Penn College student works on namesake iconic car

About 15 automotive restoration and collision repair students at Pennsylvania College of Technology recently refurbished an iconic car to award-winning results. For one of those students, the experience was more than satisfying – it was personal.

Ty M. Tucker, of Columbia, is the great-great grandson of Preston Tucker, the legendary automotive figure responsible for the 1948 Tucker that the students repaired to win the First Junior Award at the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Eastern Division Fall Meet in Hershey.

The honor signified the car’s standing as the best among all judged for the first time in its class: limited production and prototype vehicles through 1998.

“It is amazing to be able to go to school and work on the car that my great-great grandfather built,” said Tucker, who is seeking a certificate in automotive restoration to add to an associate degree in collision repair that he earned at another school.

Ty and his classmates spent six weeks working on Tucker No. 1013, one of 51 cars (including the prototype) designed by Preston Tucker and manufactured by the Tucker Automobile Corp. in 1948. Forty-seven of the original Tuckers are believed to be in existence today.

The students replaced the car’s clamps and hoses with ones dating back to its manufacturing era. They also corrected dents in the body and blended the vehicle’s paint to match its original silver-like color.

“It was a collective effort for sure,” Ty said. “And definitely, there was a lot of work put in outside of class. Overall, it’s a decently accurate car. A lot of people who came up to us (at Hershey) were amazed that students worked on this kind of car.”

The No. 1013 car was Ty’s second Tucker restoration project. Several years ago, his father, Mike, and uncle, Sean, formed a company, Preston Tucker LLC, to advance the legacy of the Tucker name. Eventually, they began restoring Tuckers with the assistance of Rob Ida, a renowned custom car designer and builder. While still in high school, Ty helped them prepare Tucker No. 1044 for prominent car shows.

Roy H. Klinger, co-department head of collision repair and developer of Penn College’s automotive restoration program, appreciates Ty’s background. “It has been an honor to have Ty in class. He shares a deep passion for preserving the vehicles that bear his family’s name,” Klinger said.

The Automotive Hall of Fame describes Preston Tucker (inducted posthumously in 1999) as “a gifted entrepreneur and technological visionary who challenged the automotive establishment. … Despite his company’s failure, Tucker will always be remembered as one of the great revolutionaries of the automobile industry.”

His descendant agrees with that sentiment. “He was an innovator. He never wanted to be like anybody else,” Ty said. “It was evident that he wanted to make a mark on industry.”

Marketed as the “Car of Tomorrow,” Tuckers sported a rear-mounted engine and several safety features ahead of the times. “They had a padded dash, pop-out windshield, a unibody construction which was tested in the event of a rollover, disc brakes and a center headlight that turned with the wheels to improve visibility,” Klinger described.

Legal and financial issues forced the company into bankruptcy in 1949. Preston Tucker died at the age of 53 in 1956. The 1988 motion picture “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” depicts the story behind the car.

Ty jokes that his family made him watch the movie right after he was born.

“I watch it every once in a while,” he said. “It’s pretty accurate. Obviously, there are Hollywood aspects to it, but overall, it’s pretty close. It’s a good movie.”

The Tucker No. 1013 restored by the Penn College students was one of several used in the film. The car is owned by Patricia B. Swigart, president of the William E. Swigart Jr. Antique Automobile Museum in Huntingdon and a longtime supporter of the college’s automotive restoration program. She also owns the Tucker prototype, dubbed “Tin Goose.” In 2018, Penn College students preserved and presented the prototype at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, often referred to as the “Super Bowl of car shows.”

It was at another prestigious showcase, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida that Ty learned about the Penn College automotive restoration program. Klinger and his students were on hand with an award-winning 1908 Studebaker electric car. Ty and his dad were also at the event and met the Penn College contingent.

“Since then, the program had been in the back of my mind,” Ty said. “Penn College is one of the only schools with a restoration program. I toured a few of them, and this place had the best facility. I knew Roy was a good guy and really skilled at what he does. And I knew some graduates from here. It seemed like the right place.”

Ty’s tinkering on cars dates to early childhood. His dad was big into drag racing, and Ty remembers helping him repair an “always broken” Fox Body Mustang and rebuild a 1932 Ford Hot Rod. In high school, Ty drove a 2005 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. “It had over 200,000 miles. Everything always broke, but it was sweet,” he said.

Growing up, Ty knew of his family’s connection to Preston Tucker, but it wasn’t until high school that he truly appreciated the link. “When I told people there was a car named after my great-great grandfather, they were like, ‘That’s not normal,’” Ty recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, maybe this is cool!’”

After earning his collision repair degree and working in the field for about 18 months, Ty decided to pursue restoration work and enrolled in Penn College’s program. “I like working on old stuff because of how unique it is,” he explained. “The stuff today is all very similar.”

He’s due to earn his automotive restoration certificate in May and plans on obtaining a bachelor’s degree in automotive technology management at the college before embarking on a career in the restoration field. “The eventual goal is to have a shop on my own with my dad and work on Tuckers,” he said.

While realizing that objective might be a few years away, Tucker is grateful for Penn College’s role in preparing him.

“You’re not going to get a program like this anywhere else. It’s been beyond my expectations,” he said with a broad smile. “Nobody else gets to work on stuff we get to work on.”

Such as a car that bears his name.

For information on automotive restoration, collision repair technology and other majors offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520.

Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.