The Mt. Rushmore of Tucker: The Most Impactful Tucker People

O F F I C I A L T U C K E R AU T O M O B I L E C L U B O F A M E R I C A P U B L I C AT I O N

VOLUME 4 8 • ISSUE 2

The Mt. Rushmore of Tucker The Most Impactful Tucker People

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The Most Impactful Tucker People

The

Mt. Rushmore of

By Larry Clark

Editor’s Note: Larry Clark, a TACA Board Member, has conducted research into the history of Preston Tucker, the company and the car since his joining the Society of Automotive Historians, in 1977. All opinions in the article are his alone, including the final four names.

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recent popular challenge is to determine who belongs “on the Mount Rushmore of _______.” To illustrate, in 2012, OnAllCylinders.com named their Mount Rushmore of the all-time most significant American performance automobiles: 1908 Ford Model T, 1941 Willys/Jeep MB, 1955 Chevrolet and 1964½ Mustang. Have the idea?

If so, who should be on the Mount Rushmore of Most Impactful Tucker People?

The most obvious first name has to be Preston Tucker. No explanation needed. I also consider him the placeholder for all of his immediate family members, extending to the recent exciting work of John, Jr., Sean and Mike Tucker with Rob Ida. Who else?

From the era directly associated with the company and/or persons of the company, the following names (in alphabetical order) come to my mind.

• Dan Ehlenz, a Tucker dealer. His disclosure that he drove #1025 to the trial from Minneapolis significantly undermined the prosecution’s case against Tucker.

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• Bill Kirby, lead legal counsel. Kirby’s game plan to defend Preston Tucker was superb. If convicted, Preston Tucker’s great entrepreneurial story likely would have died (and we might not have 47 surviving Tucker cars).

• Cliff Knobel. His strategy for Tucker dealers to sell accessories boosted company cash flow and later resulted in hundreds of online sales of Tucker radios, heaters, seat covers, and luggage.

• Dan Leabu. A very loyal friend to Preston Tucker, Leabu was the glue that held things together, from reworking the engines and transmissions in Ypsilanti, to being the General Production Manager.

• Nick Jenin. Jenin toured the USA displaying his ten Tucker cars. His collection of Tucker items became the foundation of David Cammack’s collection, now housed at the AACA Museum, Inc.

• Fred Rockelman. Although the model for “Barrington” in the movie, Rockelman was a strong company leader, as he was in the early years at Ford.

• Tom McCahill, Mechanix Illustrated writer.

His initial road test of the Tucker ’48 spoke glowingly of its performance. Twenty-five years later, he retested #1014 and declared that it might be the best American car he had ever driven.

• Alex Tremulis, Chief Stylist. Besides his lead design efforts, in the years that followed, Tremulis was the most invested person of the era in helping to “Keep the Legend Alive.”

For early champions of the Tucker story and/or car, names that come to my mind include:

• Charles Pearson, writer. His PIC Magazine article launched Tucker. His book, The Indomitable Tin Goose, is still a valuable Tucker source book.

• Ezra Schlipf. Schlipf was the impactful early owner of Tucker cars. Without Schlipf, we would not have 47 surviving vehicles.

The formation of TACA in 1973 began a solid era of Tucker champions including: • David Cammack. For me, like Preston Tucker, Cammack belongs on Mount Rushmore without a need for explanation.

• Bev Ferriera. A founding member of TACA, Ferriera drove his yellow Tucker #1041 nearly everywhere with gusto and pride.

• Stan Gilliland. TACA began in Gilliland’s shop in Kansas. Along with Curtis Foester, he helped keep many Tucker cars rolling.

• Bill Hamlin. Hamlin, in his era, was the leading guru of Tucker automobiles.

• Richard Jones. A TACA Co-Founder, he completed the restoration of #1022, 5

• Mike Schutta. Schutta’s JalopyJournal.com blog page was terrific. He is the ultimate authority on Tucker car ownership history.

• Frank Tucker. A cousin of Preston Tucker, he rebuilt the TACA Archives. His widow, Sharon, donated one of the four Tucker replica cars to TACA. Concerning Tucker car owners, some have already been mentioned. Others exceptional on my list include: tried to restore #1023, and guided Cammack with his collection. With Russ Brownell, he kept the Tucker cars operating during the movie’s filming.

After the Tucker movie in 1988, at several times, there came the need for strong leadership to help “Keep the Legend Alive.”

