On Friday, August 13, RM Auctions set a new world record in California at the ‘Sports & Classics of Monterey’ auction when a 1948 Tucker 48 Sedan sold for $1,127,500, the highest amount ever paid for a Tucker. This amount was nearly double the pre-sale estimate.
This Tucker sedan, chassis number 1045, is one of only 51 original units built. It was expected to fetch between $550,000 and $750,000.
It was part of John M. O'Quinn’s collection. This rich Texas lawyer died in a car accident in 2009. He was known as a passionate car collector and philanthropist. His collection was composed of more than 600 cars (some say 900) including several Duesenbergs, and it was valued at over $100 million.
A well-known car
Purchased in 2006 from Robert Pass, founder of Passport Transport, this Tucker 48 has a long heritage within the Tucker community. In the 1950s, it was owned by Nick Jenin, a Florida entrepreneur who amassed a collection of ten or more Tuckers and various memorabilia. Jenin created a traveling Tucker show, which appeared at fairs and car shows.
After about ten years, he dispersed his collection, and Tucker #1045 was sold to Walter Bellm, who put it on display at his Bellm’s Cars and Music of Yesteryear museum in Sarasota, Florida. It subsequently had a number of owners, ending up in Ohio about ten years ago before being acquired by O’Quinn. No information about the new owner has been released yet.
In Monterey, this Tucker was part of the top five sales from the Friday auction. The other four cars are a 1964 Shelby Cobra USRRC Roadster (lot 255, $1,595,000), a 1979 Ferrari 512 BB/LM Competition Berlinetta (lot 260, $880,000), a 2003 Ferrari Enzo (lot 238, $830,500) and a 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra (Lot 241, $715,000).
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| Photo: Darin Schnabel/RM Auctions |
This Tucker sedan, chassis number 1045, is one of only 51 original units built. It was expected to fetch between $550,000 and $750,000.
It was part of John M. O'Quinn’s collection. This rich Texas lawyer died in a car accident in 2009. He was known as a passionate car collector and philanthropist. His collection was composed of more than 600 cars (some say 900) including several Duesenbergs, and it was valued at over $100 million.
A well-known car
Purchased in 2006 from Robert Pass, founder of Passport Transport, this Tucker 48 has a long heritage within the Tucker community. In the 1950s, it was owned by Nick Jenin, a Florida entrepreneur who amassed a collection of ten or more Tuckers and various memorabilia. Jenin created a traveling Tucker show, which appeared at fairs and car shows.
After about ten years, he dispersed his collection, and Tucker #1045 was sold to Walter Bellm, who put it on display at his Bellm’s Cars and Music of Yesteryear museum in Sarasota, Florida. It subsequently had a number of owners, ending up in Ohio about ten years ago before being acquired by O’Quinn. No information about the new owner has been released yet.
In Monterey, this Tucker was part of the top five sales from the Friday auction. The other four cars are a 1964 Shelby Cobra USRRC Roadster (lot 255, $1,595,000), a 1979 Ferrari 512 BB/LM Competition Berlinetta (lot 260, $880,000), a 2003 Ferrari Enzo (lot 238, $830,500) and a 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra (Lot 241, $715,000).