1931 Cord L-29 Rumble Seat Cabriolet

The Cord L-29's front-wheel drive system provided outstanding handling and tractability for its time, but the car was not a high-performance machine: top speed was only 75 mph. In an attempt to solve that issue, later Cords such as this Cabriolet featured the larger 'FF' engine, which provided slightly more power and torque.

The original restoration of this factory-bodied L-29 Cord was performed for noted enthusiast Chip Conner, and was awarded Second in Class during the L-29 feature year at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1987.

Collector Jim Fasnacht acquired the car from Conner 15 years later, and had the restoration extensively freshened, with great attention to accuracy and authenticity. The car returned to Pebble Beach and was again a class winner. It went on to garner Best L-29 at the ACD Club National Reunion, where it was judged by the most knowledgeable L-29 experts and found to be flawless.

The car has unusual headlamps known as Woodlites. These were popular accessories on low-slung 1930s luxury automobiles. The design was intended to focus a narrow beam of intense light directly forward, rather than spreading the light in a method of 'bowl' headlamps of the day.