Video Of A Pristine Tucker '48

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto) 10/29/2014 at 11:45 • Filed to: None

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A little over a week ago I visited a friend of mine, Mark Lieberman, who restores Tuckers. There are only 47 left of them in the world and they all seem to pass through Mark's shop in Michigan. I was in the neighborhood and he told me he had #46 with a fresh restoration. I had recently been talking to another friend of mine who is a video producer and asked him if he might want to shoot some film of it. He said he would and when he got there with his crew he asked me if I could step in front of the camera and interview Mark about the car and the restoration.

This is what happens when you point a camera at an attorney and ask him to speak. The interview is currently airing on local cable in SE Michigan and my producer-friend asked me to lob softball questions at Mark, keeping in mind that the audience of that cable channel is not chock full of Tucker specialists. So, yes, I knew the answers to the questions I was asking (among other things, I just finished a full-length book on Tucker which will be published in 2015). And for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , they really were softball questions.

Be sure to stick with it to the end. Mark fires it up and drives it back into the garage. And feel free to ask questions below, whether about the car itself (#46) or Tucker (the man, the car or the company) in general.

Follow me on Twitter: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 23 years, specializing in consumer protection and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! He wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . He also wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we're not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn't act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.

Tohru > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 12:29

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Fuck yeah, Steve Lehto. Being a boss as always.

Jobjoris > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 13:28

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Can't wait for the book to be available! Nice interview. Okay, questions:

- Are there any good stories to be told about the missing/lost 3 cars and is car #1027 (the Indy-crash car) among these?

- What's your position on the convertible-prototype #1057?

SteveLehto > Jobjoris 10/29/2014 at 13:32

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The missing 4 cars are well documented. One was the wrecked test car at Indy. One burned in a warehouse fire. One was wrecked in NY before it was all that valuable and one disappeared (but PARTS of it have reappeared). We don't think there are any barn finds left.

The convertible is a hoax. We can even document where the pieces of it came from. I know there are some believers out there but they don't know the whole story apparently.

abzman > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 13:33

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Yeah, when it comes to questions about a given Tucker I would be asking about it's history. When was it assembled, what engine and transmission does it have, front suspension, who owned it... but I already decided that I love these cars a while ago.

SteveLehto > abzman 10/29/2014 at 13:39

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The cars are very well documented. It helps that there were only 51 built (counting the Tin Goose). Mark's knowledge of these cars is encyclopedic. I can throw a number at him and he can tell me which car it is, who owns it now and how it got to where it is today.

Jobjoris > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 14:18

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Thanks Steve, keep us posted when the book is out!

Jobjoris > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 14:20

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Ow, and one other question: was the movie 'Tucker, the man and his dreams' a bit accurate?

SteveLehto > Jobjoris 10/29/2014 at 14:31

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I liked it. There were technical issues (like him driving around in his armored car to go get ice cream in the mountains of Michigan) but the SPIRIT of it was pretty good.

We do not know who, ultimately, was behind the attacks on Tucker so the stuff about overt threats from Homer Ferguson et al were iffy. Then again, Tucker went to his grave claiming he had been told by Ferguson the attacks had been from him, so in that respect, it was accurate.

As far as Hollywood goes, I think they did a pretty good job of it (and they used a whole bunch of the real cars for the film. Bonus points for that).

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:36

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I would imagine that Mark has to machine a lot of metal parts, himself. What does he do for things like gaskets, trim, window/door seals etc... that stuff would degrade over time and I can't imagine there being parts available. Does he "make do" with re-manufactured parts from other cars?

SteveLehto > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 10/29/2014 at 16:38

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I believe he has a lot of stuff custom manufactured. It's amazing what he comes up with. You can look at any of those parts on the car and it is identical to what it got at the factory. Apparently, if you have the money and the inclination, you can find anything.

TheHondaBro > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:39

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This thing just gets prettier every time I see it.

ninjagin > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:39

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I saw one at the Petersen, in the vault tour. It was very cool.

SteveLehto > TheHondaBro 10/29/2014 at 16:41

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I've seen a few and so far, this one was the prettiest.

SteveLehto > ninjagin 10/29/2014 at 16:41

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I like the Petersen a lot. They also have a Turbine Car (and you gotta love the vault!)

Old-Busted-Hotness > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:43

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Only 4 deads in nearly 70 years is a damn good survival rate.

revarthurbelling > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:44

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This is what happens when you point a camera at an attorney and ask him to speak. The interview is currently airing on local cable in SE Michigan and my producer-friend asked me to lob softball questions at Mark,

"Where were you on the night of Dec. 26, 1956?"

SteveLehto > Old-Busted-Hotness 10/29/2014 at 16:46

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Even more impressive, considering that the prosecutors claimed the entire enterprise was a fraud.

