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Someone Paid $100,000 for a Tucker Model 48 Non-Functional Prop

Movie cars can – and do – fetch millions at auctions and private events, on those rare occasions when they do come up for sale. Tuckers are even rarer, with or without the celebrity provenance.
Tucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shell 18 photos
Photo: BringATrailer / Wob
Tucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shellTucker Model 48 prop car sells for $100,000 at auction, despite being only a shell
Only 51 Tucker Model 48s were ever made in the maker’s short-lived history. This means that, whenever one becomes available, it sells for upwards of $2 million, which, in turn, would mean anything associated with a Tucker also has a high market value. But a fiberglass, non-functional prop that only resembles a Tucker from the outside selling for $100,000?

It happened on Bring A Trailer on December 18: the final bid for a Tucker Model 48 prop car was of $100,000 and the museum-worthy piece changed hands. As news of the sale got out, car enthusiasts online began to wonder about whether this was a superficial purchase worthy of a fool (who, as we all know, is easily parted with his money) or some type of investment into a piece laden with historical importance?

The listing itself hints at the latter. This is one of the four prop cars made for the 1988 film Tucker: A Man and His Dream by Francis Ford Coppola. All props were molded after Coppola’s personal Tucker Model 48, and painted in Waltz Blue, the favorite color of Tucker’s wife. Only 4 Model 48s of the real kind were ever painted in this unique type of azure blue.

The donor for this prop was a 1974 Ford LTD, from which it retains the brakes, steering components, the fuel tank and suspension – but the prop has no engine and drivetrain. The windows are tinted, only one door on the driver side is functional and the interior is bare, with expanding foam filler showing. After the film wrapped, it was bought by the Tucker family and then donated to the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Michigan. Of the four props made, it is the only one in a private collection.

The seller offered it with a detailed history and a generous file confirming its provenance, and announced he would be donating 10 percent of the final price sale to the Ypsilanti Museum.

As for why anyone would pay this kind of money for a prop that’s more of a display item / piece of furniture than a real car, the answer is to be found in all the details listed above. A real Tucker Model 48 in the same color that had also been used in the film sold this year at auction for $2,040,000. So yes, everything Tucker-related is eye-watering expensive.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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