Eddie Offutt and #1027 Photos

[streamliner]

Here's a few gems from deep within the files. I'm pretty sure that it's Eddie Offutt, but I can't find who the other gentleman is. Offutt is obviously professing the safety aspects of Tucker #1027 that he rolled at Indy, but I'm not so sure that it's the same car in each photo. No doubt the first two are of #1027, but I'm fairly certain that the second two are another car (look at the tops of the driver's door, center windshield pillar, rubber seals around the windshield, side window glass, etc.). I'm also pretty sure that there are more photos from this series that I should be able to find along with the negatives. These are small photos, 2" by 3" image size, about the size of a business card, with the developer's number 600 or 009 on the backs of each of them, all on Velox photographic paper (1940's-1950's vintage). In any event, this does not look like a car that was going to be scrapped, not even back in the day...

Does anyone have any background behind these photos???

[MD]

Great photos Steve!
Perhaps the second two pics are of #1027 before the rollover? Either way, it's a later production car... Gas door in front fender and no radio knobs in dash. It would be great to find out the back story to these pics. I look forward to seeing more...

[streamliner]

I've found some more clues. Here are two more photos from that same roll of film, same developer's numbers, same Velox paper. One of Tremulis and Offutt discussing the Tucker model, and the second of Alex's renderings on the wall of the Tucker Styling Studio that would have been immediately behind Offutt. I think clues to the 1949 model design changes can also be found on this wall.





I numbered the renderings to give a description of the ones that I know of:



1: Unknown Tucker interior

2: "Lady in Red" 12-20-1943 rendering of a TG180 powered jet interceptor from Wright Field

3: Personal helicopter, 6-20-1943

4: Propeller boat with contra-rotating props, circa 1941

5: Streamlined rear-engined bubble-top, circa 1937

6: Tucker-Campini turbine car proposal, 3-20-1948 (Tuckeroo, this is one of the CEMSA Caproni proposals)

7: Possibly another Campini turbine proposal (that probiscus-nosed car looks a lot like the one behind Raymond Loewy: http://www.tuckerclub.org/bbs3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1712)

8: Coupe de Ville circa 1939-40, possibly Thunderbolt (That's another similar Thunderbolt proposal immediately behind Tremulis in the first photo, under the Tucker hubcap proposal)

9: The Monte Carlo, drawn at Tammen and Denison 3-30-1946, sent to Henry Ford II on 4-6-1946

10: Bluebird-inspired supercharged Cord drawn at Tammen and Denison circa 1946

11: So far unknown

12: Tucker steering wheel proposal

13: Original Tremulis rear 3/4 view drawn at Tammen and Denison presented to Preston Tucker at the end of 1946

So here's the connection: Jim Gaylord visited the Tucker plant in 1949 (The Milestone Car, Spring 1975). He was the one who took photos of Alex in the Tucker design studio with various renderings in the background:




Alex described their visit in his account of the Gaylord Gladiator for AQ:



Of particular note is the front end of a very Carioca-ish rendering over Alex's left shoulder, well before the Brazilian venture. If you've seen the History Channel production of the Tucker saga, during the live shots of Alex in this studio, I think you'll see a flash bulb go off several times. I'll have to go back over the tape, but I'm thinking these photos must be from that very same visit. Jim Gaylord is the man who developed one (4 actually built) of the most advanced cars of the day, the jewel-like 1955 Gaylord. It was this car that Gaylord was going to have Alex design, but couldn't due to Alex's then-current employment at Ford.

Incidentally, Tremulis was to be reunited with that same model, I think, at Lucas Studios during his consultancy for the movie...

[Randy Earle]

Great post. In my travels to different museums over the last 40 years, I saw a painting of a proposed newer Tucker. It had a more rounded front end and rectangular headlights. I remember the center light was a long rectangular lens that went from fender to fender. I can't remember where I saw it, but my sister says it was the Crawford Museum. Anyone else ever seen that rendering?

[plancor 792]

Streamliner, #1 photo is of the damaged Tucker 1027 and had the company remained in business it could have been repaired.
Having met Eddie Offutt and his wife Lorraine on many occasions from the 50's till shortly before he passed away, I do not believe that the fellow with glasses is the other photos is of Eddie. I could be wrong but if not Eddie then who can it be?
Really appreciate your posting some valuable information on Alex Tremulis and others. Are you related to him? Alex appreciated Jim and Ed Gaylord and spoke highly of them. Years ago I visited with Uncle Tom McCahill and he gave me several large photos of the Gaylord. It was on display at the Early American Museum in Silver Springs, FL from 1959 till they closed. That is where I discovered Tucker 1023 hidden in an outbuilding. On display at the museum they had the one completed Gaylord and a chassis. No idea what happened to them after the museum closed. We also had several long discussions on the Tucker and his reviews of it.
Richard

[streamliner]

Richard,

In going through the pictures a little closer, I think you may be right. The only photo I've seen so far of Eddie Offutt is the following one from The Indianapolis Star:



I may have jumped to conclusions since, on the surface, they appeared to be the same person with the same mini-moustache...

