hornet
    Joined: Dec 12, 2008
    Posts: 59

    Hugh's_Hornet
    Member

    Cool to see a thread on Tuckers.

    I think you're right about the car's name; that's exactly what I've read.
     
  25. SuperFleye
    Joined: Jul 17, 2005
    Posts: 2,053

    SuperFleye
    Alliance Vendor

    This is the Tucker replica that they made for the movie to race around the track...
    [​IMG]

    I bought it off ebay some years ago, and hopefully the car will once run the rocky roads of Norway :)

    For that scene they actually made 3 cars. 1 fiberglass car to do the racing (mine), one steel studebaker lookalike to do the roll, and one fiberglass car made to look wrecked from after the roll. The steel studebaker tucker lookalike is currently located at the Tallahassee Museum. here is how that one looks like:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  26. DynoDave
    Joined: Dec 30, 2008
    Posts: 22

    DynoDave
    Member
    from Michigan

    Wow, what a great post!

    There's another half hour of my life I won't get back! :D Learned a lot though, so it's time well spent.
     
  27. Ramblur
    Joined: Jun 15, 2005
    Posts: 2,101

    Ramblur
    Member

    Some of my earliest memories are of races at the Canfield Speedway.Not so
    much the photographic memories that I have from later times,but surely the sights,smell and the noise have infected me for a lifetime.

    BTW, the Tucker's pretty cool too.
     
  28. axle
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 3,982

    axle
    Member
    from Drag City

    Superfleye,

    I remember after the movie came out the Studebaker was for sale in the local Auto Trader.
     

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