Albion

GB, 1900 – 1913

Albion Motor Car Co Ltd, Scotstoun, Glasgow

Still active as a truck manufacturers within the Leyland Group, Albion was founded at the end of 1899 by T. Blackwood Murray and Norman Fulton, late of Arrol-Johnston and their early products were dogcarts with varnished-wood bodywork much in the Arrol-Johnston idiom, with 2-cylinder opposed-piston underfloor engines, low tension magneto ignition, and Murray’s patent governor. Wheel steering replaced the tiller in 1902, and a year later Albion began production of a 16hp vertical-twin which was made for many years, usually with solid tyres, and often with shooting-brake bodywork. ‘Cars for country houses’, especially Scottish ones, were a speciality of the house, though rather less rustic was a side-valve 5.6-litre chain-driven four introduced in 1906. This 24hp model had a seven-year production run. The last Albion passenger car was a 15hp Monobloc four with side valves in a T-head and worm drive, which sold for £475 in 1912. At the end of 1913 Albion elected to concentrade on commercial vehicles, though large shooting brakes using the 15hp engine continues to be made.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Cord

US, 1929 – 1937

Auburn Automobile Co, Auburn, Ind., 1929 -1937

The first American front-wheel-drive car to win popular approval, the Cord was one of a trio of distinctive cars (the others being the Auburn and the Duesenburg) that made up Erret Lobban Cord’s empire. The first Cord for sale was the Cord Model L-29, powered by a 4.934cc straight 8 engine made by Lycoming, another Cord subsidiary. The Cord L-29 was much lower than most contemporary American cars and was made in open and closed models, as well as being given special coachwork by such firms as Murphy, Hayes, and in England, Freestone & Webb. However, the price of over $3.300 was against the car in the Depression years, and production ended in 1932 after some 4400 Cord cars had been sold.
The Cord name re-emerged later in 1935 with the strikingly modernistic Cord Model 810. Designed by Gordon Buehrig, this car had originally been intended as a small model of Duesenberg. Like the Cord L-29 the new car was front-driven and Lycoming-powered, although by a slightly smaller V8 engine of 4.730cc. The body was of a very advanced design, and featured retractable headlamps and a wrap-around grille. Body styles were the Westchester and Beverly sedans (identical except for upholstery pattern), two-seater Sportsman and four-seater Phaeton convertibles. In 1937 the Cord Model 812 series was introduced, featuring a long-wheelbase Custom berline with chauffeur division, while an optional supercharger boosted power to 195bhp. Prices ranged from $1.995 for the early models to $3.575 for the 1937 Cord Supercharged Custom berline, and this drastically restricted sales. Only 2320 examples of the Cord 810 and Cord 812 were made.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; KM
The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com