SteveLehto > revarthurbelling 10/29/2014 at 16:47

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On the advice of counsel, I decline to answer that, invoking my Fifth Amendment rights. Wait, did I just say something?

Steve in Manhattan > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:47

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You need to take that thing around the block. And transmission? Auto? Three on the tree?

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:47

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Thanks Steve! Great writing, Awesome to have you contributing to Jalopnik.

SteveLehto > Steve in Manhattan 10/29/2014 at 16:48

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I didn't drive it. I sat in it. It has the same thing they call (but one) came with - a manual transmission with a really funky shifter on the column which worked a manual transmission. Long story, but it was similar to something Cord used. Actually, a really long story.

revarthurbelling > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:49

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Imagine buying one of those for $800?! Nice Price all day!

ninjagin > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:49

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Yes, I commented on that when you ran your short writeup of the Turbine car here. (I have your book, btw). It bugged me that the turbine car is so close to a wall that you can't walk around it, or get a clear, direct photo of the front or rear ends, but it was cool to see. I was pretty jazzed about the Barris customs in particular (like the jokermobile, below), and how many of Steve McQueen's cars were down there... like that Hudson, for instance.

SteveLehto > revarthurbelling 10/29/2014 at 16:50

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The bulk of them sold at auction for around $2,000 or less (when they liquidated). A couple guys bought more than one. There were also a whole bunch of extra engines. Many of those were bought and scrapped for their aluminum!

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:50

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Very cool, i have made it my mission to seek out and see every Tucker in person, I'm up to 18. Also the Tucker at the Gilmore could really use a trip to this place, it was looking a little tired last summer.

Mercedes Streeter > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:52

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I love Tucker and everything that has to go with it. History and all. So much, that my smart is named Tucker because I find him to be one of my greatest inspirations.

The Volo Auto Museum has one of the vehicles used in the movie. I forgot what chassis number it is (I have a picture of the data sheet somewhere) but I do know that its interior was in need of restoration when I saw it. The backseat area was just pieces of plywood. It could've been a prototype...don't quote me on that!!!

revarthurbelling > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:52

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What would be the equivalent current price to compare to $2000 in 1950s dollars? It's still hella cheap seems to me, like buying a Superman issue #1 at the newsstand.

SteveLehto > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 10/29/2014 at 16:53

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You have some traveling ahead of you. There are Tuckers in the UK, Brazil, Japan and Australia.

Guilha4x4 > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 16:54

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I know in Brazil there's one. Quite rotten...

SteveLehto > Guilha4x4 10/29/2014 at 17:00

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Supposedly working on it. But it has had a rough ride so far.

Steve in Manhattan > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:13

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My Uncle Barry had a Cord - wish I'd asked him about it, but he died when I was a kid. He also had a '68 Charger 440 (or whatever the biggest engine was). He knew how to pick cars.

SteveLehto > Steve in Manhattan 10/29/2014 at 17:16

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440 would have been the biggest (it was also available with a Hemi and then the others like the 383, 318 and the six-banger). Cords were cool. The transmission is probably the oddest thing on the Tucker, a car full of oddities.

jeepsta > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:16

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Number 57 is documented as being used in a rear window design experiment. What body would have been used for a convertible? The one with the hacked up roof and rear window area. Number 57 has been in pieces for many years. I find it plausible that it was eventually going to be a factory convertible. There is no documentation that Preston ever had a hand in a convertible project but this wouldn't be the first time that a CEO planned something with out documentation. I visited this project a couple times when it was being built and I am aware of how much body work needed to be done to make the convertible. There might be a few questions concerning how it came to be but I would never call it a hoax.

Krash-Kadillak > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:22

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Nice article and interview, Mark. Looks like I'll have to put a couple of new books on my list. As to the Tuckers, they were ahead of their time. Perhaps Mr. Tucker would have had a better go at it had he waited a couple years instead of scrounging for investors in a post-war economy that was just getting back on its feet. Also, did your book cover the 'Tucker 48' replicas?

SteveLehto > jeepsta 10/29/2014 at 17:23

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He asked for my "position" which I took to mean my "opinion." That is my opinion but I know there are people who disagree with it.

I saw pics of the car when it was finished and there is no doubt it was a beautifully done car. But the question is: What "plans" did Tucker have? All I have seen is a lot of speculation. Let's put it this way: If Preston Tucker was planning to build a convertible, he certainly didn't take any steps in that direction in any way that you'd expect (i.e., the kind of steps where there would some evidence of some sort). Did he THINK about a convertible? He probably did. But jumping from that to, Let's assemble some parts we found and say it is the Convertible Tucker would have built - I think that's a stretch.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:23

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If I am ever traveling I will seek those out. I have been fortunate enough to see 5 of them that are not on pubic display when they take trips out into the wild.