So who are they? I'm fairly certain that it's not Jim Gaylord, since AQ does have his photo in the Gaylord, and there are no similarities. If Gaylord had a son, or whoever else may have been visiting with him, that would be my guess. There's a hat sitting on the desktop in the photo with the renderings that looks similar to the hat worn by the second gentleman in the Tucker. It would mean that three people would have visited the Tucker studio: Jim Gaylord, the guy in the Tucker and the guy in the studio. In AQ volume 12-4 there is a photo of Klaus Wagenbach from the Spohn Body Company in Germany, the company that built the Gaylord. He does bear a resemblance to the guy in the Tucker. However, it also seems that Spohn was not contacted until after Brooks Stevens got involved with the project. That would make it highly improbable that Wagenbach would be involved with Gaylord in 1949.

And yes, I am related to Alex, and having grown up with many of his stories and photos, it's great to finally fit together many of the pieces of the puzzles that made automotive history. I haven't seen any other designer so adamant about streamlining nor so prolific about recording his thoughts in photos and on paper. I certainly don't have all the answers and I greatly appreciate all the help that TACA has given in preserving such a rich history. Those of you who knew Alex and Chrissie know there was never a dull moment around in their presence. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, a big THANKS to all of you!



Alex and Chrissie at what appears to be an auto show aound 1949. It's entirely appropriate that there's what appears to be a Miller FWD race car immediately behind Alex...

[plancor 792]

Streamliner, send me an email Tuckermch@bellsouth with your e mail address and I will attempt to send you another photo I have of Eddie Offutt. I have several more in my collection but so far haven't had time to search for them. That is Eddie squatted at the front bumper of the Tucker with Illinois tag 1. I would say that the other photos are not of him.
Richard

[plancor 792]

Send to Tuckermch@bellsouth.net and it may get to me.
Sorry about that little error above.
Richard

[streamliner]

At first I thought he was just too young to be an auto-holic about to start his own car company, but I found a photo of Jim Gaylord from January 1977 at his ranch in Scottsdale:



It's hard to keep the perspective how time flies, as I envisioned that Gaylord was older when he visited the Tucker plant, but I'd have to say that they are one and the same person, 28 years apart. So who took the photo in the Tucker studio and who are the two guys in the Tucker #1027 photos??? Is the driver also Jim Gaylord? Does anyone have any photos of Ed Gaylord?

[SuperFleye]

Wow, thanks for posting these amazing photos! I have to agree with you on that Jim Gaylord mystery, I think it is the same person too. Could it be that all of these photos were taken at the same day, and that Gaylord test sat the rolled over tucker and another tucker?

The photo from the styling studio is really cool, do you have any more info on the Tucker-Campini turbine car proposal, 3-20-1948 (Tuckeroo, this is one of the CEMSA Caproni proposals), I have never seen anything about this proposal before.

[streamliner]

Here's the Campini article from Tucker Topics, May 1948:



And here's one of Alex Tremulis' proposals for the newly-acquired gas turbine technology, dated 3-20-1948. I'm fairly sure there are more turbine-powered Tucker proposals, I'll keep searching...

[Tuckeroo]

Thanks, Streamliner!

Those Tucker-Caproni-Campini projects have piqued my curiosity for years as I had heard of them but never seen pictures. They are just as wild and wonderful as I imagined (and hoped) they would be!

[Tuckerfan1053]

Say Streamliner, do you have any renderings of Tremulis' ideas for the Talisman besides the side view? Supposedly there's drawings of the concept from other angles, but I've never seen the illustrations.

[streamliner]

I'm still looking... There is the top/chassis view drawn on the vellum, so I would guess that there may be a fully-rendered proposal out there. Also on the side view there is the outline of the Tucker '48 drawn in scale for comparison. I would think that there could be another fully airbrushed proposal with both the top view and the Tucker '48 in the background, but I have yet to find any other views of this version or a similar proposal in 3/4 view.




When Alex returned to the styling area in Tucker plant after the shutdown, many of his proposals and models had been removed from the site. I think some of the original renderings made their way back to Preston Tucker, possibly after the trial, but I would bet that some have been scattered around. Tremulis was on Preston Tucker's side during the trial, and he would have supplied proposals to the defense attorneys that would help in showing that Tucker was intent on producing an actual automobile. The proposals could show that efforts did go into looking at future models and modifications to the Tucker '48 design (remember #57's big back window and the front fender modifications... there would at least be some sketches before opening up the back window). I'm trying to piece together exactly what proposals were on the entire wall of the styling studio and what exhibits Tremulis produced for the trial (anyone know???). In any case, Alex did get something back from Kerner...

[Tuckerfan1053]

We had someone here ages ago asking about it, and they described it as a three view drawing, if I remember right, that was used in an ad/article by Tucker either during, or immediately following the trial. No clue as to what the ad appeared in (and the poster was certain that it wasn't the Carioca in the piece).