The Cord L-29 was the first successful mass-produced front-wheel-drive American automobile. But it was much more than that. Look at the styling of this automotive masterpiece. It was styled by Alan Leamy and was conceived as a single unit with the symmetry of the interior reflecting the external lines. Automotive styling had come into its own with this design. No longer was it an afterthought. Leamy incorporated the mechanical features of the front drive unit into the subtle style of the Cord. Cloaking the most technologically advanced automobile of its day in beauty, Leamy ensured the L-29 was superior both mechanically and aesthetically.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Cabriolet
Wheelbase: 137.5 inches
Engine: Lycoming in-line eight-cylinder
Transmission: Three speed manual
Displacement: 299 cubic inches
Horsepower: 125 at 3,400 rpm
Weight: 4,500 lbs.
Price When New: $3,195
Tags: 1930 Cord L-29 ACD Museum Auburn Indiana
© All Rights Reserved
The Cord L-29 was the first successful mass-produced front-wheel-drive American automobile. But it was much more than that. Look at the styling of this automotive masterpiece. It was styled by Alan Leamy and was conceived as a single unit with the symmetry of the interior reflecting the external lines. Automotive styling had come into its own with this design. No longer was it an afterthought. Leamy incorporated the mechanical features of the front drive unit into the subtle style of the Cord. Cloaking the most technologically advanced automobile of its day in beauty, Leamy ensured the L-29 was superior both mechanically and aesthetically.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Cabriolet
Wheelbase: 137.5 inches
Engine: Lycoming in-line eight-cylinder
Transmission: Three speed manual
Displacement: 299 cubic inches
Horsepower: 125 at 3,400 rpm
Weight: 4,500 lbs.
Price When New: $3,195
Tags: 1930 Cord L-29 ACD Museum Auburn Indiana
© All Rights Reserved
Shown w/a 1946 Stinson V-77 Gullwing.
THE CORD AUTOMOBILE – A STYLING AND TECHNICAL REVOLUTION
The Cord automobile is, upon its introduction and continues to be this day, a styling and technical revolution. Built by the Auburn Automobile Company, both generations of the Cord feature unique styling and a radical front wheel drive system.
Although the first-generation Cord, the L-29, was not the first automobile to feature front wheel drive, it was the first commercially and mechanically successful American front wheel drive car. With the lack of a driveshaft to a rear axle, it provided a lower roof line than the traditional rear wheel drive automobiles. This provided a more pleasing style.
The second-generation Cord, the 810 and 812, took the styling revolution to the next level, eliminating the running boards, featuring retractable headlights and showcasing the now iconic wrap-around hood louvers. It also featured a unique transmission gear selection system and one of the earliest unit-body constructive designs.
CORD L-29, produced from 1929 through1931, 5,010 units.
CORD 810/812, produced in 1936 and 1937, approximately 2,940 units.
Tags: 1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet 1946 Stinson Gullwing ACD Museum Auburn Indiana
© All Rights Reserved
The Cord L-29 was the first successful mass-produced front-wheel-drive American automobile. But it was much more than that. Look at the styling of this automotive masterpiece. It was styled by Alan Leamy and was conceived as a single unit with the symmetry of the interior reflecting the external lines. Automotive styling had come into its own with this design. No longer was it an afterthought. Leamy incorporated the mechanical features of the front drive unit into the subtle style of the Cord. Cloaking the most technologically advanced automobile of its day in beauty, Leamy ensured the L-29 was superior both mechanically and aesthetically.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Cabriolet
Wheelbase: 137.5 inches
Engine: Lycoming in-line eight-cylinder
Transmission: Three speed manual
Displacement: 299 cubic inches
Horsepower: 125 at 3,400 rpm
Weight: 4,500 lbs.
Price When New: $3,195
Tags: 1930 Cord L-29 ACD Museum Auburn Indiana
© All Rights Reserved
The Cord L-29 was the first successful mass-produced front-wheel-drive American automobile. But it was much more than that. Look at the styling of this automotive masterpiece. It was styled by Alan Leamy and was conceived as a single unit with the symmetry of the interior reflecting the external lines. Automotive styling had come into its own with this design. No longer was it an afterthought. Leamy incorporated the mechanical features of the front drive unit into the subtle style of the Cord. Cloaking the most technologically advanced automobile of its day in beauty, Leamy ensured the L-29 was superior both mechanically and aesthetically.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Cabriolet
Wheelbase: 137.5 inches
Engine: Lycoming in-line eight-cylinder
Transmission: Three speed manual
Displacement: 299 cubic inches
Horsepower: 125 at 3,400 rpm
Weight: 4,500 lbs.
Price When New: $3,195
Tags: 1930 Cord L-29 ACD Museum Auburn Indiana
© All Rights Reserved