1948 Tucker Model 48 Sedan for No Reserve auction
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#52 of #51, built posthumous of the famous Tucker company, multiple concours winner
The last 1948 Tucker 48 ever built will be coming to auction for No Reserve at Worldwide Auctioneers’ Auburn Auction on August 30. No pre-auction estimate has been published, but the car last appeared at auction back in 2016 at RM Sotheby’s Fort Lauderdale auction, with an estimate north of AU$1.8 million.
The 1948 Tucker 48 was built to vision of company owner, Preston Tucker. Famously 51 cars were manufactured before the company folded and shuttered its doors.
Reasons for the company’s failure have been widely debated, but no doubt contributing to its foreclosure was the insane amount of development dollars needed to engineer a car so far ahead of its time.
The third headlight, for instance, was directional and would activate when steering inputs became greater than 10 degrees. The car was rear-engined and rear-wheel drive, with the driveline mounted on a separate sub-frame for ease of removal.
The car’s body had a roll bar integrated into the roof, and the dash was padded for safety. The also doors extended into the roof for ease of entry and egress.
While 51 cars were produced by Tucker, this particular example is widely known as #52 (Chassis stamped 1052). Tucker ceased production in 1948, and amidst their financial troubles, a court-ordered inventory of parts and cars was made in 1949. Tucker enthusiasts had long speculated that there were enough components stamped as Chassis 1052 to build a complete car.
Utilising mostly original and new-old-stock components, 65 years after the factory was shut down, this final Tucker was built.
It’s likely the last Tucker that will ever be built, and an irreplaceable piece of Tucker history.
It’s been fully restored and is a multiple concours winner.
The sale of the Tucker Model 48 #1052 will benefit the Mayo Clinic Cancer Research.
It will cross the block at Worldwide Auctioneers’ Auburn Auction commencing August 30.
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