Vanderbilt Cup Races

One of the 47 remaining Tuckers can be yours next month at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction.

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick

HIGHLIGHTS

Estimate $1,700,000 to $1,900,000

• No. 21 of only 51 ever produced
• Serial no. 1021
• Body no. 1023
• Completed on August 29, 1948
• 1 of only 4 ever produced in Black, the rarest production color for the Tucker 48
• Originally marketed as the "Car of Tomorrow"
• Body designed by Alex Tremulis
• Hand-built at Tucker's assembly plant in Chicago, Illinois
• Three owners since new
• Originally sold from the Tucker Corporation on February 16, 1949 to California dealer Charles DeCosta
• The car remained in DeCosta's care until 1967 when he sold it to Gene Clark, an enthusiast and member of the Tucker Automobile Club of America
• In Gene Clark's care until 2023 when it was acquired by Mark Liebermann, senior director of the Tucker Automobile Club and noted Tucker historian
• Flush-mounted and centrally-located rotating "cyclops eye" third directional headlight that would activate at steering angles greater than 10 degrees
• Original floors and body panels
• Air-cooled 335 CI horizontally-opposed rear-mounted flat 6-cylinder engine
• Engine no. 33591
• Rated at 166 HP and 372 lb-ft of torque
• Y1 4-speed pre-selector transmission
• The engine and transmission were mounted on a separate subframe which was secured by 6 bolts, allowing the drivetrain to be lowered and removed in minutes
• Finished in its original color combination of Black over Beige interior
• One repaint was applied and the interior was re-upholstered in preparation for its role in "Tucker: The Man and his Dream"
• Original paint still present in door jambs
• Converted to coil spring suspension in the late 1960s
• Original carpet in luggage compartment
• Recent service including fluids, new battery and water pump as well as a rebuild of the distributor
• Documented with a copy of the original bill of sale from Tucker Corp., original letter from original owner to second owner offering to sell the car, copies of factory build records and various other Tucker-related documents