Photograph of Cord L-29

Cord
L-29
Production 1929-1931
Automobile manufacturing accounted for only a small portion of E.L.Cord’s corporate empires, but what we are now reminded of, notably Auburn, Duesenberg, and, of course, Cord, is a once-famous name. Along with the already brilliant stars of roaring twenties four-wheeled splendour, the L-29, which entered the coveted line-up in 1929, was expected to be in the centre of the pack among the sibling brands already well known to the general public. It was America’s first front wheel-drive automobile, and because of its heritage, it rapidly became synonymous with luxury in the minds of consumers. Sales were fewer than projected, competitors in the class were less expensive, and the reality of the Great Depression eventually knocked on the doors of all luxury manufacturers. In the 1930s, Jonas Vailokaitis, possibly the most wealthy Lithuanian of the time, drove one of these Cords, which were among the most opulent in the little Lithuanian fleet at the time. It’s no accident that it also served as a transport for Feliksas Vaitkus’ Lituanica II, which successfully crossed the Atlantic in 1935.