Preston Tucker was a visionary, and his cars are cool as heck. There were so many technologies developed for the Tucker 48 Sedan, like the center headlight that pivoted with your steering wheel and the quick-change drivetrain that could be swapped out in fifteen minutes. Back in 1948 this car’s powerful Franklin engine could push it from 0 to 60 mph in under 7 seconds. Tucker produced 58 frames and bodies, though just 36 sedans were finished before the doors to the factory were closed for good. This car, a convertible prototype, was begun but not finished in-period. And now you can buy it for a cool $2.4 million.
According to the seller, this original Tucker prototype was uncovered and finished in 2010. It is built on an original Tucker 48 Sedan chassis with thicker steel box frame to eliminate chassis sag without a roof. The convertible top was modified by Tucker from a period General Motors convertible top, the doors were lengthened by Tucker engineers, and the windshield frame was shortened. Otherwise, it’s pretty standard Tucker fare, if there is such a thing as standard Tucker fare.
This is an interesting machine, and one that is damn near impossible to put a value on. Tucker automobiles have been selling into the millions for the last couple of decades, largely because of their ahead-of-the-times engineering and extreme rarity. Of the 58 original chassis built, some 52 complete cars exist today, with 16 having been built since the shuttering of the company. This one is alleged to be the last Tucker to be finished, as the parts and pieces just don’t exist to do any more “real” ones.
If the rarity of a Tucker isn’t enough to appeal to you, maybe this one-of-one Tucker convertible will do it. You’ll never see another one like it, because they just don’t exist. Hell, you’ll hardly ever see another Tucker. I think I’ve seen ten of them, and I’ve had to really try to make that happen.
As a point of order, something I feel needs to be called out here, a mini-rant if you will. If you’re trying to sell a car on the internet for $2.4 million, hire a fucking professional photographer to capture the car for your listing. This magnificent car looks like a pile of dogshit because this cheap bastard didn’t feel like having the car trucked out to a gorgeous location for a pro snapper to capture its good side. Pony up, I promise it’s worth it.