Among these TACA leaders: • Eric Breslow. By 2018, TACA, as an entity, was struggling. As president, he led the transition of TACA to be under the auspices of the AACA Museum, Inc. He owns #1031 and a movie replica car.

• Martyn Donaldson. An accomplished Tucker restorer, and historian, he has continually provided “wind beneath the wings” of TACA. • Jay Follis. Follis is an accomplished Tucker historian. He and Bill Pommering, along with their wives, were the glue that held TACA together for well over a decade.

• Brent Morris. With TACA at a critical crossroad, Morris stepped up and provided valuable leadership, ably assisted by John Schuler.

• Bill Pommering. His savvy leadership is the foremost reason that #1039 was claimed by and is now owned by the Smithsonian Museum.

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• Russ Brownell. Put him in the picture with Ezra Schlipf, Richard Jones, and Bill Hamlin.

• Eileen and Keith Carpenter. In 2011, the Carpenters won “Best in Class” at the Amelia Island Concours, and then demonstrated further class by taking #1017 to Richard Jones in Florida so he could ride in his last Tucker car before his passing.

• Brent DuCoing. I love seeing pictures of a Tucker owner driving a $1M+ car to a Cars and Coffee event. Four Tucker cars. Awesome.

• Francis “Fuzzy” Fruzyna. Fruzyna won $8.84M in a lottery and then bought a Tucker car, #1048.

He lived the dream!

• Howard Kroplick. His passion is contagious.

Thanks to social media, we were there with Kroplick during the incredible restoration of #1044 and its showing at Pebble Beach (#1044 had my vote).

• Mark Lieberman. With his impeccable restorations of #1006 and #1043, he set a high standard for the restoration of a Tucker car. From this, ultimately came Tucker cars featured at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concourse. Also, Lieberman owns Preston Tucker’s personal car, #1029.

Alex Tremulis: A self -taught automotive designer, he was asked

by Tucker to sketch an innovative car for Tucker’s new company. What he presented was the Tucker 48, known as the Tucker Torpedo.

Nick Jenin: Purchased Tucker vehicles following the company liquidation. He set up the traveling “Fabulous Tuckers” road show. The last of his collection was sold to David Cammack in 1974 founding his collection.

My special mention category:

(TACA Convention videos), Bernard Weiss and Stephen Backus (once youngest TACA member) to today’s great enthusiasts like Dave Velez (Visual Story Teller) and Ken Northcraft (incredible Tucker model car collection).

• Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Great movie. Both are still Tucker car owners, including Lucas’s #1009, winner at Pebble Beach.

• Rob Ida. Ida’s tribute vehicles and his restoration of #1044 are incredible (his family tie-in to Tucker is itself a great story).

• Joe Kahn. Kahn has provided leadership to keep TACA relevant in today’s social media world through Facebook (just avoid talking about “the convertible”).

• Steve Lehto. Like Phi Egan’s book, Lehto’s recent valuable book Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow has helped bring new followers to the Tucker story.

• TACA “Enthusiasts.” These TACA members have done amazing individual things in support of “Keeping the Legend Alive.”

They include past members like Dick Hulse, Bill Riemer, Joe Walker and Bill Wells to Jon Bleser, Mark Boone (cookie jar car and Zippo lighters), Bud Harrington

David Cammack: Instrumental in preserving the Tucker legacy by purchasing Jenin’s vehicles and accumulating the world’s largest Tucker collection, he donated his collection to the AACA Museum, Inc upon his death in 2013. Photo: Gary Covington

• Toyota. Years ago, Toyota bought #1004 because the Tucker car represented what the American car should be … what the consumer wants for design, performance, quality, and safety. The Big Three should have been so astute.

• Steve Tremulis. Alex would be proud of how effectively Tremulis has elevated the discussion of the design of the Tucker ’48.

It is time. My final names for the Mount Rushmore of Most Impactful Tucker People. In alphabetical order, they are Alex Tremulis, Nick Jenin, David Cammack, and Preston Tucker. My honorary guides are “Fuzzy” Fruzyna, Richard Jones and Ezra Schlipf. Your names? n Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your choices for the Mount Rushmore of Most Impactful Tucker People, mail your suggestions to kvanek@cassidycommunications.com.

Preston Tucker: A man of pioneering spirit and ingenuity dared to revolutionize the auto industry with his “Car of Tomorrow.” The memory of “Tucker” lives on thanks to the people who committed to preserving the legacy.

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