Tucker Convertible on E-Bay

[Restorer32]

Says it was "featured" at AACA Hershey Fall Meet among other places. I suppose being for sale in the Car Corral could be considered "featured" in this age of spin. I notice they now also acknowledge that the convertible top assembly is from a '48 Cadillac or Buick.

[TG57Roadmaster]

Wow,

It's up to 800 grand...These guys woud do well to lower their reserve, take the money,

and run. Course, they need to pay the author of the manifesto, er, listing,

his healthy creative-writing fee; that's worth at least 25 G's...

The really big question, though, the age-old one, is, what do you owe when you

sell your Soul to the Devil?

TG

[Restorer32]

It was previously "bid" to over 1.5 million at auction, I believe, and of course it did not meet "Reserve". It IS an interesting study in "what could have been".

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

Wonder how much $$$ is invested in it at this point... ?

I wonder if the owners figured, "hey, if they are knuckleheads out there willing to pay seven figures for a 1970's muscle-car "CLONE", what could we get for a "prototype" Tucker rag-top?"

?

[alsancle]

Anyone else get this spam email with the title "Al Prueitt Endorsed Tucker Convertible on eBay"? Who is Al Prueitt?

The Tucker 48 sedan was unlike any other car in the world when it was introduced. Some of its most unique features were a "Safety Windshield", a centered swiveling third headlight, a quick swap power train setup, and a rear mounted "flat six" aircraft engine that had been modified. The Safety Windshield was anti-shard laminated and was designed to be easily removed in the case of an accident. The centered swiveling third headlight was synchronized to the movement of the steering wheel to help the driver see around bends in the road. Even today, synchronized headlights don't appear in any but the most expensive cars and their appearance is a relatively recent addition to what are supposed to be "state of the art" automobiles. The quick swap power train setup, that is the engine and transmission, was designed to be easily pulled out of a troubled vehicle within fifteen minutes of arriving at a Tucker service department. This system was developed so that customers could drop off the power train at the dealership and leave quickly with a "loaner power train." This would allow an owner to avoid waiting, sometimes for days, as their car was repaired, an inconvenience common among conventional cars. Imagine the advantage of such an option if you were on a long distance trip with a car full of kids. The Tucker 48's rear mounted Franklin aircraft engine could go from zero to sixty in just seven seconds! This kind of performance eclipses that of many of today's full size luxury sedans. Because of the "flat six" design, which means that the engine has six horizontally opposed cylinders, the car had a much lower center of gravity. This allowed it to navigate corners and winding roads as if it were a European sports car. Today, the Tucker has captured the imagination of car collectors everywhere as they speculate about what might have been. Could the "Big Three" have ever caught up? We may never know, but the memory of this great company lives on through the one-of-a-kind Tucker Convertible.

You have to visit www.benchmarkclassics.com to view the complete description and to see all the pictures of this all American beauty.

[Dave@Moon]

Anyone else get this spam email with the title "Al Prueitt Endorsed Tucker Convertible on eBay"? Who is Al Prueitt?

http://www.alprueittandsons.com/

[Rawja]

Here's the LINK for the eBay listing.

[stealthbob]

Thanks...I think I will "snipe" it right at the end

I doubt there is someone out there who would/could buy this car that doesn't know it is up for sale...looks like all this is for is to try and establish the level (money) of interest.

For all we know the reserve is at 2,000,000 :eek:

[Guest Siegfried]

Anyone else get this spam email with the title "Al Prueitt Endorsed Tucker Convertible on eBay"? Who is Al Prueitt?

Al Prueitt operates a restoration shop in Glen Rock, Pa which is south of York, Pa. I'm pretty sure Al is retired, and his sons operate the business. They do superb restoration. They always have an example of their work at the AACA annual meeting.

I'm surprised at the statement endorsing the Tucker. If it is true then, I guess something has changed at the shop. Perhaps they are exploring custom modifications? Does anyone know?

[MCHinson]

Wow, I just read the ebay auction. Somebody needs a creative writing award...

[Ron Green]

Anyone else get this spam email with the title "Al Prueitt Endorsed Tucker Convertible on eBay"? Who is Al Prueitt?

