Topic: Solved - NEH 1857: Tatum Special - 1953

[Carnut]

What's this, built by whom, when - for 1 point?:

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[Carnut]

Experts?

[Carnut]

The upward march continues..

[woodinsight]

This is Chuck Tatum's sports racer of 1953, known as the Tatum Special and fitted with a 4.9 litre GMC straight six truck engine. Jack Hagemann built the bodywork.
The car still exists today and has been fully restored. It is now owned by Chris Wickersham of California.

[Carnut]

Yes, that's it.
The guy leaning into the car in the picture is Chuck Tatum whilst the driver is Chuck Manning; the picture was taken in 1953 at Golden Gate Park.

[RayTheRat]

It looks a little different after restoration (photo courtesy Concept Carz):

[D-type]

I sincerely hope the restoration is of a later incarnation of the car and not a creative"what might have been"

[Otto Puzzell]

As I look at different articles about it, I've gleaned there were a series of Tatum Specials. I'm not sure this is a restoration of the puzzle car.

[RayTheRat]

As I look at different articles about it, I've gleaned there were a series of Tatum Specials. I'm not sure this is a restoration of the puzzle car.

This is probably correct.  As far as I can tell, there were either multiple versions of the car or it "adapted" over time.

RtR

[woodinsight]

It was also raced as the Antelope in the 1950s with modified wings (fenders).....

[Otto Puzzell]

Period pic, and more detail on the circa '53 car. Not sure when the puzzle car's cycle fenders were swapped out. Or, perhaps the streamlined fenders were removed to afford more cooling for the engine?

[nicanary]

Apropos nothing in particular, I was just watching the final episode of the HBO series "The Pacific", which followed the lives of a platoon of US Marines through island battles in that theatre of war, and noticed that one of the main characters was a Chuck Tatum, who after the war built and raced cars, and lived in Stockton, California.

One and the same person??

[Carnut]

Apropos nothing in particular, I was just watching the final episode of the HBO series "The Pacific", which followed the lives of a platoon of US Marines through island battles in that theatre of war, and noticed that one of the main characters was a Chuck Tatum, who after the war built and raced cars, and lived in Stockton, California.

One and the same person??

Is that a true story rather than a fictional drama?
They do at least seem to have included one real person then!

[nicanary]

Apropos nothing in particular, I was just watching the final episode of the HBO series "The Pacific", which followed the lives of a platoon of US Marines through island battles in that theatre of war, and noticed that one of the main characters was a Chuck Tatum, who after the war built and raced cars, and lived in Stockton, California.

One and the same person??

Is that a true story rather than a fictional drama?
They do at least seem to have included one real person then!

It was a fictional drama all right, but at the end of the last episode they went through a roll call of the main characters, and showed photos and brief life histories of real marines on whom these characters had been based. One of these was Chuck Tatum. The synopsis stated that he had built and raced cars in California after the war, so I reckon it must be the same guy.

[Carnut]

Apropos nothing in particular, I was just watching the final episode of the HBO series "The Pacific", which followed the lives of a platoon of US Marines through island battles in that theatre of war, and noticed that one of the main characters was a Chuck Tatum, who after the war built and raced cars, and lived in Stockton, California.

One and the same person??

Is that a true story rather than a fictional drama?
They do at least seem to have included one real person then!

It was a fictional drama all right, but at the end of the last episode they went through a roll call of the main characters, and showed photos and brief life histories of real marines on whom these characters had been based. One of these was Chuck Tatum. The synopsis stated that he had built and raced cars in California after the war, so I reckon it must be the same guy.

Agree.  It's unlikely there are two Chuck Tatums of the same age who both raced in California around that time; maybe in a parallel universe but not here!