The car of tomorrow… today (at an Affiliate in Pennsylvania)
Smithsonian Affiliations would like to thank Nancy Gates, Director of Marketing & Publicity at the Antique Automobile Museum of America Museum in Hershey, PA for this guest post.
Image courtesy of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum
The enthusiasm and creativity that propelled Preston Tucker and his vision for the Tucker automobile is something that has captured many hearts. Now, an extensive – the world’s largest- collection of 3 Tucker vehicles and other Tucker automobilia have found their new home at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum [AACAM] in Hershey, Pennsylvania from the David Cammack Collection.
Mr. Cammack, an avid Tucker collector, passed away in 2013 and provided his extensive Tucker Collection to the AACA Museum. His desire was to have this collection open to the public, and the AACA Museum is honored to be the caretakers of this collection.
A close-up look inside a Tucker automobile. Photo courtesy of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum.
The Cammack collection includes three 1948 Tucker vehicles, the factory Tucker test chassis, thousands of engineering drawings and blueprints, original Tucker parts, several engines as well as other artifacts and displays. The vehicles include Tucker #1001 – the first ‘production’ prototype; Tucker #1022; and Tucker #1026 – the only existing Tucker built with an automatic transmission.
A total of 51 Tuckers were built by hand in Chicago, of which 47 are known to still exist. (Even the Smithsonian has one.) Preston Tucker and his story were detailed in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1988 film, Tucker: The Man and His Dream which certainly helped bolster the public’s intense fascination with the “Car of Tomorrow.”
The Tucker collection is being housed permanently in a dedicated 5,200 sq. ft. gallery that showcases the cars and chronicles Preston Tucker’s life and history. AACAM will host a Grand Opening on October 8th to debut Phase 1 of the exhibit, and will continue to provide additional interactive elements to enhance the exhibit over time.
“The AACA Museum intends to educate our guests about Tucker’s process and determination to create something special,” stated Mark Lizewskie, Executive Director. “We listened carefully to input from Mr. Cammack and his family, and we were quite pleased to learn that it mirrored our vision. The end result needed to be something that would complement the stunning displays that are already on view throughout the Museum. Being a permanent display, we knew the Cammack Tucker Gallery had to be fantastic right from the start.”
Preston Tucker’s family, including grandson John Jr. and great-grandsons Mike and Sean Tucker, has also endorsed the project, expressing their willingness to act as historical advisors. Sean Tucker was elated to be a crucial part of the exhibit. “The effort being put forth by the AACA Museum team in the presentation of the Cammack Tucker collection is not only an honor to the Tucker family but also to the man who had an amazing passion to preserve the history of the Tucker story,” exclaimed Sean Tucker. “As a member of the Tucker family it is truly a privilege to serve as a historical advisor to this exciting endeavor.”
Take a drive through history! Tickets for the grand opening are available by calling 717-566-7100 ext. 100 or online at
Preston Tucker’s business card. Photo courtesy of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum.
Click here to read more about the Tucker in Smithsonian Magazine and to see a video with collector David Cammack.
