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)]