Star of Tupelo Automobile Museum: $ 1.8M | New

"We are really excited," said Stentiford. "We arrived in Mississippi with one goal in mind: to try to run to the Tucker and see if we could add it to our place in Arundel.We are a brand new museum and we are about to open June. "

The Tucker will be the showcase of the museum, as in Tupelo, and Stentiford said that a room had already been reserved. Obviously, they were confident of bringing the car home.

"We were ready for that," he said. "We were optimistic and hopeful, and I knew the process of bidding would be competitive."

The auction for the car started at $ 700,000 and quickly rose to $ 1 million. After reaching $ 1.5 million, the crowd buzzed a little louder while there were exhortations to retain the winning bid inside the building, since a bidder on the phone was playing for the vehicle.

"I appreciated the local encouragement from people wanting to sell it in the room instead of waiting for the phone," Stentford said with a laugh.

With the buyer bonus, the cost of the Tucker was $ 1.985 million.

Mike and Sean Tucker watched the Tucker go through the auction.

The great grandson of Preston Tucker – who had hoped to challenge the Big Three with his car – said the 1028 was a "very special car".

"It was one of the first test cars in Indianapolis, which makes it unique in itself – all are unique," said Mike Tucker. "But there is a whole story behind that, so we spend as much time as possible, so we came to visit him."

Only 51 Tuckers were manufactured, and 47 still exist, making the Tucker Tupelo a rare car.

The Tucker Twins formed Preston Tucker LLC in 2012 "with the goal of inheriting the legacy of Preston Tucker not only by becoming aware of his projects and businesses of origin, but also through new activities of bringing new concepts and concepts.

However, they do not work exclusively with Tuckers. Together, they accumulate more than 30 years of experience in the engineering and management sector in the automotive industry and have been heavily involved in many types of manufacturing and assembly. of racing and custom vehicles.

The Tuckers helped restore the # 1044 Tucker last year after its purchase in 2017 for $ 1,347,500. And they were glad to see the number 1028 landed in good hands.

"I was pleasantly surprised at how effective the car was," said Sean Tucker. "I think a lot of people have recognized the importance of this particular car, which has contributed to its value.We are always happy that they are going to the right place."

He said he and his brother were at the auction to inspect the car for a customer and did not monitor the car for themselves.

"It was bidding, but it was not his day today," he said.

Wayne Carini, the host of "Chasing Classic Cars" and who played an important role in auctioning the auction, said the sale of the Tucker to $ 1.8 million was "fabulous" .

"The last one sold for $ 1.75 million, so it was just in the range for what they were looking for," he said. "It's a great car, it was working and has been recently restored, it really hit the park."

The record paid for a Tucker was $ 2.95 million in 2012. Estimates for the car in Tupelo ranged from $ 1.25 to $ 2 million.

Jane Spain, owner of the museum and who, with her late husband, Frank, has collected many cars over the years, said he was very pleased with the Tucker offer.

"It was exciting to watch," she said. "And knowing that it will go to another museum is a relief, they will also leave it as it is, so it's wonderful."

The proceeds from the auction go to an educational foundation long considered by the Spanish family.

The Saturday auction – before the addition of the buyer bonus – totaled $ 8,648,450. On Friday, automobilila sales – signs and other automotive-related items other than cars – returned $ 428,000.

The Tucker was not the only vehicle to order a high price on Saturday. The 1934 Duesenberg Model J Prince of Wales Wagon sold for US $ 405,000, and the Hispano-Suiza H6B Chauffeur Coupe from 1930 to US $ 300,000. Eight other cars also crossed the six-digit line.