This Cord L-29 came to me
from a customer who is a serious collector.
He wanted it restored to concourse condition.
It came to the shop in OK shape, it wasn't
banged up or damaged, it was just an old restoration
that showed a lot of wear. The last restoration
was about 30 years old, and paint technology
especially has changed a great deal in that
time.
The car was light blue when
it came to me. There are many examples of
this color scheme, and it's OK looking, but
Cord allows custom colors without hurting
the value, so the customer asked for a change.
I think this orange and cream color works
well. Frank Lloyd Wright had one custom ordered
in a similar scheme that is very popular.
Factory Cord color records were destroyed
in a fire years ago, so there is leniency
in the selection of colors.
The Cord was a very advanced
car, the L-29 was early in the development.
This car is a straight 8, front wheel drive,
manual shift. Later in the development Cord
went to V-8, supercharged, and electric/pneumatic
pre-select shifting. They set speed records
that lasted for many years.
This car underwent a frame-off
restoration while in my care. After being
received by the customer some problems became
evident, but I handled the warranty in good
order, transporting the car from the client
and back myself. I don't like it when a warranty
situation arises and inconveniences and disappoints
the customer, but sometimes these things happen.
The finished photos were taken at my new facility
in the fall of 2009
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