With the Law Onside, a Cord Resurrection Is in the Works

by Steph Willems

November 26th, 2016 9:55 PM

with the law onside a cord resurrection is in the works

Amelia Earhart owned one, and likely would have seen more sunsets had she chosen it as her ride of choice, instead of a Lockheed Electra.

It was one of the great American automobiles of the interwar era, and a favorite of matinee stars — a nameplate steeped in style, class and technological innovation. But, ultimately, short-lived.

Or was it? If one Texan has his way, we could soon see a small-scale revival of the Cord brand.

According to Hemmings, Craig Corbell, a Houston oil industry consultant and Cord aficionado, hopes to start production of new Cords. Building modern copies of a vehicle that vanished after 1937 is a tall order, but the law’s on Corbell’s side. Thank the Low Volume Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Act.

That law, passed late last year, allows low-volume replica automakers to bypass certain regulations, as long as the companies sell no more than 325 vehicles per year. Having an EPA or CARB-certified current model year engine under the hood is part of the deal.

So, the law that resurrected the DeLorean DMC-12 from its kitschy grave could soon do the same for Cord. As the first American car with front-wheel drive, the upscale Cord brand (a subsidiary of Auburn) bowed in 1929 with the L-29 model. That vehicle met a Great Depression-related death in 1932. However, it is the iconic 810 model of 1936 that most enthusiasts associate with the brand. Featuring a low-slung, running board-free body, “coffin nose” prow and flip-up headlamps, the 810 (and 812 of 1937) remains a standout in the world of automobile styling.

One a couple of thousand 810 and 812 models left the factory before the Cord brand went light-out.

In the hopes of one day realizing his dream, Corbell bought the Cord trademark in 2014 and closely followed the passage of the low-volume vehicle law. Claiming to be in talks with automakers, Corbell wants to have a display vehicle ready for the fall of 2017.

“Until now it was cost prohibitive to manufacture these cars profitably,” he said in a recent media release. “But now that expensive high speed crash testing, for example, is no longer required to manufacture low runs of replicas, this makes tremendous sense.”

[Image: Jane Nearing/ Flickr ( CC BY-ND 2.0)]

#Cord #Cord810 #LowVolumeMotorVehicleManufacturersActOf2015 #Production #ReplicaVehicles

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5 of 33 comments

Its me Dave on Nov 26, 2016

This is relevant to my interests.

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- Pete Skimmel on Nov 27, 2016
  
  You must be familiar with the Corvair powered somewhat downsized versions of some years back? I believe they qualify as authentic Cords as their builder owned the name and manufacturing rights at the time.
  
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- Syke on Nov 27, 2016
  
  @Pete Skimmel Back in 1966, called the Cord 8/10 because it was 4/5ths the size of the original car. They made a couple hundred of them, and the effort can actually be called a success unlike most "two guys in a shed" automotive producers. After they got out of the business (I believe the canceling of the Corvair had a lot to do with it), the dies were bought by somebody who attempted to bring out a rear drive version with a Ford 289 in it. It flopped rather quickly. Edit: And I seem to remember they guy's name was Glenn Pray. (Prey? Can't remember the correct spelling.)
  
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- Johnster on Nov 27, 2016
  
  @Syke There was also at least one other company that made replicas of the 1936 and 37 Cords in the late 1960s or early 1970s, only they were built on rear-wheel drive chassis and used Ford engines. As I recall, they featured exposed headlamps. (They probably used Ford chassis, too.)
  
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Ol Shel on Nov 27, 2016

Why lose all your money in those run-of-the-mill supercar company scams when you can lose it in a more well-meaning debacle?

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