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Voll and Ruhrbeck of Berline was a world-class builder of fine custom coachwork. Their work graced the finest of chassis, including Horch, Mercedes, Daimler, Bugatti, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce. Their work would also adorn the Cord automobile.
This example wears Sport Cabriolet coachwork by Voll and Ruhrbeck. It is believed that, to expedite the process, the chassis was absconded from the original show car sedan. Just ten months after the chassis had departed Indiana, it appeared in its new formal dress, as it wears today. It made its debut at the February 1931 Berlin Motor Show. It was among a selection of Auburn and Cord offerings presented by Fahrkraft G.m.b.H., the Auburn-Cord distributor in Berlin. The March issue of Auburn's dealer newsletter, The Accelerator, displayed the sport cabriolet, picturing it with Mr. Schmidt, of Hamburg distributor Franck & Schmidt, and Ruth Ingrid Richard, Miss Germany.
The car has very large doors that open to reveal a five-passenger interior clothed in thick leather and capped with polished mahogany. In the front are bucket seats and assist handles crafted of woven leather to help close the massive doors. There is beltline molding that flows through the doors and then sinks under the edges of the convertible top and flows down around the rear fenders. There is a low, raked windshield with a subtle visor. The top bear's landau irons and wraps around an unusual spring-loading mechanism, which assists in raising and lowering the bows and fabric. The windows roll down through custom tracks, which then fold away to disappear when the windows and top are lowered.
Inside is a complete interior headliner, giving it the feel of being an enclosed car. In the back is a leather-covered trunk.
It is believed the car remained in Germany until around 1940 when it departed the country for reasons unknown. The final destination was Argentina. The story resumed in the early-1970s when it came into the care of Ken O'Connor of California. Selling the automobile was Argentinean broker Hector Mendizabal. Mendizabal had described the car as a German-bodied Cord bearing the coach number 1686. Upon arrival at the pier in San Francisco, CA, the car was not in pristine condition, but it was complete and retained its original serial number plate and numerous custom trim pieces. At the time, it was the only known extant European-bodied L-29, and it was an ideal basis to begin a restoration.
O'Connor planned to complete the restoration work himself, but as years passed, the car was never completed. In 2002, he sold the project to Jim Fasnacht, who had the work completed. The restoration was handled by the specialists of LaVine Restorations in Nappanee, Indiana. Numerous L-29 experts were contacted and interviewed, ensuring the work was done correctly. The goal was 'cost-no-object' perfection in every nut and bolt. The work was completed in March 2004 and then shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2005, marking the first time that the Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet had been displayed to the world since 1931. The car scored Second in Class, behind the 1931 DuPont Model H Sport Phaeton by Merrimac.
A month later, the car returned to Auburn, Indiana, for the first time since its chassis departed for Europe seven decades prior, to be shown at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club's National Reunion. The car was awarded the E.L. Cord Award, marking it as the Best L-29 of the show. It also won the Harold Ames Trophy for Best of Show from over 300 judged ACD cars. Its next show appearance was at the 2013 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's.By Daniel Vaughan | May 2013
This example wears Sport Cabriolet coachwork by Voll and Ruhrbeck. It is believed that, to expedite the process, the chassis was absconded from the original show car sedan. Just ten months after the chassis had departed Indiana, it appeared in its new formal dress, as it wears today. It made its debut at the February 1931 Berlin Motor Show. It was among a selection of Auburn and Cord offerings presented by Fahrkraft G.m.b.H., the Auburn-Cord distributor in Berlin. The March issue of Auburn's dealer newsletter, The Accelerator, displayed the sport cabriolet, picturing it with Mr. Schmidt, of Hamburg distributor Franck & Schmidt, and Ruth Ingrid Richard, Miss Germany.
The car has very large doors that open to reveal a five-passenger interior clothed in thick leather and capped with polished mahogany. In the front are bucket seats and assist handles crafted of woven leather to help close the massive doors. There is beltline molding that flows through the doors and then sinks under the edges of the convertible top and flows down around the rear fenders. There is a low, raked windshield with a subtle visor. The top bear's landau irons and wraps around an unusual spring-loading mechanism, which assists in raising and lowering the bows and fabric. The windows roll down through custom tracks, which then fold away to disappear when the windows and top are lowered.
Inside is a complete interior headliner, giving it the feel of being an enclosed car. In the back is a leather-covered trunk.
It is believed the car remained in Germany until around 1940 when it departed the country for reasons unknown. The final destination was Argentina. The story resumed in the early-1970s when it came into the care of Ken O'Connor of California. Selling the automobile was Argentinean broker Hector Mendizabal. Mendizabal had described the car as a German-bodied Cord bearing the coach number 1686. Upon arrival at the pier in San Francisco, CA, the car was not in pristine condition, but it was complete and retained its original serial number plate and numerous custom trim pieces. At the time, it was the only known extant European-bodied L-29, and it was an ideal basis to begin a restoration.
