Calling Tucker experts

[CaptMarvel]

Any Tucker experts around? I know the majority of the 50 made are accounted for, something like 43 still in existence? I know one was wrecked on the testing grounds & another was found stripped on the banks of the Mississippi in the early 50's, another one t-boned in a bad accident. Anyone know about the others? Just curious....

[andy74]

there are quite a few in musems,and private collections-i know francis ford coppala has like 5 of them,check out the tucker cars web site,tuckerclub.org,a lot of info there.

awesome cars,can you imagine what things would be like now if he had been allowed to build them?

[andy74]

i paid a lot of attention to the tucker cars,because the original air cooled motors,that they bought to produce engines was in liverpool,a small village near me-i love to learn history about the area i live in!

[Mudhawg]

They wrecked one in the movie didn't they?

[HAZZARDJOHN]

47 Still are known to exist out of 51 built. The Tuckers in the movie that were wrecked were replica, either on a 74 ford Chassis or a studebaker Chassis. Here is a website with trivia from the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096316/trivia

and here is the Tucker clubs website.

http://www.tuckerclub.org/index.php

I got to sit in a tucker this year at Iola and it was the thrill of a lifetime. He'd take me for a ride in it, but he couldn't until the show ended and I needed to be at work so I had to leave sunday afternoon 

I am trying to locate the pics, but I don't seem to have them here at work I will post them when I get home!

~HJ

[HAZZARDJOHN]

Here is the car I sat ins pictures from the web.

http://www.tuckerclub.org/html/display_car.php?car_number=1048&;

[HAZZARDJOHN]

Here is the pic I have of the car from Iola last year.

[Steve P.]

They said in the movie, (I watched it again just yesterday), that he made the center head light move with the front wheels. I have watched this movie many times and never been able to tell if it really does. The best shot of the car turning a corner is at the end when all 50 are leaving the courthouse and the cars are turning toward the camera. You just can't tell!! So does anyone know for sure if the headlight in the center DOES move or NOT??

By the way, I think Tucker was way ahead of his time also. Maybe the movies pushed the edge a little but,,,, it's a true story.. We all know how powerfullllllllofshit the gov-big-corp-oil is.........

[HAZZARDJOHN]

The Center headlight does move. It is a Reflector and a bulb behind a lens. The lense it self doesn't turn, but the reflector does, refocusing the light. Kinda like a Police car light bar. Hope this helps.

Also This car was so ahead of it's time, I am only left to wonder what would have happened if The big three didn't railroad him. and also if he was a little smarter of a business man. The financial dealings, he did early on, like Selling Dealer franchises When the cars weren't built yet, and he wouldn't have been on the SEC's Radar. Turns out he did nothing wrong, but with the investigations going on and the newspaper headlines, it made his stock Plummet!

~HJ

[Charger_Fan]

I need to watch that movie again.

Have you heard one run? I imagine they sound kinda strange because of the type of engine used.

[HAZZARDJOHN]

I need to watch that movie again.

Have you heard one run? I imagine they sound kinda strange because of the type of engine used.

I've heard that one run and it sounded to me like any six cylinder that I have heard, except they to me sound like the resonate a little more. Sounded like a muffled outboard motor.

~HJ

[BigBlockSam]

there is a little museum, petting zoo here in NJ. i forget the name. he has about 50 car exhibit. i was told he has a tucker

[last426]

I posted this on the Tucker forum: 

It was about five years ago or so and I can't remember why but I had to call up customer's service at UPS, or FEDEX or some computer service or something like that.  I believe that I was talking with a guy in Sacramento and casually mentioned that I collected cars, had a hemi and a Bricklin.  He said that he had a Tucker, had bought it when he was fairly young and before they got so expensive -- well before the movie, and currently (at that time) the car was loaned to some museum, perhaps in Reno.  Does any of that ring true?   I always wondered. Kim

[triple_green]

I know where the one is that is in WA state.

[70charginglizard]

I know where the one is that is in WA state.

Lemay Musium Tacoma Wa?
You ever been to it?

[JimShine]

There are two of them maybe 10 miles away from me at Bob Bares house. He owns the speedway in Loudon New hampshire. Somewhere around here I have pics of one of the cars (at the time the other was being restored). He also has an original Tucker neon sign from the Tucker office building and a display engine Tucker used for display still on the factory art deco stand.

[HAZZARDJOHN]

There are two of them maybe 10 miles away from me at Bob Bares house. He owns the speedway in Loudon New hampshire. Somewhere around here I have pics of one of the cars (at the time the other was being restored). He also has an original Tucker neon sign from the Tucker office building and a display engine Tucker used for display still on the factory art deco stand.

Is this one of them Jim? That is a nice color! I like that color and the Famous waltz blue. Those are just Sharp
http://www.tuckerclub.org/html/display_car.php?car_number=1033&;

[JimShine]

Yup, that is the one. I am surprised no pics of the display items. Here are my old pics of them.

[BigBlockSam]

hey, man, where's that exhibit?

[JimShine]

He is in South Paris Maine. He opens his place up once a year in the summer and shows his completed cars off. Other than that one day, this stuff is not viewable by the public. He has a bunch of great cars.

[BigBlockSam]

wow, that sounds cool. i'd luv to see that

[bull]

That's a wild-looking back end on those things. I'll have to rent that movie again, it's a pretty good show. Do you guys think DeLorean suffered the same fate or were the cocaine charges legit? I've never looked into it much.

[CaptMarvel]

That's a wild-looking back end on those things. I'll have to rent that movie again, it's a pretty good show. Do you guys think DeLorean suffered the same fate or were the cocaine charges legit? I've never looked into it much.

Good story & a good movie. My dad remembers being in Knoxville TN. in 47 when a Tucker promotional came through, he remembered the ad or bumper sticker saying "You've just been passed by a Tucker". I dont think John Deloreans car or ideas were nearly as groundbraking as Preston Tuckers, except for the stainless steel exterior, which, as we all know, lends itself to time travel better. I'm not saying he was guilty, but remember, alot of people got into that problem in the 80's. Like I always say, if he wasnt guilty, why was he arrested? (ha ha)  I do think Tucker was guilty also, but was probably confident enough in himself that he really thought he could pull off the impossible (a madman maybe). I admire him in some ways, because he did dream the dream & tryed to make it happen. Well, at least the new Securitys Exchange Commision (SEC) came into prominence during his hearings. Thank you Preston Tucker, nothing like more powerful govt. bueracracys...

[HAZZARDJOHN]

Preston Tucker was Guilty of making some Bad PR decisions. The rush to get the prototype to public viewing, led to shotty Craftsmanship on the Tin goose. Which led to leaks to the press. Selling Dealership franchises years before the car was to make an introduction. This all put him on the SEC's Hotsheet. Not to Mention the Railroading Sentator Ferguson Did. The car was Brilliant and If he would have taken a little more time and done it under the Radar he would have been unstoppable. What amazes me is that if he would have pulled it off, Cars would be about ten to twenty years ahead of the current progress. It would have changed the automotive industy forever.

~HJ