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THE CHESAPEAKE BULLETIN

Volume 46 Nr. 4 April 2006

Cammack Tucker Automobile Museum

Members of the Chesapeake Region made a return visit to the Cammack Tucker Automobile Museum in Alexandria, VA on Saturday, March 18^th. Since our last visit in 2001, there have been several additions to the literature collection of factory materials, promotional items and print media of the era. In addition, our host and curator Dave Cammack has recently acquired a collection of 30,000 factory blueprints that he is cataloging.

We started our trip to the museum on a clear, crisp morning and caravanned down I-95 and over the Wilson Bridge to the Old Country Buffet in Alexandria for a leisurely lunch. Then we traveled back to Old Town Alexandria where the museum is located and were met in the parking lot by Dave.

Our group spent three hours at the museum moving around the main gallery while Dave Cammack described the significance of the engines on display stands, the prototype chassis, and the almost endless wall and shelf displays. Information about how the Tucker organization worked to develop and introduce the cars to an eager post WWII buying public has been accumulated by Dave during 35 years of actively collecting almost everything and anything Tucker.

Then we moved into the car exhibit room where Cammack’s three restored Tucker cars (serial numbers 1001, 1022, and 1026) are displayed with revealing exterior and interior lighting. While the 50 some cars actually manufactured at the Tucker factory appear to be the same, these cars were all essentially prototypes and differ from one another in some interesting ways. The one thing about these cars that really jumps out is the simplicity of design and the roominess in the passenger compartment of the rear engine configuration.

The last portion of our visit was a viewing of several videos made from 16mm film from the company’s archives. There also were videos made from films of Tucker and automotive historical gatherings in which members who were on the Tucker management and engineering staffs made presentations about their years with the company. Eyewitness accounts like these helped cap another interesting visit.

Attending this limited access trip were: Mort Bullock, Wes Dodge, Jerry Gordon, Rick Hollar, Tom Kenney, Bruce Knott, Ted Schneider, Pat Smith, Ruth and Jim Synodinos, Gary Wilmer, Christine and John Young, and Tom Young.

Ad & promo items tell part of the Tucker story Part of the Tucker memorabilia

In the display room serial #1022 is a metallic silver beauty with fastback styling ahead of its time

One of three restored Tuckers, this is serial #1001

The roomy passenger compartment There’s the gas cap

First converted helicopter engine At the end of the a fun day our group with Dave Cammack