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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Only Tucker Convertible To Be Auctioned
Unassembled version of famed rear-engine car was recently finished and will be offered by Russo and Steele.
A unique Tucker convertible is among Russo and Steele consignments. (Photo: Russo and Steele)
The only convertible version of a Tucker 48, the innovative rear-engine car that challenged Detroit just after World War II, will be auctioned during Russo and Steele’s 10th anniversary Scottsdale event Jan. 20 to 24.
The Tucker Convertible was recently completed, essentially a new Tucker 48 that was completed on the special box-wrapped ovular frame stamped No. 57 that was built by the Tucker Experimental Department for the convertible.
There were only 51 Tucker sedans produced, and they remain among the most desirable and valuable of all American automobiles with prices approaching $1 million. There is only one Tucker convertible.
With only two miles on its odometer, the experimental Tucker has never been titled, and the buyer will become the unique car’s original owner.
The convertible was completed last year by Benchmark Classics, a Wisconsin restoration shop, from the unfinished car that was found in the Tucker factory after it closed down.
The Tucker Convertible has been authenticated by one of the classic-car industry's most well-known figures, Al Prueitt, a 50-year veteran and the founder of Prueitt and Son's Restorations. An affidavit of authenticity comes with the car, according to Russo and Steele.
Although most Tucker sedans have been preserved, the automaker's story was just a historical footnote until being popularized by the 1988 movie hit about Preston Tucker, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.”
The convertible is painted Waltz Blue, a color said to come from a favorite dress of Preston Tucker’s wife, Vera. The light tan and convertible top look as if they've just rolled off the line in Chicago. The chrome is perfect, from that massive prow to the six individual tips on the exhaust.
Out front, you'll find a Tucker hallmark, the center headlamp that turns with the steering wheel. And this one works.
In back is the Tucker-specific, water-cooled, 335 cubic-inch Franklin flat-six engine, which puts out 166 horsepower and, astounding for the era, 377 pound-feet of torque. The original Cord-sourced pre-selector gearbox is perfectly calibrated. The Tucker sits on four of the very rare Kelsey-Hayes wheels.
The Tucker includes the "safety-car" innovations devised by Preston Tucker, plus a few examples of Tucker's well-known parts-sourcing skills. The correct Tucker steering wheel contains a modified Lincoln horn ring and a center-hub crest that uses Mills jukebox parts. You'll also find Tucker’s famous vertical factory AM radio just to the right of the steering wheel.
Russo and Steele, a Phoenix-based auction house specializing in sports cars, muscle cars, hot rods and customs, celebrates its 10th anniversary Scottsdale sale at its customary auction site on North Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101 freeway. More than 600 cars will be offered at the all-reserve auction,
For information, see www.russonandsteele.com.
The Tucker Convertible was recently completed, essentially a new Tucker 48 that was completed on the special box-wrapped ovular frame stamped No. 57 that was built by the Tucker Experimental Department for the convertible.
There were only 51 Tucker sedans produced, and they remain among the most desirable and valuable of all American automobiles with prices approaching $1 million. There is only one Tucker convertible.
With only two miles on its odometer, the experimental Tucker has never been titled, and the buyer will become the unique car’s original owner.
The convertible was completed last year by Benchmark Classics, a Wisconsin restoration shop, from the unfinished car that was found in the Tucker factory after it closed down.
The Tucker Convertible has been authenticated by one of the classic-car industry's most well-known figures, Al Prueitt, a 50-year veteran and the founder of Prueitt and Son's Restorations. An affidavit of authenticity comes with the car, according to Russo and Steele.
Although most Tucker sedans have been preserved, the automaker's story was just a historical footnote until being popularized by the 1988 movie hit about Preston Tucker, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.”
The convertible is painted Waltz Blue, a color said to come from a favorite dress of Preston Tucker’s wife, Vera. The light tan and convertible top look as if they've just rolled off the line in Chicago. The chrome is perfect, from that massive prow to the six individual tips on the exhaust.
Out front, you'll find a Tucker hallmark, the center headlamp that turns with the steering wheel. And this one works.
In back is the Tucker-specific, water-cooled, 335 cubic-inch Franklin flat-six engine, which puts out 166 horsepower and, astounding for the era, 377 pound-feet of torque. The original Cord-sourced pre-selector gearbox is perfectly calibrated. The Tucker sits on four of the very rare Kelsey-Hayes wheels.
The Tucker includes the "safety-car" innovations devised by Preston Tucker, plus a few examples of Tucker's well-known parts-sourcing skills. The correct Tucker steering wheel contains a modified Lincoln horn ring and a center-hub crest that uses Mills jukebox parts. You'll also find Tucker’s famous vertical factory AM radio just to the right of the steering wheel.
Russo and Steele, a Phoenix-based auction house specializing in sports cars, muscle cars, hot rods and customs, celebrates its 10th anniversary Scottsdale sale at its customary auction site on North Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101 freeway. More than 600 cars will be offered at the all-reserve auction,
For information, see www.russonandsteele.com.
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