curious: 1985 "unidentified"?

[Guest]

Collectible Automobile's July 1985 feature article on Tucker has the below small shot. Obviously, the caption text which refers to it is "The collector has also unearthed..."

Just wondering what number car this turned out to be and the general condition of it today. Would also be interested to know where & when it was found and any other general bits about it's story. Thanks!

[Guest]

To clarify- I am asking about the picture to the left; the '48 that's a bare rusty shell.

[Tuckerfan1053]

Just guessing, I'd say it was the car that rolled on the test track (1027 was the number, I think).

[TuckerCar]

Either that or maybe body 1054. Both ended up at Kughn's (now in Roscoe, IL)

Richard might know...

[WQ59B]

It doesn't look like the rear quarter roof damage from the rollover is there; pretty hard to tell from the pic, tho. Windshield header is mashed down prettygood- 1027 wasn't crunched like that, tho of course anything could've happened between 1948 and 1985...

[Tuckerfan1053]

Maybe it's the one Tom Waits camped out in: http://www.officialtomwaits.com/music/m_lyrics.htm

I blew the weather vane
off some old road house
I build a fire in the
skeleton back seat of an old Tucker
and I pulled on trouble's braids

[WQ59B]

I know the answer for this puzzle is here... in someone's mind..... Richard?

[plancor 792]

The photo on the left is of Body 55 found in a field in IL by Stan Gilliland. It was sitting outside his restoration shop in Wellington, KS when this photo was taken. The Maroon Tucker on the right was also at Stan's when the photo was taken. It was the incomplete Tucker Serial Number 1050 that Stan also found and later sold.
After Stan brought the rusty #55 body to his shop a tree fell on it and caused more damage. He later sold it also.

Richard

[WQ59B]

It's intriquing that a body was "recently" discovered circa 1985.
#55 looks pretty rough; too far gone to bring back? (I know: in general anything is possible). If it was sold, one hopes someone with an iron-clad fortitude would at least attempt it, but perhaps there are not enough spare parts around to finish off another '48 from this sort of starting point.
Still- hopefully the body is at least going to be preserved in it's current state if nothing further.

Thanks, Richard.

[plancor 792]

Those photos above were taken around 1975. In the photo on the right with Tucker 1050 you can see Tucker 1026 in the background. Over the years Stan had Tucker's 1022, 1026, 1048 and 1050 at his restoration shop in Wellington, KS. He partialy restored 1022. I restored 1026 and completed restoration of 1022. Stan sold 1048, 1050 and body #55.

Richard