1930 CORD MODEL L-29 TOWN CAR

1930 CORD MODEL L-29 TOWN CAR
Sold for US$ 1,760,000 Including Commission
Coachwork by Murphy & Co.
From the Estate of Jay Hyde, owned for more than 55 years
Chassis no. 2926823
Engine no. FD 2410
298.6ci L-Head Inline 8-Cylinder Engine
Updraft Schebler Carburetor
125hp
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes, with Inboard Front Brakes
*Rare custom bodied Cord L-29
*One of four L-29 Murphy Town Cars built, only short wheelbase to survive
*Famed Hollywood history car
*Remarkable unrestored and well-preserved example
*An ACD Club Category No.1 Certified car
THE CORD L-29
Errett Lobban Cord introduced the L-29 in 1929 as a gap-filling model priced between his Cord Corporation's Auburn and Duesenberg lines, the latter being totally redesigned that year. Powered by a straight-eight 'flat head' engine built by Lycoming – another of Cord's companies – the L-29 featured front-wheel drive, then much in vogue at Indianapolis. An avid race fan, Cord had been impressed by the performance of the Harry Miller-designed front-wheel-drive Junior 8 Special, and in 1926 purchased the passenger-car rights to Miller's fwd designs. Cornelius Van Ranst was hired to assist with development, and by November 1927 the first prototype was ready for testing and assessment by Fred Duesenberg, Cord's Chief Engineer. Staff designer Al Leamy contributed the stylish coachwork, which was underpinned by Van Ranst's X-braced chassis frame – the world's first.
Production of the new car, now dubbed 'L-29', commenced at the Auburn, Indiana plant in April 1929 with a two-day press launch in June. The advantages conferred by the L-29's front-wheel-drive layout, chiefly, a low centre of gravity and increased passenger space, were immediately apparent; while the freedom its low-slung frame gave coachbuilders meant that the Cord was soon attracting the attention of master craftsmen on both sides of the Atlantic. Indeed, many connoisseurs consider the L-29 to be the most stylish American car of the period.
The L-29 was offered initially in Sedan, Brougham, Convertible Coupé and Phaeton versions, at prices ranging from $3,095 to $3,295. Unfortunately for Cord, just as his new baby was reaching dealers' showrooms the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 blew away a huge proportion of his intended clientele. Despite a program of price cuts, sales never took off and the world's first practical front-wheel-drive production car was discontinued in 1932. Including cars supplied in chassis form to independent coachbuilders, only 5,010 L-29s were built, of which it is thought that around 300 of all types exist today.
Among all Classic Era automobiles, only very few Cords were actually supplied to coachbuilders, as a result of the timing of the depression and owing to the fact that Cord themselves offered factory body styles. This makes Custom bodied Cords not only exceedingly beautiful, but also incredibly rare.
Those that do survive, such as the Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky Coupé, have always been prized.
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Robert Myrick Photography