Errett Lobban Cord was only one of many earnest, skilled and dedicated entrepreneurs whose dream of establishing an automotive empire to rival Ford, GM and Chrysler was dashed. At one time E.L. Cord controlled the Checker and Yellow cab companies, Duesenberg, Lycoming, Stinson Aircraft and American Airways, among a portfolio of 156 companies. A master salesman who worked his way up through the automobile business, the basis of Cord’s industrial empire was Auburn Manufacturing, which he acquired in 1924. He set to work to resuscitate Auburn and succeeded by creating a performance image that helped sell mundane, but profitable, sedans.

The 1930s in America were like no other time in automotive history. There was no limit on grandeur, if money could buy it, it would be thought of, and if it could be thought of it was most likely being done so at the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Company in Auburn, Indiana. Perhaps one of the most opulent cars of the era, the Cord L-29 was not only lavish, but also ground-breaking in many ways. Cord has long been known in period and today for its well-known engineering standards of the time. The L-29 featured front-wheel drive and to accommodate this design platform, many things were changed throughout the L-29 to make it a success and indeed unique amongst its contemporaries.

Presented here is a solid original car with a very nice older restoration. This Cord has been in the caring hands of the current owner since 1973 and has completed many car tours. Before that, it was believed to have been used by the cast of “Gone With the Wind” as transportation to the premier of the movie in Atlanta, Georgia in 1939.

Under the hood is a 301-cid inline eight-cylinder engine that is married to a three-speed manual transmission. The outside is adorned with twin taillights, chrome wheels with whitewall tires, painted hubs, rare stone guard, dual side-mounted spare tires and a trunk rack with trunk that fits well. The white paint with a blue belt line shows to be in nice order, along with the tan leather interior.

Like most cars of the period the Cord L-29 was offered in many different body styles per customer request. As such we are left with many magnificent automobiles derived from imaginative, no-limits designs from this bygone era. The Cord L-29 today is coveted as one of the all-time greats and is a CCCA Full Classic today.