O'Connor planned to complete the restoration work himself, but as years passed, the car was never completed. In 2002, he sold the project to Jim Fasnacht, who had the work completed. The restoration was handled by the specialists of LaVine Restorations in Nappanee, Indiana. Numerous L-29 experts were contacted and interviewed, ensuring the work was done correctly. The goal was 'cost-no-object' perfection in every nut and bolt. The work was completed in March 2004 and then shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2005, marking the first time that the Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet had been displayed to the world since 1931. The car scored Second in Class, behind the 1931 DuPont Model H Sport Phaeton by Merrimac.
A month later, the car returned to Auburn, Indiana, for the first time since its chassis departed for Europe seven decades prior, to be shown at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club's National Reunion. The car was awarded the E.L. Cord Award, marking it as the Best L-29 of the show. It also won the Harold Ames Trophy for Best of Show from over 300 judged ACD cars. Its next show appearance was at the 2013 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's.By Daniel Vaughan | May 2013
2013 RM Auctions - Amelia Island
Sale Price :
USD $990,000
1930 Cord L-29 Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Cord L-29
(Data based on Model Year 1930 sales)
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Sold for USD$88,000 2023 RM Sothebys : Hershey | |
1930 CORD L-29 CABRIOLET Chassis#: 2929384 Sold for USD$173,600 2021 Bonhams : Amelia Island Auction | |
1930 CORD L29 BROUGHAM Chassis#: FDA1785 Sold for USD$55,000 2020 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, AZ | |
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Chassis#: 2928415 Sold for USD$275,000 2019 RM Sothebys : Hershey | |
1930 Cord L-29 Brougham Chassis#: 2927601 Sold for USD$103,400 2019 RM Sothebys : Hershey | |
1930 Cord L29 Cabriolet Chassis#: FD4121 Sold for USD$75,900 2019 Mecum : Monterey | |
1930 Cord L-29 Convertible Phaeton Sedan Chassis#: 2927299 Sold for USD$157,300 2019 Auburn Spring : RM Auctions | |
1930 Cord 1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Chassis#: FD3577A Sold for USD$95,200 2019 Bonhams : Tupelo Auction | |
1930 Cord L-29 Convertible Sedan Chassis#: 2927299 Sold for USD$156,800 2019 Bonhams : Amelia Island | |
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Sold for USD$203,500 2018 Mecum : Las Vegas | |
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Chassis#: FD3161BA Sold for USD$165,000 2018 RM Auctions : Auburn Fall | |
1930 Cord L-29 Convertible Phaeton Sedan Chassis#: FDA3007 Sold for USD$173,250 2018 RM Auctions : Auburn Fall | |
1930 CORD L29 SPORT PHAETON Chassis#: 2925858 Sold for USD$253,000 2018 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale | |
1930 CORD L29 CONVERTIBLE SEDAN Chassis#: FD3007A Sold for USD$137,500 2017 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale | |
1930 CORD L29 4-DOOR BROUGHAM Chassis#: FDA1785 Sold for USD$300,000 2017 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale | |
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Chassis#: 2927648 Sold for USD$187,000 2016 RM Sotheby's : Motor City | |
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Chassis#: 2928140 Sold for USD$203,500 2016 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island | |
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet Chassis#: 2928423 Sold for USD$137,500 2016 RM Sothebys : Arizona | |
1930 Cord L-29 Convertible Phaeton Sedan Sold for USD$137,500 2015 Auctions America - Auburn Fall | |
1930 CORD MODEL L-29 TOWN CAR Chassis#: 2926823 Sold for USD$1,760,000 2015 Bonhams Amelia Island Auction |
Cord L-29s That Failed To Sell At Auction
1930 Cord L-29's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet | 2928451 | 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Auburn Auction | |||
1930 Cord L-29 Cabriolet | 2926853 | 2019 Mecum : Monterey | |||
1930 Cord L-29 Convertible Sedan | FDA3007 | 2018 Bonhams : Greenwich Concours | $160,000 | $200,000 | |
1930 Cord L-29 | 2926853 | 2016 Motostalgia : Amelia Island Auction | $425,000 | $550,000 | |
1930 Cord L-29 Roadster | 2013 Auctions America Fall Carlisle | $60,000 | |||
1930 Cord L29 Cabriolet | 2012 Leake Auctions Tulsa | $140,000 | |||
1930 CORD L29 CABRIOLET | 2927033 | 2011 Worldwide Auctions The Auburn Auction | $175,000 | $200,000 | |
1930 CORD L29 CABRIOLET | 2927033 | 2011 Worldwide Auctions The Auburn Auction | $175,000 | $200,000 | |
1930 Cord L-29 Phaeton Convertible | 2009 Carlisle Auction 09 Fall Carlisle Collector Car Auction | ||||
1930 CORD SEDAN FOUR DOOR | 2001 Kruse Auction Auburn, IN | $74,000 |
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1930 Cord L-29
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