What's the Story Behind the 1948 Tucker Convertible?

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Preston Tucker, 1903 - 1956.

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Dealer in Texas Just Can't Sell This Super Rare 1948 Tucker. There Is a Reason for It!

Published: 15 Sep 2024, 04:54 UTC • By: Elena Luchian.

2020. 2021. 2022. 2023. 2024. No, we are not doing some weird counting experiment. These are the years a dealership in Texas has been trying to sell this car but was unable to do it. It is a one-of-one 1948 Tucker Convertible with a never-confirmed identity, which is listed for a fortune. This is a car that does not really exist. At least, not officially, anyway. This 1948 Tucker Convertible wasn't even supposed to see the light of day. The first Tucker that rolled off the production line was a sedan prototype.

Developed with the help of third-party engineers from Lenki Engineering, it was referred to as "The Tin Goose" and it was the preview for a 36-unit production. All of the examples that saw the light of day were sedans. However, a convertible secretly came to life. In fact, the project was started, but not completed. The team that worked on it affectionately called it "Vera."

But the factory closed down on March 3, 1948, before they had the chance to finish it. Everyone thought that the convertible project had been scrapped. But years later, it emerged out of the blue, showing off its blue silhouette.

However, Tucker historian Jay Follis issued a statement showing that the Tucker Automobile Club of America had no evidence whatsoever the factory had ever built such a car. In other words, this statement indicates that the convertible was never actually planned for or started at the factory.

Tucker factory, 1947-1948.

"The Tucker Automobile Club of America, Inc. (TACA) has never been presented with, nor have been able to find any credible evidence to prove the authenticity of this or any other vehicle as being a Tucker Corporation intended convertible, and therefore we can not certify it as such." And that should have been the end of the story. However, it turned out to be just the beginning of controversy.

The Tucker Convertible has never officially been confirmed.

So, that leaves us all in a cloud of smoke, not knowing where this car comes from and where it is going. Things start getting confusing as, despite the historian checking facts and issuing the statement accordingly, a dealership in Rowlett, Texas, claims to have an affidavit from a Tucker employee. The affidavit reportedly confirms the authenticity of the prototype.

The model was eventually completed in 2010, becoming the 52nd Tucker ever made. The sedans are as rare as the hen's teeth. When they pop up for sale, which is very rare, they go for around $2 million. A dealership in Texas has been trying to do the same with the convertible prototype for years, but can't seem to be able to sell it. But it does make sense.

This car comes with chassis series 57. At the time, it was known that chassis 57 was the prototype of a future model that was underway. The owner of the company, Preston Tucker, a visionary ready to do things that seemed impossible to do, secretly requested Tucker and third-party engineers from Lenki Engineering to start working on a two-door convertible project. The project started by chopping off the roof of the sedan 57.

The Tucker sedans rolled off the production line of the factory in Chicago, Illinois, for a very short period of time, in 1948. Only 51 cars saw the light of day and only 47 made it to this day, which makes the exclusivity factor skyrocket. Sometimes, such cars show up at various events and draw quite a crowd. It is not every day you see a Tucker.

A standard 1948 Tucker Torpedo. All of the slightly over 50 Tuckers that were built were four door sedans.

The automaker plagued by controversy was planning to roll out north of 60,000 cars, but it was forced to declare bankruptcy, following the trial with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and all the 1,900 employees were sent home.

Powered by a helicopter engine and never driven ~

Today, the Tucker prototype, supposedly completed 14 years ago, is equipped with a General Motors-sourced convertible top, which was properly modified to fit. The car is painted in Waltz Blue over a tan leather interior. In 2022, when this Tucker was listed for sale, it was offered for a $2.1 million Buy-It-Now price or an asking price of $2.24 million.

Despite not selling, the prototype with an identity that has never been officially confirmed got more expensive for the following year: $2,375,000. This is the exact price that the dealership is trying to sell it again for, which makes it the most expensive car on eBay at the moment.

The convertible is powered by a helicopter engine, despite the fact that Tucker originally planned to squeeze a massive 589-cubic-inch powerplant under the hood. The model eventually ended up with a rear-mounted, air-cooled Franklin-Tucker flat-six engine. A Cord-supplied four-speed manual transmission sends power to the rear wheels.

Under the current ownership since 2010, the prototype has only 10 original miles on the clock, which shows that it was never really driven. That is because it has never been homologated and is not even street-legal. The listing includes the same photos and description as it did in the previous years. And the sad truth is that it looks like this 1948 Tucker is there to stay.

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Tucker #1004 was briefly raced in the NASCAR Grand National series in the early 1950s.

Strange image - This Tucker appears to have been a two-door model. Could this be the one that was converted to a convertible?

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