This February has been an eventful one for the Tucker community. Apparently a long lost Tucker Prototype Convertible has been discovered and placed up for auction at the hefty sum of $5 million. Strange that with only 50 cars rolling of the Tucker assembly, all of which accounted for, that this one should fall through the cracks and resurface 61 years later.
When I first saw the Tucker Convertible turn up on ebay, I was reminded of a similar project, seen seven years before. It was at the Novi Expo center in Michigan. A large chunk of the Richard Kughn collection was being offered at no reserve. Among the many low mile collector cars was a large collection of Factory Tucker parts. If memory serves me correctly the parts included the pieces from the two Tuckers wrecked, one in an auto accident and the other by the Tucker Company for a roll over test. All of these, along with several surplus parts were cobbled together on top of a chassis right of the Tucker line. Unfortunately I don’t remember the number. Taped on the side of car were the plans Richard Kughn had drawn up by a friend to turn this collection of rare parts into the first Tucker Conv.
If somebody can present me with the location of the Kughn car I will shut up but for now what I propose, is that the car for sale right now is the very same car from the Richard Kughn collection. When this information was proposed to the seller there was no response. If they in fact have an actual prototype why don’t they say it? Why ebay and not Barrett Jackson? I do not claim to be an authority on Tucker but I know what I saw in 2002 and I have pictures:
Author/Photographer: Glenn H.
This seems to be more true than the Ebay history..
ReplyDeletePhotos are excellent historical artifacts. Glad you had the vision to take images of the auction parts. People need to do more photo work to document events and post the information online so everyone can learn.
ReplyDeleteThe Tucker you seen in the Kughn car is actually Tucker #1052, being comlpeted by a Tucker Club member. See "Tucker Club Convention for 2011" to see pictures. Car #1057, the convertible was sold in late 2010 for 1.8 million. I heard it was from the exposure from the ebay listing, so I guess that would answer your question concerning ebay.
ReplyDeleteMaybe some light can be made on the Tucker #1057 convertible. If you go to: jalopnik.com/5653978/is-the-lost-tucker-convertible-a-fraud
ReplyDeleteThe Tucker Discussion Board said maybe Preston Tucker ordered up 2 body shells to altered as props to show the grand jury as proof of his intentions to establish an ongoing manufacturing operation. One maybe was a 1949 Prototype Tucker and one was maybe Tucker convertible. They do have an actual Life Magazine photo of a 1949 Tucker with a larger wrap around rear window. That is a fact. Now, they just need to come up with a photo of the convertible. Who knows?
Yeah, I read the Tucker Club, who knit picked the Tucker convertible to death, that now they have come under some scrutiny by some of their own influentual members for questionable practices involving the head honchos of the club. The members are claiming that there is loss of accounting on the club's scholorship funds, of where the donated memorbilia of Tucker items have disappeared to and election of board members improprieties and practices. Some of these members are asking why the elected officials don't show up at the convetions or why the the club's site has been closed down for days at a time, when questions are asked. You can go to "Tucker Topics" website and scroll down to "I Learned Everything I Need In Kindergarden" dated Sept. 25, 2011. Seems like more things need to be answered about than questionable aspects on the convertible. They need to get their act together, before they become an authority on anything Tucker related.
ReplyDeleteCOULD BE THAT THEY FOCUSED ON THE CONVERTIBLE, SO NO ONE WOULD FOCUS ON THEM. A GREAT SMOKESCREEN, DON'T YOU THINK? POLITICIANS DO IT ALL THE TIME! GO POLITICIANS!!!! I MEAN, JUST GO!
ReplyDeleteOh,my,my tucker club! To be so right and then to be so wrong!! Where did you go wrong! Must have been smokin a bong! Now, you're el cabonged!!
ReplyDeleteAs the dust settles, the convertible will come into it's own. It already shows signs of that.
ReplyDeleteSalute to an astute observation! "As the dust settles" quote above, the price of what the convertible sold for (1.8 million) versus the highest price paid for a sedan (1.1 million) shows the convertible has "come into it's own" Nothing like record prices to shut up the nay sayers. The nay sayers have become nin com poops! As Betty Boop used to say, "boop boopty boop" and after reading the "Tucker Topics" she would say, "poop poopty poop". Emphasy the "POOP" here. Can someone hand them a pooper scooper, please! They certainly need it!
ReplyDeleteTalk about beating a dead horse!?!
ReplyDeleteThe convertible story was already shown to be a hoax. After the original seller made his fictional story public, vintage photographs, documents, letters and eyewitness accounts have come forward from multiple sources. They all prove beyond a reasonable doubt that #57 was not a convertible and never was intended to be a convertible until the 1990's. If there ever was a convertible, it was positively NOT #57. The provenance of #57 is now well-documented, and it was a coupe that was destined to become the 1949 model. The body with the wrap-around rear window was removed in the 1950's and the frame was reworked at that time. There were just too many surviving original documents for the bogus story to continue. It's a nice "tribute" car, though...
Really!! The Tucker convertible as a tribute car! Maybe only the convertible part, but certainly not the car itself, since it is a real Tucker. Your descriptions are a little misleading or maybe that is your disguised intent. The "convertible part" would be more a "custom" than a "tribute", since the car is a Tucker. You probably need to get your terms right.
DeleteWho cares whether it is a convertible or not from the factory! It is now a convertible, but it started from a real pedigree Tucker body and if it was from the #57 Tucker that was meant to be the only 1949 model with the wrap around rear window, then that just adds to the intrique and mystery of it alland not detracts from it. I think some would like it to be a dead horse, especially if they are connected to the defunked Tucker club, but I think the Tucker club is the real dead horse. The convertible is not desecration, but a celebration of what a Tucker sedan would become in the future. So again who cares!
ReplyDeleteOf course in the real world Provenance is half the value. Who cares? someone bought a chopped Tucker for TWICE its value. Forget the sappy talk, point is, someone got swindled. period.
DeleteBoy, that's a dumb comment in light of the Batmobile selling for 4.6 million. That car was really a chopped car. You can really put the dumb in dumber. You probably seen your own movie, right!
DeleteESPECIALLY, IF THE ACCUSERS ARE ALSO SWINDLERS THEMSELVES WHO SELL ITEMS ON EBAY AND THEN SWINDLE PEOPLE ON SHIPPING CHARGES FOR SMALL ITEMS. THEY WAY OVER CHARGE TO THE POINT THAT THE COST OF SHIPPING, COSTS WAY MORE THAN THE WHAT THE ITEM IS SOLD FOR. SWINDLERS ALWAYS SEEM TO RECOGNIZE A SEEMED OR IMAGINARY WEAKNESS IN OTHERS, BECAUSE THEY ACCUSE OTHERS OF THE VERY SAME THING THEY ACTUALLY DO THEMSELVES. THEY WOULD MAKE GREAT POLITICIANS.
ReplyDeleteYou been hurt too! According to his item for sale on ebay, the feedback states about seller, "last one! unlikely see another one for sale again! Then listed another." Sounds like Provenance should get a another life or at least another profession....maybe an honest profession.
DeleteSounds like "real world Provenance" needs to get back to just the real world. Seems he spent so much time in the "nonreal world of the Tucker club" that any sense of reason has left him bereft. Since his "club" went down in smoke and flames for gross lapses of judgement and lack of oversight (baffoons are known for that), it seems this little a man is just left alone rethink his past glory days. Yes, just a man and his thoughts.
ReplyDelete