Cord L-29 (1930)

Spoilt by arriving just a day before the USA's famous stock market crash in 1930, the Cord L-29 was nonetheless extremely stylish. It was put together by the Auburn Automobile Company and named after the firm's president, E.L Cord. It was revolutionary in that it used front-wheel drive with a de Dion axle mounted under the grille, and the massive straight-eight engine had an alloy head and was set back in the chassis for good weight-distribution. Because of the drive configuration, chief design engineer John Oswald was able to style the L-29 very long and low, which made it look sleek against its contemporaries. Because of the market crash, the car sold poorly, so its price was slashed to help boost sales. Even so, the car was finished by 1931but it had done well in the Europe Concours d' Elegance shows, and paved the way for the most coveted of all Cords, the 812.

Cord L-29 (1930) Specifications