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Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe '1929

Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

Errett Lobban Cord went down in history as an ambitious American businessman in the late 1920s. who created an entire industrial empire on the basis of a small car company Auburn. Having redeemed the shares of the largest transport corporations for a pittance, he merged them under the control of the Cord Corporation holding. The latter included the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg group, known for making the finest American cars before the war.

Design Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

The Cord L-29 was the first American production car with front-wheel drive. It was created in 1929, months ahead of its Ruxton counterpart, and filled the price gap between the cheaper 8-cylinder Auburn and the luxurious Duesenberg Model J. Auburn and Duesenberg owner Errett Lobban Cord decided to sell the L-29 under a separate brand. designated by his name.

Design Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

The Cord L-29 was developed by engineers John Oswald and Cornelius Van Ranst, and the body was designed by stylist Alan Limi. The absence of a propeller shaft made it possible to make the car lower than any American car of that time. There were four factory bodies to choose from: Sedan, Brige, Phaeton Sedan and Convertible Coupe. In addition, third-party bodies were installed on 43 chassis.

Design Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

Technically, the Cord L-29 was radically different from the rear-wheel drive models of the same class. It was based on an almost flat steel frame with an X-shaped cross brace in the middle. The Lycoming-built 4.9-liter in-line, 8-cylinder aluminum head engine develops 125 horsepower. With a total weight of more than 2 tons, the power was clearly not enough, so the maximum speed was only 130 km / h. An increase in the volume of cylinders to 5275 cm3 in 1932 did not solve the problem.

Design Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

The innovative front-wheel drive design with two paired cardan joints was borrowed from Harry Miller's racing cars. The engine stood backwards under the hood, with the clutch, 3-speed manual transmission and differential in front of it. As a consequence, the gear lever was not mounted on the floor, but on the dashboard.

Design Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

The front brake drums were installed inside the body, next to the differential. The continuous rear axle was connected to the frame using semi-elliptical springs, and the de Dion front suspension consisted of a rigid beam and four inverted quarter-elliptical springs.

Under the hood Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

At the end of the 20s. the front-wheel drive system was still too imperfect and had many shortcomings: unreliability of the drive axle hinges, poor handling, noise in the transmission, indistinct gear changes and insufficient traction when driving uphill.

Interior Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

Introduced early in the Great Depression, starting at $ 3,095, the Cord L-29 was too expensive for most Americans. In 1932, due to lack of demand, production stopped. In total, the firm produced 4429 copies.

Design Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe

The most beautiful bodywork ever mounted on the Cord L-29 chassis is a two-seater coupe from Hayes. It was created by the Russian émigré Count Alexis de Sakhnovski, who worked as a designer at the Hayes coachbuilding firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The car was built in a single copy and in 1930 sent to Europe to participate in several elegance competitions. After that, he returned to the United States and belonged to the director Hayes, and in 1941 fell into the hands of the famous American stylist Brooks Stevens. After being refurbished in 1987, it won the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and continues to impress fans of the brand today.

About $ 20,000 was spent on the development of the Cord L-29 Hayes Coupe. To the long bonnet and sleek front fenders, Sakhnovski added curved door lines and a streamlined trunk lid. The soft roof was made of faux leather and the interior was made of wood and wool. Noteworthy details such as the external sun visor on the vertical windshield, the small elliptical rear window, the absence of sills and smooth tapered steel rims on all wheels.