It’s been said that one can avoid criticism solely by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing. Errett Lobban Cord averted these pitfalls and was criticized a lot.
He jumped from automotive salesman in 1924, to president and chief stockholder of Auburn in 1926. At age 31, he was the youngest president of an American automaker. By the early ’30s he’d also acquired Duesenberg and lots of different enterprises. Cord’s empire included aviation, transport, taxicabs, amongst different pursuits.
While distracted by these different ventures, Cord’s auto corporations suffered. Heavy losses pressured Cord to sell his holdings in 1937. Auto manufacturing was the primary to be shut down by the brand new owners. Some fans have by no means actually forgiven him for that.
During 10 years of wheeler-supplier success, E.L. Cord was behind some of essentially the most-magnificent automobiles ever constructed. In 1928, he ushered in the beautiful Auburn Speedster. The following yr introduced the mighty Duesenberg Mannequin J and the Cord L-29. The last proved less than hoped for, however it led to the 1936-37 Cord 810/812, some of the-memorable and influential automobiles of all time.
The unbridled optimism of the late ’20s prompted many new fashions and some new makes to fill particular market niches. E.L. Cord decided to fill the price gap between his eight-cylinder Auburns and exotic Duesenbergs with a rakish new car bearing his own name and the then-novel feature of entrance-wheel drive.
The resulting L-29 was mainly engineered by race-automobile builder Harry Miller and one Cornelius Van Ranst, both avid proponents of “horse-pulls-cart.” Its powerplant began as the 298.6-cubic-inch Auburn straight eight, however ended up fairly totally different.
For the Cord’s entrance drive it needed to be mounted backward in order that clutch and transmission could face forward. The cylinder head was altered to put the water outlet up front, and the crankcase was modified for a rear engine mount. In accordance to one Cord authority, the L-29 engine had over 70 distinctive components. Marketed at 125 horsepower, its precise output was one hundred fifteen until 1932 when a larger bore increased horsepower to a truthful 125.
Sending its energy to the entrance wheels was a three-speed sliding-pinion gearbox mounted behind the differential as on a Miller-designed 1927 Indianapolis racer. Front brakes were mounted inboard, against the differential instead of on the wheels. This lowered unsprung weight for improved journey and dealing with. Quarter-elliptic leaf springs appeared fore, semielliptics aft, Houdaille-Hershey shock absorbers all around. Driveshafts employed premium Cardan fixed-velocity common joints.
This format was not without issues. The primary one was excessive drivetrain length that dictated a tremendous 137.5-inch wheelbase, yet put more than half of the car’s weight over the rear wheels — the place it did nothing for traction on hills, icy roads, or gravel surfaces.
Worse, the U-joints could not stand braking, plus the pounding of wheels that drove as well as steered, they usually wore out with merciless frequency. Though these problems may have been licked with time, Cord was adamant that the automotive debut before 1930 (which it did, although only by six months).
But, oh, what that structure did for seems. The tremendous-lengthy entrance allowed Auburn chief designer Al Leamy (with assist from body engineer John Oswald) to craft a flowing hood/fenders ensemble that only accented that spectacular length and the lowness conferred by front-wheel drive. Capping the entrance end was a sheetmetal grille utterly enclosing the radiator — an industry first.
In all, the L-29 regarded sensational in its 4 “manufacturing unit” body varieties: sedan, brougham, phaeton, and cabriolet, all equipped by subsidiary Cord firms. Quite a few celebrities purchased L-29s, and coachbuilders at house and abroad created gorgeous custom bodies. Commonplace fashions were pretty priced in the $3100-$3300 range, so the L-29 should have been a success.
It wasn’t. Even without the poor traction and U-joint woes, front drive was an unproven commodity and thus a tough sell within the conservative $3000 market. And late 1929 was hardly the best time to launch any automotive, what with Wall Street types launching themselves out of windows.
Moreover, in comparison with contemporary Packards, Lincolns, and Cadillacs, the L-29 was a slug. Its zero-60 time was around 25 seconds, top speed barely seventy five mph. One author euphemistically termed this “nice tepidity,” and it was nearly excusable given the brilliant styling.
But there was no means the L-29 could generate income. It thus limped alongside by means of 1932 with virtually no changes. Whole production got here to 5010. By 1935, one used-automobile guide listed the money worth of the L-29 convertible at simply $145. Though a failure in its time, the L-29 has since been extensively appreciated — together with certification as a Basic by the Traditional Car Club of America. This model retained front-wheel drive, but with a giant difference.
The place the L-29 had an extended straight eight behind the transmission and mounted each far behind the front axle, the 810 used a V-8 that was half as long and will thus sit just aft of the axle; its differential/clutch assembly prolonged ahead to the transmission, which was situated barely forward of the axle. The outcomes were much better weight distribution and traction than in the L-29, abetted by a trimmer 125-inch wheelbase. Entrance suspension, for instance, comprised independent trailing arms joined by a single transverse leaf spring. The transmission had 4 ahead ratios as an alternative of the same old three, plus Bendix “Electric Hand” preselector. With this, you first selected the specified gear through a switchlike lever on an extension of the steering column, then shifted by stabbing the clutch.
The 810 V-8 was a 288.6-cid unit made by Lycoming, one other of Cord’s firms. This packed 125 horsepower, cities skylines2 PS5 which was good, but an available Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger (just like late Auburns) swelled that to a watch-opening 170. The total was soon 190 via a better-increase blower. Standard 810s would reach 90 mph and run zero-60 in 20 seconds. The super-charged version would do 110 mph and hit 60 in 11-thirteen seconds — one of many quickest production cars in prewar America.
However efficiency seems nearly secondary next to 810 styling, the work of Gordon Buehrig, assisted by Dale Cosper, Dick Robertson, and Paul Laurenzen. Initially conceived for a stillborn “baby Duesenberg,” it was unforgettable: easily formed “coffin-nostril” hood, striking wraparound horizontal louvers as a substitute of a radiator, minimal trim, pontoon fenders, and, on blown fashions, racy uncovered exhaust pipes.
Concealed headlamps flipped up when wanted (via handbook cranks) — one other industry first. Equally futuristic for the time had been a unit-physique development, front-opening hood, separate license-plate light, full wheel covers, and hid gas cap. Inside were a turned-metal dash awash in needle gauges and a ceiling-mounted radio speaker (sedans). Amazingly, Buehrig cobbled up many appearance objects from proprietary bits and items, including some Auburn leftovers.
Just like the L-29, the 810 bowed with four models: Westchester and Beverly sedans (upholstery patterns had been the primary distinction) and two-seat Cabriolet and four-passenger Phaeton convertibles. Prices, nevertheless, had been much lower: as little as $2000. Prices have been hiked some $500 for 1937’s little-changed 812 line, which added two lengthy sedans on a 132-inch wheelbase, the Customized Beverly and Custom Berline, priced at $2,960-$three,575.
Sadly, the 810/812 had even more issues than the L-29. This mirrored the quick-fading fortunes of the Cord Corporation that dictated a shoestring finances, value-chopping engineering in locations, and too much hand labor for consistent and even good build high quality. Not that any of this mattered in the long run. E.L. Cord’s empire collapsed in 1937, and the Cord car followed Auburn and Duesenberg down the highway to oblivion.
Though the L-29 was lengthy ignored by collectors, the 810/812 began appreciating in worth almost immediately after manufacturing ended (at 1629/1278 units). As with Duesenberg Js and Auburn Speedsters, peerless styling can be a motivation for a number of postwar revival attempts and shoddy replicas, but none would have even the unique’s modest success.
