bill witmer Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 About the time the movie came out a fellow was advertising fiberglass body kits so you could build your own Tucker. Later on he was going to offer a rolling chassis using a front wheel drive Cadillac engine and drivetrain. Some of the cars in the movie used his body kits. Just wondering if anyone ever built a replica Tucker or knew of someone who did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 One of the movie cars in Tucker: The Man And His Dream. is a fiberglass replica. It is in the AACA Museum. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Darn good looking REPLICA! Needs a interior. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 (edited) I heard the movie prop department made a number of running Tucker replicas. I think it was 4? They made a fibreglass body and mounted it on a Ford LTD chassis. The body had one working door, for the driver. They were made for driving scenes that were too risky to use an original car. The mold was taken off FF Coppola's own Tucker. Other scenes used his car, plus other original Tuckers borrowed or rented for the movie. The race track scene with the damaged Tucker used a Studebaker sedan with aluminum Tucker fenders, suitably banged up. Edited February 19 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I wouldn't mind having one of the fakes since I will never have an original. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 The guy who made the Tucker replicas with Cadillac power train was Rob Ida. He also made the Tucker convertible that caused some talk a few years ago. Don't know how many were made or sold. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootey Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Coppola recruited as many Tuckers as he could find. The late Bev Ferreira of San Francisco offered his genuine Tucker but on the condition that only he would drive it in the movie. He did so. Bev was worried that the movie people would damage his car during production. Some of the fake Tuckers were actually Studebakers with the bullet nose. Bev found his Tucker in the storage room of Sutro Baths at the beach. The baths burned down sometime after he extricated the car. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Trucker Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 5 hours ago, Shootey said: Bev found his Tucker in the storage room of Sutro Baths at the beach. The baths burned down sometime after he extricated the car. I recall seeing this Tucker in SF at the Sutro Bath's collection of memorabilia and artifacts. Couldn't really call it a museum as displays ranged from nickelodeons to Tiny Tim circus memorabilia with no real theme . It grew from this early accumulation of oddities: It was really a fantastic place until it wasn't. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Wells Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 6 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: I wouldn't mind having one of the fakes since I will never have an original. 6 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: The guy who made the Tucker replicas with Cadillac power train was Rob Ida. He also made the Tucker convertible that caused some talk a few years ago. Don't know how many were made or sold. Here is one of the "fakes" that has been finished out as a restomod. https://www.motortrend.com/features/1948-tucker/?galleryimageid=064a1020-343d-4125-bd1b-5f838206923d 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 https://www.motortrend.com/features/twin-turbo-tucker-replica-fabricated-rob-ida/ https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15144422/ida-automotive-new-tucker-48-specialty-file/ Rob Ida Concepts does high end restorations and modifications. They restored real Tucker 1044 in addition to building replicas. Last I heard they had built three of the fiberglass Tuckers, but perhaps more by now. They all use the FWD Northstar engine and trans (which is a 4T80E, not the "4L60E" that the Motor Trend article claims). The Caddy drivetrain is mounted in the back, driving the back wheels. They even built one with twin turbos. Here's a shot of the frame they built. Here's the twin turbo car 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Trucker Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 3 hours ago, joe_padavano said: They all use the FWD Northstar engine and trans (which is a 4T80E, not the "4L60E" that the Motor Trend article claims). The Caddy drivetrain is mounted in the back, driving the back wheels. How did they configure the radiator with the Cad engine in the back? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill witmer Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 15 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: The guy who made the Tucker replicas with Cadillac power train was Rob Ida. He also made the Tucker convertible that caused some talk a few years ago. Don't know how many were made or sold. The company was called Chicks Enterprises. I think they were located in New Jersey but not sure. Could this be the same fellow? Thank you to all who have responded to this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlestown Mike Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 19 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: The race track scene with the damaged Tucker used a Studebaker sedan with aluminum Tucker fenders, suitably banged up. I think I saw that car. It was at one of the Carlisle Events. It was a Studebaker suitably modified to look like a Tucker. One thing that stood out to me was that the details only had to be "good enough". For instance, the Tucker badge was a piece of balsa wood with the appropriate colors splashed roughly where they needed to be. My guess is that movie people back-calculated the definition required from the viewing distance in a movie theater and anything that couldn't be actually "seen" by the audience was no more detailed than required. I am sure I took photos---but that was in the pre-digital days and finding them is very difficult. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 11 hours ago, joe_padavano said: https://www.motortrend.com/features/twin-turbo-tucker-replica-fabricated-rob-ida/ https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15144422/ida-automotive-new-tucker-48-specialty-file/ Rob Ida Concepts does high end restorations and modifications. They restored real Tucker 1044 in addition to building replicas. Last I heard they had built three of the fiberglass Tuckers, but perhaps more by now. They all use the FWD Northstar engine and trans (which is a 4T80E, not the "4L60E" that the Motor Trend article claims). The Caddy drivetrain is mounted in the back, driving the back wheels. They even built one with twin turbos. Here's a shot of the frame they built. Here's the twin turbo car Looks like the new settup has the motor in the front. Looks like the wheels are turned in the photo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 9 hours ago, Crusty Trucker said: How did they configure the radiator with the Cad engine in the back? In the front with long tubes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I sound like a hater I'm sure, but the most interesting part of the Tucker is its mechanical configuration. To say it is ugly is a slight to the word "ugly". Now we have the worst of all worlds. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 32 minutes ago, TAKerry said: Looks like the new settup has the motor in the front. Looks like the wheels are turned in the photo? Nope. The Northstar installation uses the same control arms and spindles from the FWD cars. The steering rack and tie rods are replaced with rigid links that lock the steering in place. Those have not yet been installed in this photo. This is exactly what GM did when they used the Citation FWD drivetrain in the back of the Pontiac Fiero. Fiat also did this when they used the 128 drivetrain in the back of the X/1-9. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 54 minutes ago, Littlestown Mike said: My guess is that movie people back-calculated the definition required from the viewing distance in a movie theater and anything that couldn't be actually "seen" by the audience was no more detailed than required. Typical of movie cars (and movie stars 😝). Think about the Camaro that was used as a stand-in for the Challenger at the end of Vanishing Point. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Rob Ida is still in business as far as I know. He had both the green and black custom and the blue one at Rhinebeck at various years when the Goodguys East Coast Nationals was held there. The blue one is the first Tucker I ever saw in person, original or recreation. I've seen 5 originals now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7th Son Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 On 2/19/2024 at 8:42 AM, Rusty_OToole said: The race track scene with the damaged Tucker used a Studebaker sedan with aluminum Tucker fenders, suitably banged up. The info below may not be current. It was copied from an ols post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Rob Ida is still in business and located in New Jersey. He builds high end hot rods and restorations. His 1941 Wiilys Coupe is one of the nicest ever built. His shop restored Tucker, #1044 and it won both the Amelia Island and Greenwich Concours D'elegance. I believe he stated that he would not do another reproduction Tucker again. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 There is something about a bullet nosed Studebaker that makes you wish the movie had a disclaimer about harming them. Even a not so mint one. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 For a "Car of Tomorrow", the design is not a full-width envelope body right on the cusp of those being introduced by established makes. It's essentially still a separate body with attached fenders. Those fenders are no more integrated than the concurrent GM C-Bodied models. Alex Tremulis, the stylist, created a much more futuristic shape in the 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: There is something about a bullet nosed Studebaker that makes you wish the movie had a disclaimer about harming them. Even a not so mint one. Back in the day, a really good body man could (and would) repair a damaged car similar to this Tuckerized Studebaker. As a kid in the '50's our neighbor ran a 2-man body repair operation and was always able to purchase "totals" from the local Buick or Oldsmobile dealer. He'd work on them in his spare time and was usually able to drive a "new" Roadmaster or "98" for at least part of the current model year. He had no problem selling them when he was ready to drive the next project he completed. I know that was back before CarFax and the government got involved in such things, but isn't that what we "restorers" do with and to our antique cars? Who knows if your current cruiser may have been dragged home behind a tow truck once upon a time and "set right" by an old pro? To put a cap in this, my uncle, a self trained mechanic and body man spent two or three years in the late '50's rebuilding a number of '57 Chevy Bel Airs that were salvage. I recall his building with bare frames, hoods, cowls, quarters, decks, etc, all wating for the next job. He was a very successful businessman and was able to eventually leave his family a few million when he passed away. Are you driving this car now? