Tucker #1010 is going to auction !

[alsancle]

I would say the car needs about 300 to 400k worth of work.

[Earl B.]

My, what a dearth of knowledge on the Gooding and Co. website listed above.....B

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

I just spoke to my mother about the Cadillac. She doesn't remember exactly when they bought it, and it might have been in 1950. It was a used car when it was bought. Both of my parents are 84 years old, and things are a little fuzzy after all those years. She did say dad had left the keys in while it was parked in their driveway! They did get it back and continued to drive it for a couple of years after that.

The car dealer was located on 16th SW. I think it was about the 9000 block. When they sold VWs, it was called, "Avalon Auto Sales". The owner was Max Borland, (sp?)

UPDATE!!!! I was just getting ready to send this when my mom called and said the story was wrong. Yes dad had looked at the Tucker at the dealer on 16th SW, but hadn't bought the Cadillac until 1952. In fact between the time he looked at the Tucker, probably in 1950, and when he bought the Cad in 1952, he had purchased a brand new 1951 Kaiser from another car dealer in White Center, but they were located on 17th Ave SW. It seems my dad went through a lot of cars back then. He was born in 1926, so he was in his mid 20s when all of this was going on. My parents celebrated their 66 wedding anniversary this past November. Dad has had a lot of cars over the years. We never counted how many, but I suspect it would be well over 100 by now, probably close to 150! His buying has slowed down the past few years. In fact his last purchase was a 2007 GMC Denali. It still has less than 1000 miles on it.

I suspect the White Center Tucker was number 1019, and when dad looked at it, it was in 1949 or 1950. Thanks for your interest, and for causing my parents to make a pleasant trip down "memory land".

We're making some progress. Avalon Auto Sales did sell VWs and was located at 9420 16th Ave. SW in Seattle (White Center). The building is still there (thank you google earth).

He probably saw the Tucker there in December of 1950 or very early 1951.

Whoever bought it kept the car about 18 months and sold it in the Tri-Cities area. Maybe that will ring a bell with someone.

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

Great stories! TuckerFan48 you should change your name to Tucker Guru-you have an amazing wealth of knowledge on these vehicles.

A couple questions: 1) Aren't those hubcaps in the trunk of #1010? (Or just not the originals?)

2) Which Tucker does the San Diego Automotive museum have?

3) Is it my imagination or do I remember seeing #1001 or #1002 in a museum somewhere?

1. They are not originals

2. #1019 (on loan)

3. Must be your imagination. Both have been in private collections for years

however the owner of #1001 does have it in his private museum in Arlington VA. and there are lots of online photos of it there.

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

does the rollover prop car still exist... or was it scrapped?

It still exists at The Tallahassee Automobile Museum, 6800 Mahon Place, Tallahassee, FL. It is there with Tucker #1005

[Waldren]

The fiberglass driver car is in the Hudson Museum in Yipsalanti, Michigan I saw it there last June while on vacation Waldren

[Guest flthead]

i've been reading this thread , an started remembering i have this picture of a tucker . i have had it about 25 yrs i guess ,don't know anything about where or when it was taken . looks like an original picture to me . maybe someone can shed some light on it

[WQ59B]

^ That's the prototype 'Tin Goose' (note the non-suicide doors, among other differences)- taken at the Tucker plant in Chicago when the car was completed.

[Guest flthead]

ok... was it a promotional pic ?

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

We're making some progress. Avalon Auto Sales did sell VWs and was located at 9420 16th Ave. SW in Seattle (White Center). The building is still there (thank you google earth).

He probably saw the Tucker there in December of 1950 or very early 1951.

Whoever bought it kept the car about 18 months and sold it in the Tri-Cities area. Maybe that will ring a bell with someone.

I found Maxwell C. Borgeson (b. 8/10/1916, d. 6/10/1996) operated a car lot at 9420 16th Ave. SW begining in the late 40s. He and his wife, Peggy L. Borgeson, lived at 1223 SW 124th. She owned Peggy's Dress Shop across the street at 9439 16th Ave. SW.

Edited January 25, 2011 by Tucker Fan 48 (see edit history)

[Lozierman]

Yes, that is the guy! Max Borgeson was the owner of the dealership in White Center. They moved farther south than SW 124th. They had a son that my wife graduated with their son, Max Jr.

You are a fantastic detective. Now provide me information on Lozier parts so I can finish a project that has been with me since 1967.

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

You are correct about their son, Max C. Borgeson Jr. (5/16/1953, d. 3/30/1985).

Any idea if the dealership was called Avalon Auto Sales from the start or did that come later after they started selling VWs? I can't find anything in the records for Avalon around 1950 so I'm wondering if he called it something else. Any ideas?

[Lozierman]

My parents don't remember what it was called in the 50's. It was called Avalon Auto Sales when they were selling VWs. At least they were using that name in 1977 when we bought our 1976 Scirocco from them.

Sorry I can't be of any more help.

