Cord L-29 Cabriolet

Cord? Did the author mistype? Surely he meant the American carmaker with F at the beginning. No, he didn’t. Cord is a car brand, that is almost forgotten today, at least on the European side of the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded in 1929 as a luxurious offshoot of the also long-lost brand Auburn. That brand was owned by a certain Mr Errett Lobban Cord since 1924 and included into his Cord Corporation in 1929. Other parts of that corporation were the automaker Duesenberg, the New York Shipbuilding Corporation and the Stinson Aircraft Company. Three years after Cord had been founded, the first era of the car brand ended again, before there was a second short period from 1936 to 1937. The doors of the company, as well as those of Auburn and Duesenberg, were closed when Mr Cord sold his corporation to the Aviation Corporation. It is a little astonishing that there haven’t been any sort of reviving for this brand, although luxury brands in particular are highly likely to be revived.

At the US auction house Mecum, a Cord L-29 Cabriolet from the very first year of production will be offered on the 17th of November. It was produced in December 1929, but was handed over to the first owner in Los Angeles in March 1930. The Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club certified the vehicle a few years ago, because until today it still has its original body on the original chassis and also the majority of the technical components still are original. In the late 1990s this Cord received an extensive restoration, during which it was painted in the now apparent two-tone ‘Lilac’, which also covers the leaf springs and rims. Next to that the exterior shows a lot of chrome and a light grey fabric top, matching the leather upholstery in the interior.

As if the fantastic convertible body with its outer spare wheels and freestanding fenders in the purple-colored paint finish wouldn’t be sensational enough, this Cord L-29 also shows the very rare, narrow headlamp housings from Woodlite. To match this, two narrow auxiliary lights sit underneath the windshield, while the chrome-plated exterior mirrors are mounted on the painted spare wheel covers. On the passenger side there is a flap to a compartment for a golf bag. Even more space for luggage can be found in a body colored chest at the back of the car.

Mecum Auctions expects a hammer price of between 200,000 and 250,000 US$. Until recently, this Cord L-29 Cabriolet belonged to the collection of the recently deceased Ardell Brown, which is now auctioned together with this classic car in Las Vegas.

Images: Mecum Auctions