History Searching for 1948 Tucker photos

This one is in a museum collection so I hope it's original? Is it possible to tell the originals from the reproduction ones?

 

The originals usually have some cracking or discoloring on the face. It seems like there was maybe a clear lacquer finish on them when they were new. The one you posted looks original. Most of the reproductions don't have any scratches or wear on them either.

 

Cool thread...

 

Bonhams has these items up for auction on Aug 16th in Carmel CA

Owned by an employee of the Tucker Corporation that acquired them when the plant closed 1948.

 

According to Bonhams: The vendor of these items are family of the Assistant Treasurer of Tucker Corporation. When the doors closed he was given these two drawings and the Illinois Manufacturer plates for the first production car of 1948.

The illustrations can be strongly attributed to Read Viemeister of the LIppencott Margolies Design team. With e-mail correspondence from his son Tucker Viemeister, and also Reads partner Budd Steinhilber, we have been able to attribute the authorship of these drawing to Read Viemeister

 

Those sketches look like Zombie drew them - I don't think he was around in '48 though!

 

Aha! So there was a Tucker convertible concept! That should settle the issue of #57!

Frank C.

 

Now, don't you start!

 

A concept ON PAPER, not as a real prototype. Car #57 was never a ragtop, until that builder made it into one.

Those drawings are absolutely beautiful!

 

It was getting too quiet around here.

Frank C.

 

if you ever get up to maine check them out at the musuem in s.paris,this guy has a few

 

Has a few what?

 

tuckers

 

(Preston Thomas Tucker died in December, 1956, a year after this article was published.)

Frank C.

 

Tucker #1033 is the only Tucker in the Bahre Collection. He briefly owned #1049 around 1989. #1033 is a beautiful car. They only open up the museum once a year on Founders Day which was a couple weeks ago.

 

I have posted this on another thread as well.

Sad news today in the Tucker Automobile world, Richard E. Jones passed away this morning at 1:40AM. He was at home and his son Brian was with him as he passed away peacefully. Richard had battled with lung disease for the last two years. The Tucker Automobile community has lost a great asset and we've all lost a very good friend.

Richard was the encyclopedia of Tucker for many years. He was part of the original group of 14 people that met on July 15th, 1973 and formed the Tucker Automobile Club of America. That group consisted of Stan Gilliland and his wife Linda, Bev Ferriera and his wife Lillian, Jay Busker and his wife Eva, Curtis Foester and his wife Delona, Dave Cammack, Ray Wiysel, Fred Fetner, Joe Walker, Harry Wilson and Richard Jones.

Richard served as President of TACA from 1987 to 1989. During that period the movie, Tucker: A Man And His Dream was released. Richard gave hundreds of interviews. He was also present on the set of the movie, along with his good friend Russ Brownell, and they were in charge of keeping the 22 actual Tuckers on site running.

No details yet about funeral arrangements however Richard had told me he'll be buried at the National Cemetery in Jacksonville.

Over the last few years Richard and I had become friends and he shared a lot of his knowledge and passion for the Tucker automobile with me. I will truly miss him.

Here is a photo of Richard and other Tucker Club members on the set of the movie with Jeff Bridges. The car is Tucker #1022.

 

Looks like another rash of fake Tucker items is showing up on e-bay. There are a few people that think that they can pass off fake Tucker items and get big bucks for them. If you are buying a Tucker item and need help making sure it is real feel free to contact me through the message board.

Seems like several people are pawning off almost any brown luggage as Tucker. There were four types of luggage sold by Tucker dealers and they are easy to tell if they are real if you know what to look for.

Also watch out for fake radio heads. Looks like someone took of Motorola 6A1 head and put some buttons on it that say Tucker.



A real Tucker radio (below) has a different shape and dial face

 

The building that was built for the Tucker dealer in Hawarden ,Iowa is still there at 717 9TH street. Mr, Busker had is car at the Alcester, South Dakota Centenial about15 or 20 years ago, Nice guy and in talking to him he told me that his car was used for specs, etc., for the Franklin Mints reproduction. He left driving the car, it sure had a neat sound. I also saw the one at Stone Mountain Park, Ga. Knowing Dave Geiler, of Pioneer Auto Show, he probably talked Mr. Basker into letting him show the car for free ! Dave has a great knowledge of any rare cars in the midwest area.

 

A few pix of #1024 from the Smith Collection. And, the invoice

 

Richard sticks in my mind from my Tucker adventure in the 1980s. Terrific guy. You're fortunate to have become close with him and to have absorbed his vast knowledge of the Tucker story.

Frank C.

 

The gift that keeps on giving. The Tucker convertible will be up for auction at Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale coming in January 2013. At least this time around everyone knows what it is so it should be a clean auction.

Russo & Steele had it in 2010 but it did not sell. If the price is right there are a few collectors that have told me they would buy it and restore it to its original big window design.

 

Uh-oh!

 

TuckerFan, hello. Did you keep up with the tribute Tucker you were working on? Since the Tucker site died, I sort of lost track. Just checking back in on that. If that was you, please show some pix of progress. Heck, they aren't making them anymore, so anybody doing a 'glas or a Stude-based makeover is COOL!

 

More than one HAMBer thinks Justin stubbed his toe when he PASSED on (what was it?) $1.6 Million???

 

Here's a few pictures I've found through the years. Hopefully not too many of these are repeats:

 

That would be the best possible outcome, I'd love to see that happen.

Your two pics look identical to me. Can you post a pic of what the correct radio head looks like? I'd like to know, I've kind of always wanted a Tucker radio.