Francis Ford Coppola's Movie-Used Tucker is Hitting The Auction Block at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog.
From the screen to the auction block
Celebrated filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is considered by critics, cinephiles, and Letterboxd enthusiasts as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Although he is known for classics such as The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, the Detroit native has a connection to cars that goes a little further beyond the middle name his parents bestowed upon him.
One of Coppola's personal passion projects was a film about someone whose story he witnessed during his childhood: Preston Tucker, a man who attempted to carve out a place among Detroit's Big Three automakers with his car: the Tucker 48. For over a decade, the storied filmmaker created and refined the story that ultimately became the 1988 film "Tucker: The Man and His Dream," whereas in that process, he became the owner of his very own Tucker 48, which, alongside Jeff Bridges, became a star in its own right.
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Coppola's personal Tucker, chassis 1014, a '48 finished in Waltz Blue, will be auctioned at Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach auction on August 16. According to the auctioneers, it was the 14th Tucker 48 to leave the Chicago factory, and it had a notable provenance and ownership history prior to Coppola's ownership and use in his movie.
Gooding Christie's notes that this car was purchased new in 1949 by Charles DeCosta in San Francisco, before being passed on to its second owner, Isadore Rasinsky, just two years later. However, in 1952, this Tucker was purchased by Tucker specialist and restorer William 'Bill' Hamlin. In 1971, he lent the vehicle to the legendary automotive journalist Tom McCahill, who revisited his 1948 test, during which he drove the Tucker at triple-digit speeds.
However, following Hamlin's passing in 1979, the vehicle came into the possession of San Francisco dealer and Tucker specialist Beverly Ferreira, who sold the car to Coppola the same year. The very car being offered on the auction block appears in several scenes in the film, including some shots shown in a disassembled state, a risk that Coppola took to make a picture-perfect replica of the Tucker factory.
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The Tucker 48 was an innovative vehicle in its day
Despite producing just 50 cars before his car company was forced to cease all operations on March 3, 1949, Preston Tucker's Tucker 48 was a remarkably innovative vehicle for the era in which it was produced.
Its most recognizable feature is its third center-mounted headlight, which swivels to illuminate corners at steering angles greater than 10 degrees. It also featured radical safety features, including a pod-like frame design, integrated roll bars, and a shatterproof glass windshield that could be easily popped out after a crash.
Inside was a spacious interior with a fully padded dashboard and controls within easy reach for the driver. Underpinning it all was a fully independent suspension and a modified Franklin O-335 flat-six that was originally used in the Bell 47 helicopter. Initially, it was slated to have a Tucker-developed engine and gearbox, but these and other planned features, such as fuel injection, disc brakes, and magnesium wheels, didn't make it into the production cars.
Final Thoughts
According to Gooding Christie's, Tucker 1014 has served as the centerpiece of Mr. Coppola’s car collection, some of which are also being sold as part of the auction. They also state that it was occasionally driven and displayed to the public at Inglenook, the Coppola family’s winery in Napa Valley.
The auctioneers estimate the Coppola Tucker 48 to hammer anywhere near $1,500,000 to $2,000,000; however, the buyer won't be leaving with just a car. According to Gooding Christie's, the Coppolas will also include a magnum bottle (1.5L) of Inglenook Rubicon wine, as well as an invitation for the winning buyer and three guests to a private tour and wine tasting at the Inglenook estate in Rutherford, California.
Francis Ford Coppola's Movie-Used Tucker is Hitting The Auction Block at Pebble Beach first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 15, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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