SteveLehto > Krash-Kadillak 10/29/2014 at 17:25

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I didn't have room to get into the replicas or the other wonderful work by the Idas. The story of how tucker ran afoul of Federal regulators is bizarre. I don't think there is anything he could have done to avoid what happened to him, other than to have cranked out his cars a little faster. If he had gotten his production running and gotten a second round of financing, he would have had a much greater chance of success.

SteveLehto > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 10/29/2014 at 17:29

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That's the tough part. The one in Japan is in a museum but the one in the UK is not. Getting to see them all would take a lot of travel and a LOT of luck.

Steve in Manhattan > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:30

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If you haven't seen the 1988 movie Tucker, it's worth a watch. Stars the proto-Dude.

the7thearlofgrey > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:32

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want to buy mine? make me an offer I can't refuse

Murphie > revarthurbelling 10/29/2014 at 17:33

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The company folded in 1949, and according to the CPI calculator that $2000 would be $20,000 today. The original price of the Tucker was up there... you could by a new Ford sedan for $1500 back then.

SteveLehto > Steve in Manhattan 10/29/2014 at 17:34

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It is good. It's Hollywood (so it's not a documentary) but overall it is worth watching.

jeepsta > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:40

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I think the SEC troubles that he was having at the time may have put a stop to any convertible ideas Preston may have had at the time.

SteveLehto > jeepsta 10/29/2014 at 17:43

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Well, they put a stop to any ideas he was having. To me, the bigger question is: What steps did he actually take toward building a convertible (other than thinking about one)? I can document that he also thought about turbine cars. Would it be appropriate for me to shoehorn a turbine into a Tucker and call it the "Long Lost Tucker Turbine"?

RallyWrench > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:46

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Steve, you're killing me. Your posts are always great, but this one hits home. I love, love, love Tucker. More models than I even know I have, original movie posters, a framed stock certificate, and so on are part of my Tucker collection.

And oh yeah, it's my name too.

I was a car crazy kid before I ever knew they existed, and when I found out about them around 3-4, it was the best thing imaginable. By the time I finally saw one at the Blackhawk some years later, it was an obsession that remains to this day.

Thanks for sharing!

straightsix > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:47

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John Lydon is an excellent interviewer.

SteveLehto > RallyWrench 10/29/2014 at 17:48

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Thanks for the note. As you can see, I like to keep busy!

jeepsta > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:49

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If you try something like that let me know, I'll bring my video equipment!

SteveLehto > straightsix 10/29/2014 at 17:49

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You're right! (I forgot me earrings the day of the interview.)

SteveLehto > jeepsta 10/29/2014 at 17:51

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It would be the culmination of several of my book projects, especially if I somehow incorporated a jet pack engines. I'll start drafting it up . . .

Steve in Manhattan > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 17:55

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Somewhere in our tiny Manhattan apartment there's a VHS of Tucker, stored in a plastic container. And I have a VCR that, despite being 12 years old, works. There are worse ways to kill 110 minutes. And nice to meet another blondish lawyer called Steve.

Detroit 9000 > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 18:09

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Awesome! I was was a kid when my automotive engineer dad took my brother and I to see The Dude (at Quo Vadis? RIP...) play Preston Tucker. Great movie and I have loved the car ever since. The one single model currently on my desk at work is a Tucker I bought at the Gilmore Car Museum...they have one. One of my engineering classmates in college was a relative of Preston Tucker.

SteveLehto > Detroit 9000 10/29/2014 at 18:20

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Very cool. I saw the Gilmore Tucker last summer. Very cool example.

tonerlow > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 18:37

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Here's one in the wild.

SteveLehto > tonerlow 10/29/2014 at 18:40

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Beautiful. Thanks!

jeepsta > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 19:37

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I did manage to have lunch with Tucker historian, Mike Schutta and the original owner of #1008, Rudy Schroeder. Having lunch at Applebee's made it even more special.

Vair > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 20:20

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asdfgrsf gvcvreweQrwtcfdg n Sorry. Trying to clean the drool off my keyboard. So cool. I do believe the NATMUS museum in Auburn, IN has one now. Observe.

pfftballer > SteveLehto 10/29/2014 at 21:43

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Been reading you for a while now mate. I fucking hate lawyers but you Steve, you are the fucking man. I'd gladly allow you to marry my daughter.

SteveLehto > pfftballer 10/29/2014 at 21:51

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Thanks. I'll do what I can to deserve your continued respect. Can I call you 'Dad'?

pfftballer > Murphie 10/29/2014 at 21:52

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So it was like a Tesla (gasp)!

pfftballer > Mercedes Streeter 10/29/2014 at 21:53

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Sorry but you own a Smart? I love Neons but WTF mate?

