Cord Bronze Scale Model

Will do Wyn. Thanks

Thanks Pete.

Hi Terry

Thanks for the note. Yes, I've been in touch with the owner of the site (cordinsa.visible.co.za) - chap by the name of Ray Exton very kindly responded to my mails and sent further info to his Facebook community (and he, in turn, forwarded this on to me). I understand that the Cord featured on the site (Ray's own restoration) was later sold to a collector in Cape Town, South Africa, and was subsequently sold to the UK...

Hello Martin.
I saw one of the incredibly rare models complete with the marble base in Italy back in 2008. It is a pity that the picture ended up a bit blurred. The Italian owner bought it in France.

Have you checked out the web site CORD In South Africa? It gives the history of the know Cords sold in the country plus a lot more of general information.

Put the polishing rag away; it looks great just the way it is.
Pete

Martin,
I can't find your email in the latest published membership directory (which is 2021-2022).  Could you shoot me an email to [email protected] or text me at +1-574-210-5391 ?  Thanks!
Wyn

Martin,
I would definitely like to buy this from you.  I am sure we can come to an agreement.  I will try to contact you via email.
Wyn Laidig
[email protected]
 

Dear ACD community 

Just recently signed up and I'm always worried about these forums - hoping that starting a new thread is OK (if not I'm assuming a moderator will bin my query in the right place). But I've taken the plunge and I'm happy to re-post or re-assign if needs be.

My query relates to the bronze Cord models that were issued ahead of the delivery of their full-scale "doppelgangers". I am in possession of one of these bronze models (sans marble base, unfortunately) and I was hoping to have the broader ACD community help with some background info / literature that could assist me in better understanding what we're dealing with. I've also been in contact with the ACD museum's Sam Grate who has been a great help and he too is going to continue scratching around to use the model they have in their museum as a reference for mine. 

The back story is that this Cord model was part of my late father's estate. In his time, he (my father) was a gentleman racer of moderate success. He also owned a number of really fabulous cars here in South Africa, perhaps the most notable being an alloy-bodied 275 GTB6/C (VIN 08179) and a 250 GTE (I'd need to check the S/N of that car). Later Ferraris were added to his name (including a 365 GT4 and a 308 GTB), and these all replaced a number of Jags, Mercedes and MG's in his younger years. He was an architect by profession, and after distinguished memberships (either as founder or honourary life member) of the local MG, Sports Car, Ferrari, Historic Racing Car Register clubs / associations, he passed in 2004. His father was an architect too (serving as professor and dean of the faculty of architecture here at the University of the Witwatersrand). He perhaps started my father's obsession - he too owned a number of pre-war vintage MG's and, in fact, I'm working through boxes of old MG archival info and literature (I have boxes of sales brochures and related material going back to the 1930's). But the story gets interesting (no doubt for me, less so for you reading this) when my father's (maternal) uncle, one Alver Darke, gifted my father this bronze model in around the late 1970's. Mr Darke was an industrialist of significant personal wealth, having made his fortune out of the sale of brushware (and liquid soap) in around the 1930's thru to the 1950's. He led an insular life - growing up, we had no contact with this extended family whatsoever. It was he who gifted this Cord model to my father - I was born in 1979 and recall seeing this car on display at our family home for as long as I have childhood memories. 

Sam is referencing the pics and measurements I've sent him to ascertain its likeness to that of the car they have in their possession. But I was hoping that the extended "brainstrust" that is on this forum / in this club would be able to cast more light. As mentioned, there's no marble base but the rest of the images should suffice in terms of giving a clear indication of what we're dealing with. The goal (at this stage) would be to assess if a collector is on this forum (or if someone knows of someone that may be interested) in making me an offer on this car. There are very few ACD products here in South Africa (I see the Franschoek Motor Museum, Mr Johann Rupert's pet project) has one so the number of potential customers is very limited. So given that there were so few of these models made, less than the number of cars they represented, should I elect to sell this it would need to be (by all accounts) to a US-based collector. 

I've attached some pictures for you all. I'm reluctant to polish it too much so it's really a warts and all, as is case of what the model looks like. The window lines are engraved (as you all likely know) so my worry, however misplaced it might be, is that polishing the model may damage these. The measurements have been included in reference more so in relation to the replica's that were made c20 years ago - not sure to what extent they differ from the originals... 

Anyway, thanks in advance. 

Regards

Martin Howie 
Pretoria, South Africa