Benchmark has the Tucker Convertible on Ebay

[fordracer]

Bidding starts at 500K.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Ma ... sQ5fTrucks

[Prototype]

Only $500,000 opening bid? That's quite a K Mart sized markdown compared to the original $2,000,000 opening bid and Buy-it-Now price of $5,000,000, BEFORE it was even restored! Of course, the reserve has not been met! Go figure! The fact that he has relisted it at all, especially at a heavy discount, Speaks Volumes!!! I wonder if Reinert is turning the screws and wants his cash? On top of that, He's STILL sticking to his story.....and supposedly it comes with a clear Title...........We'll see...........

[Tucker Fan 48]

I'd give him $50,000 for it. That way I could afford to undo all the cobble job he did on it and put it back to being a 4-door.
Although it would never be considered a totally original car, a repaired #1027 or whatever it was determined to contain the
most parts off of would still be worth $400,000 -$500,000. Once #1046 is finished and goes across the auction block you'd get
a better feel for the price as I think a repaired #1027 would be worth a little less but close to a #1046 price. Both cars would
have had major fabrication done to get them back to original configuration.

[Tommy]

It has to be said that if they had taken the 1.4 million offered it would have been the most ever paid for a Tucker, as far as I know.

[Tucker Fan 48]

Most likely there was not a real bidder at that price. Auction houses will take bids from shills to drive the price up
knowing that if a real bidder doesn't jump in they can hammer it down as a no sale. The collectors that I've spoke
with are not interested at anything close to that price. Why would anyone pay that when you can buy a real Tucker
for $750,000+ ?

The convertible has got a lot of bad press lately so the E-Bay listing is a cheap way to get some interest back in
the car and they can control what is said in the listing. Justin even says in the listing that he won't do interviews
anymore about the car because the press won't tell both sides. In other words, they won't tell his story and are
reporting real facts.

With the pictures that show that every single body that was ever made is accounted for and none of them is a
convertible it's going to be pretty hard for him to keep up his story much longer.

[Tuckerfan1053]

Its up to $800K, but still hasn't met the reserve, and there's only about a day to go.

[TuckerCar]

$899, no sale.

[Phantomrig]

it will probably never sell, i wouldnt be suprised to here about a fire in the building where it is being stored. then we will here about a big insurance payout to Justin Cole.

[Randy Earle]

He should have taken the money. Justin is a crackpot.

[Tuckerfan1053]

He should have taken the money. Justin is a crackpot.

I don't think so. I think he realizes that the car will be more valuable to him as an eternal marketing ploy. He can paint himself as another Preston Tucker, "heroically" battling against those who call him a fraud.

If sales start to flag at his shop, he'll always have the 'vert to drag out and flog for some media attention. He sells the car, and he can't do that. The story ends there (especially if the new owner proceeds to rip the car apart and build a correct 1057 out of it) and he's got nothing to attract the attention of the media when he wants it. I imagine Cole will keep the car until he's able to land him something which is a bigger attention getter (say a lost DMC prototype or something) and then he'll quietly sell the 'vert to someone who offers him $60K or so.

[Tucker Fan 48]

I imagine Cole will keep the car until he's able to land him something which is a bigger attention getter

Maybe he'll trade even up for #1059 - "Project Homer". It has just about all the same documentation as the convertible but
"Project Homer" has photographic proof that is was a real Tucker project with the picture of Preston, Lencki, McClellend,
and Accountant Mel Koeppen near the tail counting the revolutions of the propeller. They should have about the same value.

[Prototype]

I have to agree with the theory about keeping the car as a marketing ploy. He has no other choice but to keep it. Supposedly he has not paid Reinert for the car yet, or maybe he did, not sure on that one. We all know what the car is and is not (so does he, for that matter!) and it is not 1057, that is fact. What it's true pedigree is will probably never be truly known, considering all the new parts fabricated to complete the car, maybe that's why Reinert would never allow the car to be photographed, suspiciously without the forward section of the rear quarter's on or near the car. With that being said, I think stumbling upon a lost Delorean prototype would not be hard to do, just go to the Hethel, England, Lotus plant and start digging, apparently quite a few of the 21 or so Delorean prototypes and pilot cars are buried under the factory floor. Restoring them may be a challenge though, since many were used as 'Banger' racers in the parking lot by obviously bored Lotus employee's after they were done with them. I wonder what lurks in the bowels of the Tootsie Roll plant in Chicago?......So, who wants to call Geraldo Rivera??...What would he find? Tucker parts or just a bunch of Tootsie Roll wrappers....????? Anyone?