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 On 2/19/2024 at 6:10 PM, Crusty Trucker said: Couldn't really call it a museum as displays ranged from nickelodeons to Tiny Tim circus memorabilia with no real theme . SInce when does a museum need a theme other than old stuff???? ❓ Seems elitist comment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif in Calif Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 On 2/19/2024 at 3:10 PM, Crusty Trucker said: I recall seeing this Tucker in SF at the Sutro Bath's collection of memorabilia and artifacts. Couldn't really call it a museum as displays ranged from nickelodeons to Tiny Tim circus memorabilia with no real theme . It grew from this early accumulation of oddities: It was really a fantastic place until it wasn't. I do remember that. Especially the Tiny Tim. In my memory it was up by the Cliff House and there was an area where you could look down into a portion of the long abandoned baths that still existed. About 1956 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS25 Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 On 2/19/2024 at 11:29 AM, 8E45E said: One of the movie cars in Tucker: The Man And His Dream. is a fiberglass replica. It is in the AACA Museum. The Tucker display at the AACA museum is a great exhibit. Very informative. I wish I had taken more pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 50 minutes ago, JohnS25 said: The Tucker display at the AACA museum is a great exhibit. Very informative. I wish I had taken more pictures. I was fortunate to get a tour of David Cammack's Tucker collection before he passed away and donated it to the AACA museum. What an amazing collection of cars, prototypes, literature, NOS parts, experimental engines... just amazing. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7th Son Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 (edited) 5 hours ago, Frank DuVal said: SInce when does a museum need a theme other than old stuff???? ❓ Seems elitist comment. Are order, information, and knowledge elitist now? Maybe you can identify a few GOOD museums without a theme or purpose...I can't think of any. Old cars, motorcycles, modern art, Space, native American history, Spam, Tupperware, natural history, Egyptology, firearms, Aviation, etc, etc, etc. Decent museums have a purpose and a theme - not just piles of whatever. If that's what you like, go to a thrift store, flee market or land fill and save the admission fee. If you site the Smithsonian, the biggest, widest collection of divergent "stuff", it even has a theme and a mission, "to collect the history of America". I refuse to waste my time wandering through a miriade of "displays" with no apparent rhyme or reason and end up at the end feeling like I was treated to a carnival side show by a slimy huckster. The old Sutro Bath "collection" appeared to be "lots of old stuff (and junk), haphazardly placed side by side or on top or under other unrelated things", from which an intelligent and interested person could derive little information or knowledge. Unlike the above mentioned Tucker, which was rescued before the structure burned down, I don't know how much, or if any, of the other items in the Sutro "collection" were saved. Probably, for the most part, no real loss. Edited February 22 by 7th Son (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CChinn Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 (edited) I’m a 4th generation San Franciscan ( out of 6). I don’t recall the collection at the old Sutro Baths being advertised as a museum. Perhaps it would be best to keep this thread about Tucker automobiles (real or replica) instead of going down the “museum” rabbit hole. I also enjoyed viewing the Tucker display in Hershey especially after seeing the movie. It brought everything about the car and the man into better perspective Edited February 22 by CChinn (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Trucker Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 1 hour ago, CChinn said: I’m a 4th generation San Franciscan ( out of 6). I don’t recall the collection at the old Sutro Baths being advertised as a museum. Perhaps it would be best to keep this thread about Tucker automobiles (real or replica) instead of going down the “museum” rabbit hole. I also enjoyed viewing the Tucker display in Hershey especially after seeing the movie. It brought everything about the car and the man into better perspective I agree that we are getting off track here, but with a family history in California since the 1880's and a life-long interest