Cord – Errett Loban Cord – was a car salesman who worked himself up to
become one of the most important American car manufacturers. Although he went
bankrupt a number of times, he eventually managed to take over the insolvent
Auburn manufacturer in 1924. He managed to get the company going again and
two years later he bought the very famous Duesenberg.
Cord bought a number of front wheel drive patents from Harry Miller. In 1929
Cord launched the first car, the L.29 under his own name, which was also the
American car with front wheel drive. The car was fitted with a Lycoming eight-
in-line engine, as Cord also owned the Lycoming engine factory.
At about the same time Wall Street crashed and it became very difficult to sell
very expensive cars, such as Cord and Duesenberg. Cord was determined to
continue and in 1933 he asked his employees to build an exceptional car which
every rich American would want to own. This time they fitted a V8 engine,
and the design was so beautiful, that he received an award from the Museum
of Modern Art in New York in 1952. Cord’s companies collapsed in 1937.
Although only about 3200 cars were built of this iconic design, it was way
ahead of the competition. Today it is one of the most sought after cars by car
collectors and very valuable.
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