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

I found these during my search

[mrspeedyt]

I found the picture that I mentioned earlier and a couple of others with it... photos taken in north hollywood ca at the shop my dad worked at. my dad, alwin twitchell, is the 'hood ornament' in the first picture. story was that 'mad man muntz' had the car painted and the car was about to be returned to his used car lot. price was like $1995 or so. photos are dated march 1952. no idea what number car it is... or its color.

Edited February 16, 2011 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)

[Guest socco]

yes this car lived in a garage in auburn wa,it was my friends granfather his grandmother sold it last year.to a man who said he was going to restore it himself on t.v but I guess he changed his mind the car never saw daylight for 50years,I know that some family members still have stuff from the car like the original owners book and other stuff this is #1010 of the tuckers it was the car that held the land speed record on the salt flats,she sold it for 500,000 to the man cant wait to see the car restored,funny story his grandma still lives in the past she pays her grandchildren 25cents to wash her current car she owns today.the money for the car is being used to play bingo.

Edited May 29, 2011 by socco (see edit history)

[Guest TuckerFan48]

"yes this car lived in a garage in auburn wa,it was my friends granfather his grandmother sold it last year.to a man who said he was going to restore it himself on t.v but I guess he changed his mind the car never say daylight for 50years,I know that some family members still have stuff from the car like the original owners book and other stuff this is #11 of the tuckers it was the car that held the land speed record on the salt flats it was also the only baby blue car ever built.:)"

There are a few incorrect things in the previous post. The car was in Auburn WA. but the owner sold it to a spectulator for around $350,000 according to family members. The speculator then flipped it for a profit and it sold at auction for about $800,000 with fees. The family members did retain a few small things but Tuckers never had an owners book or manual as they were never sold to the public. The 50+ cars that were built were all prototypes. The Auburn car was #1010 and was the 10th car built. At this time there is no proof that the car ever ran on the Salt Flats. There is a story that the car ran there that has been repeated over the years but there simply is no documented proof anywhere. Searches of every timing group and car magazine during that period have all come up empty. While the Tucker community would love it if this story were true but there is nothing to show it happened. Something of this nature surely would have been big news back then. Finally, Tucker never built a baby blue car. This car was repainted several times by 1956 when the Auburn WA. owner bought it. It was originally a Waltz Blue car, Tucker paint code #200.

[Guest socco]

well since I carpool everyday to work with the owners grandchild I think I know what it sold for 500.000 was the price there was a book in the glove box that his dad has i've held it in my hand the hub caps are in the family aswell.and yes your right about the color and 1010.

[Guest TuckerFan48]

well since I carpool everyday to work with the owners grandchild I think I know what it sold for 500.000 was the price there was a book in the glove box that his dad has i've held it in my hand the hub caps are in the family aswell.and yes your right about the color and 1010.

Not to argue, but the owners son, daughter, and one of the buyers all have verified the price netted the owner just above $350,000. The car was offered to people at $500,000 and then the price was dropped to $400,000 before it sold. Seems unlikely it sold at $500,000 when they couldn't find a buyer at $400,000.

As a Tucker Historian I'd love to see a photo of a Tucker Owners Manual. In 63 years no one has EVER seen one. Searches of Tucker Corporation documents have never come up with one. I'd be curious as to what was in it as each of the 50+ Tucker prototypes are different in one way or another. I'm also a bit puzzled as to how a Tucker Owners Manual could have been in the glove box of Tucker #1010 when Tucker #1010 has no glove box!!!!

If they have hubcaps they are not the originals that came with the car. I have several photos of #1010 prior to their purchase that clearly show the original hubcaps were gone. The owner was a past President of the Tucker Club so he may have acquired some over the years but they were not on the car when he bought it.

I don't doubt that you've seen something that says Tucker Owners Manual and that you were told it came from the glovebox but photos of the car show clearly it had no glovebox and in 63 years no one has ever seen a factory Tucker Owners Manual. Since no Tucker was ever sold to directly the public its hard to believe there would have been an owners manual printed by the company. There are two versions of a Tucker Manual printed by Tucker mechanics over the years. The first in the 70s and the second in 1991. I'm sure the owners grandson told you $500,000 and he may think they received $500,000 as that was the original asking price but people much more involved in the final transaction verified the net check was just above $350,000. I don't doubt that they probably have a set of hubcaps but the photos of the car when they bought it and the photos of the car when they sold it clearly show it still had the same non-Tucker hubcaps on it. They may have a set of Tucker hubcaps but they aren't from #1010. It doesn't make them less valuable and probably makes them more valuable as they probably came from a car with a better history.

Edited May 30, 2011 by TuckerFan48 (see edit history)

[sambarn]

my favorite Tucker, racing me on the Indy Speedway.

[Guest Tucker Fan 48]

my favorite Tucker, racing me on the Indy Speedway.

Looks like Tucker #1025. When was this taken?

[sambarn]

At the Indy Centennial earlier this month. you can see a Porsche 356 and an Alfa Romeo from the 40s in the front of the line. He blew my doors off but for one shining second, I raced a Tucker at Indy!!!