in it's history, I found it interesting that the National Park Service, current conservators of the Golden Gate Recreation Area, which includes the Sutro Baths site, on their website, refers to the long-gone "collection" of artifacts that were housed in the structure as a "museum", as haphazard and disorganized as it was: "Sutro Baths, Adolph Sutro’s giant center for recreation and entertainment, opened next to the Cliff House in 1896 after two years of construction. The structure spread over three acres and included seven pools of seawater heated to various temperatures, slides, spring boards, over 500 dressing rooms, stadium seating that could hold up to 3,700 seated spectators, restaurants, coin operated games, and a museum full of photographs, coins, and stuffed animals. At the time of its opening, Sutro Baths was virtually unrivaled in the United States in its scale, technical achievement, and modernity." Now, anything more to add about Tucker Automobiles here? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I had several motorcycles on temp loan to the aaca museum. The day we were unloading in the basement I noticed the Tucker collection. This was right after they had received it and before the final display had been built. Everything was behind a chain linked enclosure downstairs in a holding area. I thought it was pretty cool to see this many 'real' Tuckers and motors and etc in one place. Having heard about the fabled auto but never seen one in person. I started taking pics and within a few minutes a docent came to me in a panic and said I wasnt allowed to be taking photos! It was like I was stealing state secrets or something. I thought his reaction was kinda funny. I never considered myself a spy before! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 1 hour ago, TAKerry said: I had several motorcycles on temp loan to the aaca museum. The day we were unloading in the basement I noticed the Tucker collection. This was right after they had received it and before the final display had been built. Everything was behind a chain linked enclosure downstairs in a holding area. I thought it was pretty cool to see this many 'real' Tuckers and motors and etc in one place. Having heard about the fabled auto but never seen one in person. I started taking pics and within a few minutes a docent came to me in a panic and said I wasnt allowed to be taking photos! It was like I was stealing state secrets or something. I thought his reaction was kinda funny. I never considered myself a spy before! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdome Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Maybe they didn't want anyone to know it was a fake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 On 2/19/2024 at 10:32 PM, Crusty Trucker said: How did they configure the radiator with the Cad engine in the back? Rear steering car or is this engine in the front of the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I thought the same, but as Joe P pointed out the rear links are not hooked up on one side, thus the illusion that it is a turning wheel. After a closer look you can see the other side is straight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 1 hour ago, kgreen said: Rear steering car or is this engine in the front of the car? From my post above: Nope. The Northstar installation uses the same control arms and spindles from the FWD cars. The steering rack and tie rods are replaced with rigid links that lock the steering in place. Those have not yet been installed in this photo. This is exactly what GM did when they used the Citation FWD drivetrain in the back of the Pontiac Fiero. Fiat also did this when they used the 128 drivetrain in the back of the X/1-9. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 9 hours ago, Crusty Trucker said: Now, anything more to add about Tucker Automobiles here? Yep, Now we're being shown how to make our own fake Tucker. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I too made several trips to see Dave Cammack's collection. He liked Corvair people. I guess it was the rear engine theme...😉 It was wonderful to go upstairs and read the blueprints of various parts. Real drawings on large paper (E size) not the Solid Works crap I get at work to look over. It was there I found which a way the polarity of the Tucker was supposed to be, as 2 of his were positive ground, and one was negative ground! Yes, it was supposed to be positive ground. The display at AACA Museum will never match Dave's display. Dave also had a large photo album of shots from the movie sets. He also had a photo series of most of the Tuckers made, and as much information as he knew of each. Then there were the model trains. I was too busy with all the Tucker information to ever look at the trains. See Joe's photos. All four walls of the upstairs room. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 On 2/21/2024 at 11:07 PM, 7th Son said: Maybe you can identify a few GOOD museums without a theme or purpose...I can't think of any. It wasn't a museum but our local library has a monthly display of people's hobby collections. I displayed a large group of items with a sign "Things that were too good to throw away". That's my theme and I'm sticking to it. 1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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