Mercedes Streeter > pfftballer 10/29/2014 at 22:23

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Yes I do! What's wrong with that? The Internet seems to equate these cars to Satan or something.

Also: I remember you, we've had this conversation in the past. :)

Dr. Strangegun > Vair 10/29/2014 at 22:25

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Why is that DeLorean red?

Sixpackdan > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 00:13

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So the guys with the vert have a good story but you say its bogus. I would love to here your side since their's is so one sided. I have heard a lot of people throw out the b/s flag on the car but never an in-depth explanation, please.

SteveLehto > Sixpackdan 10/30/2014 at 06:54

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It's quite lengthy and I might write it up one day. Let's just say that I spoke to as many people as I could and could not find anyone who believed it to be true (among the experts). I also know people who could explain what parts were used and they could all be traced back to the factory as regular Tucker parts. And finally, I have PILES of Tucker material that I waded through for my book. Not one mention of a convertible anywhere. Other than mentions made by the people who built the one and claimed it was a secret project of Tucker's (that he apparently never got to). So this THOUGHT that Tucker had but kept secret has been executed by people today (or recently at least). What makes their work a "Tucker" other than they used Tucker parts (from a nonconvertible)?

I've seen the debate and many supporters argue that you cannot prove it is NOT true. Of course, that's not how things work. Prove that I don't have a purple zebra sitting next to me while I type this. Go ahead; I'll wait.

alan > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 09:24

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he restores tuckers? whow what a job! he must do one every 10 years lol.

but glad someone out there is preserving these cars.

SteveLehto > alan 10/30/2014 at 09:39

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He also restores other cars and sometimes buys, sells and brokers cars. I'm surprised no one has commented yet on the cars in the background (inside his garage).

Thanks for the note.

alan > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 10:27

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i figured that lol.

AaronT > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 12:21

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Amazing car. I want.

SteveLehto > AaronT 10/30/2014 at 12:43

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For a couple of Mil, it could be yours!

AaronT > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 13:02

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Time to start rummaging in the couch cushions for loose change.

Rick Brasche > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 16:54

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whatever happened to that guy who was building fiberglas replicas of what the Tucker might have become if it was popular and long lasting enough to make it into the 50's custom hot rod scene? He was putting modern Cadillac V8s in the back of them, doing sectioned, chopped, channeled visions of what could have been.

SteveLehto > Rick Brasche 10/30/2014 at 17:05

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This guy? http://www.robidaconcepts.com/

Philbert/Phartnagle > SteveLehto 10/30/2014 at 18:24

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Awesome car! I always wondered what would have happened with Tucker and the car if he had been able to make it through all of the crap that befell him.

SteveLehto > Philbert/Phartnagle 10/30/2014 at 18:27

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Hard to say but he came tantalizingly close.

Jeff Chabotte > SteveLehto 10/31/2014 at 08:49

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when i was a kid, my parents took me to the Ford trasnportation museum, where one was located. I was so excited when i spotted it, i said "Look, it's a Tucker! It's A Tucker".. but my young tongue pronouned the Ts as Fs. lol

62imperialcrown > Mercedes Streeter 11/02/2014 at 06:25

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That's actually one of the replicas used for the harder driving scenes and background filler; it's a fiberglass body shell on a GM or Ford front engine RWD chassis (LTD or Impala, IIRC).

62imperialcrown > SteveLehto 11/02/2014 at 06:48

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Thanks for the video, Steve! One suggestion: Mute the noodling guitar production music while the car's running - the average viewer won't care and we Jalops will enjoy it. The Tucker's engine has a unique sound - when I heard the one (formerly) owned by Bob Pond running, the description that came to mind was "Corvair on steroids".

Here's car #1028 that I shot (not very well) at the Tupelo Automobile Museum a few years ago:

SteveLehto > 62imperialcrown 11/02/2014 at 06:59

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Thanks for the note. I didn't produce the video; I just stood there and asked the questions. I can ask the producer to get me the raw footage of it running. If I can get that, I will post it.

Mercedes Streeter > 62imperialcrown 11/02/2014 at 14:48

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Holy cow! You're right!!! I found the pic of the data sheet. That's a darn good replica.

Apparently they're supposed to be getting a real Tucker in 2015.

JoJohnnySuzySue > revarthurbelling 11/04/2014 at 10:59

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Probably about $20,000. There are some online calculators that will show you this.

I did a lookup when buying my fiance's engagement ring - purchasing power of a dollar in 1951 was 10x that of a dollar in 2012. Of course, this doesn't hold across the board, as the cost of different items has changed over the years. But probably accurate for the cost of a vehicle considering the wide swath of materials and manufacturing. Also looking at the cost of a new car then vs now would be insightful.