Al Prueitt operates a restoration shop in Glen Rock, Pa which is south of York, Pa. I'm pretty sure Al is retired, and his sons operate the business. They do superb restoration. They always have an example of their work at the AACA annual meeting.

I'm surprised at the statement endorsing the Tucker. If it is true then, I guess something has changed at the shop. Perhaps they are exploring custom modifications? Does anyone know?

Al is in his mid 80's and still in decent health and hasn't been directly involved with the business for years. Prior to starting a restoration business many years ago he was the curator of Gene Zimmerman's Automobile O'Rama. A good knowledgeable car guy that really knows the older stuff down to the smallest detail.

Dave Pruiett now runs the restoration shop and it has been renamed Prueitt restorations and they mostly do original restorations. They have won so many AACA and Concour's awards it would probably take you a day to count them. The last time I was in their overflow building there were 40 vehicles plus awaiting their turn for restoration.

Al swears the Tucker is real from his dealing with it from the 60's, and his opinion may not necessarily be the opinion of the shops.

[Restorer32]

Does anyone know what the final bid was? Did it reach reserve?

[msmazcol]

$899,100.01 Reserve not met.

[MCHinson]

From the Ebay ad text:

"The following was pulled from a sworn, signed, and notarized affidavit provided by Al Prueitt: "In 1966, I saw the rolling chassis and many sheet metal parts for the Tucker Convertible, along with other Tucker 48 Sedans. I also saw that the convertible was stamped #57 and its frame was reinforced at that time. I have also recently seen and inspected the Tucker Convertible and have verified its authenticity." We have posted the documentation we have, including the affidavits, on the Tucker Convertible's website for the world to see."

All that I can figure out that Al is authenticating is that the frame of #57 was reinforced sometime before he saw it in 1966 and that the current car contains the same frame. I don't see how that is supposed to prove it to be a Tucker Factory Built prototype.

[Paul Dobbin]

Did anybody ever see what the "Grapes of Wrath" car that we talked about on this forum went for at auction?

I own 1934 Ford once owned by Henry Ford. Want it? Now reduced to a low low Clearance Price of $500,000.

[trimacar]

ummmm...wouldn't ALL Fords of the time have been owned by Henry Ford first, then customer second? Or is that (tongue in cheek) what you meant........I'm getting slow in my old age, can hardly can keep up with the tortoises, much less the hares......

[Guest Siegfried]

Al is in his mid 80's and still in decent health and hasn't been directly involved with the business for years. Prior to starting a restoration business many years ago he was the curator of Gene Zimmerman's Automobile O'Rama. A good knowledgeable car guy that really knows the older stuff down to the smallest detail.

Dave Pruiett now runs the restoration shop and it has been renamed Prueitt restorations and they mostly do original restorations. They have won so many AACA and Concour's awards it would probably take you a day to count them. The last time I was in their overflow building there were 40 vehicles plus awaiting their turn for restoration.

Al swears the Tucker is real from his dealing with it from the 60's, and his opinion may not necessarily be the opinion of the shops.

Thanks Ron for the update. I knew Gene Zimmerman personally, I worked for him parking cars at the Holiday Inn Town way back in 1969. Gene liked my '62 Corvair Spyder, all black with a white racing stripe. He called it the 'Skunk', but he allowed me to park it in the hotel underground garage when I was downtown at school, or work. When I was on duty I always parked his car at his request. I quess he knew a future car guy. I never knew Al worked for him at the Holiday West with Gene's car collection. What a lucky guy.

Knowing Al's reputation, I'd be willing to wager that the Tucker just might be the real deal.

[MCHinson]

Jim, all that I have seen is that Al authenticates that the frame was reinforced when he saw it in 1966. He does not authenticate it as having come from the factory in 1948.

[poci1957]

Jim, all that I have seen is that Al authenticates that the frame was reinforced when he saw it in 1966. He does not authenticate it as having come from the factory in 1948.

Yes, that is the thing. I have much respect for Al Pruiett (I worked for his shop in the 1980s) and if he says the parts are authentic that adds credibility with me. But the car was still assembled from parts. At least they are mostly actual Tucker parts, but still parts.

Of course my opinion means little on this as I don't have $2,000,000.

[Guest billybird]

Does anyone know what the final bid was? Did it reach reserve?

I don't know. I got out of the bidding at 750,000. LOL!...........

