|
|
1931 Cord L-29 Phaeton Sedan
|
|
|
Views
|
Date Posted
|
|
56
|
September 18, 2008
|
|
|
Price
|
Type Listing
|
|
$236,500.00
|
Auction Results
|
|
|
|
|
|
Description:
|
Offered For Sale at the:
RM Auction - Vintage Motor Cars at Meadow Brook Hall
August 6, 2005, Auburn Hills, Michigan
RM Auctions
One Classic Car Drive
Blenheim, Ontario
N0P 1A0 Canada
Phone: 519-352-4575
Website: www.rmauctions.com
1931 Cord L-29 Phaeton Sedan
LOT: 099
Estimate: $175,000-$225,000 US
Chassis No. 2927115
AUCTION RESULTS: Lot was Sold at a price of $236,500
125hp 298.6 cu. in. Lycoming side valve inline eight-cylinder engine, front wheel drive, dashboard mounted three-speed manual transmission, four-wheel semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 137.5"
One of the great automotive industrialists of all time, E. L. Cord founded and built an automotive and manufacturing empire thought at the time to be most successful of all. Beginning with his purchase of conservative Auburn, Inc., E.L. was probably the first automaker to understand the importance of design. He managed to turn the rather dowdy looking Auburn into a style leader almost immediately, with a resulting dramatic increase in sales.
To fill out his burgeoning empire Cord needed a fine car for America's well heeled. Not only would such a car make a name for his company, it would also attract the attention of other powerful men – giving E. L. one of America’s most influential customer lists.
So, what to do next? For his next car company, E.L. wanted to offer something truly unique, something that would reflect his personal philosophy. It would have to combine the engineering leadership of a Duesenberg with the styling prowess of Auburn. The result was truly startling – the Cord Front Drive.
Car manufacturers have for years claimed that racing improves the breed and nowhere is that more true than in the case of the new Cord, known today as the L-29. Inspired by Cornelius Van Ranst and Tommy Milton’s 1927 Indy car, the car capitalized on the public’s fascination with the new front wheel drive technology.
E. L. Cord was also smart enough to see the potential that the new layout offered for lowering the chassis. A potential disadvantage – the long drivetrain package made necessary by the front wheel drive system – became the car’s greatest asset when designer Al Leamy sketched one of the longest hoods the world had ever seen.
Introduced in the summer of 1929, the new L-29 was breathtaking, and it won many Concours d’ Elegance. Timing, however, could not have been worse, with the crash of 1929 just around the corner. Oddly enough, final production totaled 5,010 cars, matching almost exactly Cord’s original projection of 5,000 sales.
This beautiful L-29 Phaeton Sedan was meticulously restored over a two and a half year period in the early 1990s by Paul Freehill of Stutz Specialties in Fort Worth, Indiana. Painted in a seductive red and maroon color scheme with a tan convertible top this L-29 won its class at its first showing at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It would be the first of dozens of awards garnered by the Cord at events including the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Hershey, Cranbrook and Willistead to name a few. Accordingly, this L-29 is a ully certified example with Level One documentation from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club. The Cord is also an AACA National First Prize winning car in addition to being a Premier Level National First Prize winning car in the meticulous eyes of the CCCA.
In addition, this splendid example is outfitted with almost all the available options in 1931 including dual side mount spare tires with dual mirrors, wide whitewall tires, a rear luggage rack and correct metal trunk, and both driving and cowl lights. As well, this L-29 features elegant chromed wire wheels, and a Lalique crystal Tete d’Aigle mascot finishing off what is unquestionably one of the most handsome, sleek and lithe convertible sedans ever built.
Few L-29s remain, and it is rare indeed to find one restored to such high standards. While certainly suitable to drive, this L-29 deserves to compete for its new owner on the show fields of America.
|
|
Keywords:
|
1931 Cord L-29 Phaeton Sedan
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
Registered: April 2008
Location: Woodstock, GA