Purchased the struggling Auburn Automobile Company in 1923 and the Duesenberg Motor Company in 1926

Influenced automotive design in the 1920s and 1930s by developing luxurious motor vehicles that are recognized today as classics

E.L. Cord utilized his flair for business to produce some of America’s most beautiful automobiles. As a boy, Cord studied in garages and workshops to learn about automobiles. Later, his success at selling cars enabled him to purchase the struggling Auburn Automobile Company, which was producing only six vehicles per day. Cord quickly turned the company around with his business expertise and understanding of marketing. Acquiring the Duesenberg Company in 1926, Cord established himself as the producer of some of the most elegant automobiles the American industry had ever seen. With a keen instinct for finance, he formed a $125 million holding company that controlled automotive, aviation, shipbuilding and engineering companies that survived the economic turmoil of 1929. Cord’s career shifted from automobile production to electronics, real estate and even politics as a Nevada State Senator. His varied interests, he said, stemmed from his belief that once a challenge was met it was “…no longer fun.”