[Guest Paul Christ]

If this Tucker had been finished as a standard four door sedan (instead of a convertible), do you think the car would be more acceptable to the old car community? I seem to recall that after the factory was closed, several Tuckers were built from leftover parts. Are those cars considered "real" Tuckers, or does controversy follow them as well?

.

.

.

[MCHinson]

In my opinion, If they were completed cars that were initially left incomplete when the factory was closed, and were completed as originally designed, they would be accepted without problem. They would be just as AACA eligible as another production car that was restored using NOS parts or correct aftermarket parts.

If they appear as originally available from the manufacturer, they would be accepted like any other restored car.

[msmazcol]

I'm still finding it amazing that here on this forum the originality of the convertible Tucker is under the microscope regularly. Does anyone know what the price of a Tucker hardtop would be if one were available?

The ebay auction to me demonstrated that somebody or a few interested buyers really like the car.

I believe if we keep discussing this vehicle it will eventually be so popular that the 1.5 mil price listed in Hemmings will be met.

[Barry Wolk]

Weren't they asking $5 million initially?

[Restorer32]

So you believe those E-Bay bids were all real?

[Barry Wolk]

Hardly. I don't believe the car is real, either.

I find it hard to believe that only a bookkeeper for the company is the only one that remembers the project. Nothing else in writing yet almost every blueprint from the factory is accounted for.

In the case of my car being modified by Hess & Eisenhardt there were quite a number of retirees that remembered working on a Mark II convertible. Wouldn't you? How come no one remembers working on this beast?

Granted, the Tucker was made 8 years before my car, which would make a 20 year old tin knocker in '48, 82 years old today.

[Restorer32]

The fact that the car has a '47 Buick or Cadillac top assembly kinda tells the tale for me. Unlikely that the designers of even a prototype car would simply lift such an important part from a competitors car and miraculously have it fit. Surely some design work went into the car before it was "built". Are we to believe they designed it to use a competitors top assembly? Unlike engineers to attempt something like this without drawings. And what did they put on their time cards at the end of the week? And why the secrecy anyway? Wouldn't Tucker want all the publicity he could get? I did notice that the sellers are deemphasizing the "factory built" claims for the car and putting more emphasis on the fact that the car is likely the last Tucker of any style to be assembled. Sadly someone will eventually buy the car and over the next 25-50 years it will likely become a "real" factory prototype.

[Barry Wolk]

While the convertible top assembly on my Mark II was totally scratch made at H & E the Derham Mark II convertible used the entire convertible top "tub" from a '57 Ford convertible. While Tucker didn't have a corporate parts bin like Ford did, it's doubtful that they would have used another manufacturers top bows.

That would be hardly an innovation on a very innovative car.

[Restorer32]

Especially considering that Tucker was proud of the "uniqueness" of his cars.

[Ron Green]

Knowing Al's reputation, I'd be willing to wager that the Tucker just might be the real deal.

I personally don't think it is real and his one son a good friend of mine doesn't think it is either. After having an argument with Al at Hershey regarding the Tucker I figured its not worth jeopardizing our friendship. Al is a good friend whom I see and speak too a lot and on occasion use their shop for having upholstery work done.

Al does bring up a point on the doors, they are either 6" or 9" longer than a standard Tucker and are stamped. According to him it is a solid piece of metal not added on or extended. Then again someone could have extended the door frame and installed all new door skin? The Tucker bickering continues.

[Barry Wolk]

I KFD that they would have gone to the expense of making stamping dies for a prototype door. Way too expensive, even then. I'm sure it was done on a buck by a skilled metal crafter. If there were dies there would be engineering drawings for them.

Mystery solved.

[Guest Siegfried]

I decided to do a bit of reading about this <NOBR>car</NOBR>, and did a search for tucker convertible, and found it. I went through every link on the site, read everything, and came away with the conclusion 'That I believe this car was planned, designed, enc, and that's all'. I have really no doubt that there were more frame assemblies then the actual 50 used. And we all know there are lots of leftover body panels, mechanical components, documentation and such. The Cammack collection in Alexandria, Virginia has a huge collection of the aforementioned leftovers as well as three Tuckers.

Has anyone considered contacting the Commack’s, and asking them if they have any Tucker convertible documentation to support the possibility of this car?

