Cord L-29 Cabriolet
Front-wheel drive was still a rarity at the end of the 1920s, but the Cord L-29 was revolutionary.
The Cord’s transmission, which was developed by Cornelius van Ranst in conjunction with the racing-car engineer Harry Miller, made it possible for the car to be built lower than normal. This low centre of gravity considerably improved the car’s road holding and the front-wheel drive effectively pulled the car around a corner. The Cord L-29 was therefore able to take corners much faster than many of its contemporaries.
By the end of the 1920s the businessman Errett Lobban Cord already owned the Auburn and Duesenberg marques. However, he realised his greatest ambition in 1929 when he launched a car bearing his own name.
The Cord L-29, with bodywork designed by Alan Leamy, won numerous concours d’élégance in its day, beating the European models, but unfortunately sales never took off.