Tucker may not be a household name these days – the automaker only produced one model with only 51 units completed, after all. The 1948 Tucker 48 has a unique historical value however, especially this particular example, which was privately owned by company founder and designer Preston Tucker himself. He believed the Tucker 48 could be the “the Car of Tomorrow” but the scandals and accusations swirling around the company led to its closure.

This Tucker 48, which will be auctioned in the RM Sotheby’s Arizona event next month, was first used in the 1948 promotional film Tucker: The Man and the Car, which introduced the model to the world and undertook high-speed tests at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It then became Preston Tucker and his family’s private car until 1955, when it was sold to Winthrop Rockefeller.

After a few ownership changes the car was in Jack Bart’s hands in 1967. The well-known automobile enthusiast had it refinished in the original colour and let it appear in the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream in 1988.