Just a thought.

Here is the <NOBR>internet</NOBR> address for the site I visited:

Benchmark Classics Presents the Tucker Convertible!<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

[MCHinson]

Jim,

Jim, I attended the AACA Grand National Meet at the Gilmore Museum. I learned a little bit about Tuckers at the Gilmore Museum. It is an interesting subject to read about.

You might want to check out these links for more information from the club that has most of the Tucker factory documents that exist.

:: The Official Tucker Club of America ::

Tucker '48 Automobile Bulletin Board • View topic - Official TACA Position on Tucker Convertible

[TG57Roadmaster]

Unlikely that the designers of even a prototype car would simply lift such an important part from a competitors car and miraculously have it fit. Surely some design work went into the car before it was "built". Are we to believe they designed it to use a competitors top assembly?

While the whole project, their lame "marketing" of it, and the back and forth, "real-not-real" smells to the high Heavens, let's remember this...

Many companies shared components in the postwar era; let's use GM's HydraMatic auto tranny as an example.

When the transmission plant burned to the ground in an horrific blaze in 1953, many companies (including all of FoMoCo, and too many more to list) were left in the lurch to supply that newest feature. A good friend has a '53 Caddy with a Dynaflow transmission, and I have an large posterboard filled with Automotive News articles on how GM scrambled to make do with Dynaflow till the Hydra plant was back in operation.

That said, I still think the boys in the Cheese State would have done better if they'd just made a pretty, well-executed tribute car (which they did), and left all the ballyhoo & BS out of the equation.

By now, with all the ebay millions and wasted ink washed under the bridge of no return,

it's rather like Chicken Little and, "The sky is falling!"

TG

Edited April 8, 2010 by TG57Roadmaster (see edit history)

[poci1957]

The fact that the car has a '47 Buick or Cadillac top assembly kinda tells the tale for me. Unlikely that the designers of even a prototype car would simply lift such an important part from a competitors car and miraculously have it fit.

Sadly someone will eventually buy the car and over the next 25-50 years it will likely become a "real" factory prototype.

Since we are theorizing about what might have been, I will concede the possibility that a small startup making a prototype car might have used an off-the-shelf system in this manner. I mean, didn't the Tucker transmission come from a surplus Cord parts supply? But it is all only a possibility--did Al Pruiett see the top assembly when he looked at the frame and body parts in 1966? And even then it was 18 years after--lots of 1947 Buicks went through parts salvage in those 18 years. I am also still skeptical.

I like Tuckers and the Tucker story, but in this age of "tribute" cars and breathless promotion I agree that this car will somehow be legitimized and phased into revisionist history. Not good IMO.

[alsancle]

Personally, I'm pretty skeptical of the whole thing. However, my understanding of the Tucker operation would lead me to believe they were more likely to source outside for a top mechanism then engineer one from scratch. The previously alluded to Cord transmission being a prime example.

[Barry Wolk]

Then maybe I misunderstood. I'm under the impression that the car came with no top bows. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

Personally, I'm pretty skeptical of the whole thing. However, my understanding of the Tucker operation would lead me to believe they were more likely to source outside for a top mechanism then engineer one from scratch. The previously alluded to Cord transmission being a prime example.

Let's not forget the Lincoln steering wheel, and aviation engine...

[Barry Wolk]

It still had a top on it when it was shown with the concept drawing.

[Dynaflash8]

The fact that the car has a '47 Buick or Cadillac top assembly kinda tells the tale for me. Unlikely that the designers of even a prototype car would simply lift such an important part from a competitors car and miraculously have it fit. Surely some design work went into the car before it was "built". Are we to believe they designed it to use a competitors top assembly? Unlike engineers to attempt something like this without drawings. And what did they put on their time cards at the end of the week? And why the secrecy anyway? Wouldn't Tucker want all the publicity he could get? I did notice that the sellers are deemphasizing the "factory built" claims for the car and putting more emphasis on the fact that the car is likely the last Tucker of any style to be assembled. Sadly someone will eventually buy the car and over the next 25-50 years it will likely become a "real" factory prototype.

Not that I have any idea if it is real or not, I will interject that the first prototype Tucker shown was over a 1942 Oldsmobile chassis or something like that. At least that is what I read.