World-Class Cars at Chattanooga Motorcar Festival

A selection of significant world-class automobiles will be a part of this year’s Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, set to take place this coming weekend, October 14-16. The Concours d’Elegance takes place on Sunday, October 16, in downtown Chattanooga — and as part of the third-annual event, the following cars are among the cars planned for display:

Greg Ornazian

1929 Cord L-29 Cabriolet

Rochester Hills, Michigan

In 1929 there were two front-wheel-drive American production cars announced. Errett Loban Cord was first to market with his L-29 Cord; production began in June of that year. Archie Andrews followed with his short-lived Ruxton automobile. Referred to as Cord Front Drive in company literature, the car was never given a name and adopted the prototype’s I.D. number, L-29, as its model designation. Four factory body styles were offered: sedan, Brougham, cabriolet, and phaeton (convertible sedan). Closed cars based at $3,095.00 while convertibles started at $3,295. Cord built 5,010 units, including approximately 1,200 cabriolets, between the 1929 introduction and the close of production on December 31, 1931. Remarkably, this cabriolet has traveled just 4,000 miles since new.

Stephen R. Plaster

1933 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A 2-Door Sports Tourer by Castagna

Lebanon, Missouri

Cesare Isotta and Oreste Fraschini began producing cars in Milan, Italy, in 1899. The company introduced four-wheel brakes in 1909 and built the Tipo 8 Series of cars from 1919-1935 and, along with it, the world’s first quantity production straight-eight engine. The Tipo 8 was offered as a chassis-only to be fitted with coachwork of the buyer’s choice. This is one of two built, and Castagna’s feature car of the 27th Salon de l’Automobile Paris in October 1933. It was later shipped to New York and put on display at I-F’s Manhattan showroom until sold to its first purchaser, famous American radio personality Joe Penner. It has appeared in several movies beginning in 1937 while part of the George Schweiger Collection; including (1956) where it was driven throughout Texas by James Dean.

Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Automobile Museum

1921 Duesenberg Model A Coupe Bender

Auburn, Indiana

*Image courtesy of Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Automobile Museum*

This 1921 Duesenberg was commissioned by Samuel Northrup Castle from Hawaii and was the very first Model A sold to the public by the Duesenberg Automobile Company. It remained with the Castle family from new until it was donated to the ACD Museum in 2019. Its unique coupe body style by the Bender Body Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, features doors placed between the windows and the cowl, along with a lowered beltline and roof stance. Two spare tires were placed at the rear along with a railed area below the deck augmenting the cargo space in the compartment below. The Duesenberg Model A is possibly one of the most significant new cars ever produced in the U.S. Its in-line eight-cylinder engine with aluminum pistons along with hydraulically-operated four-wheel brakes were both firsts for the American industry.

Other significant cars that will be at the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival include:

• A 1927 Bentley Blower 4-1/2-litre Vanden Plas by Petersen, owned by Corky and Theresa Coker of Chattanooga.

• In addition to the Castle Duesenberg Model A, two other Model J Duesenbergs and a fourth from the Richie Clyne Collection, courtesy of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana.

“In addition to great classic cars and the special ‘Gathering of the Greats–Ferrari Edition’, we will have a display of rare and aerodynamic Czechoslovakian Tatra cars, a selection of NASCAR ‘wing’ cars from the 1970s, presented by Ray Evernham, and a Talbot-Lago T150C-SS teardrop coupe by Figoni and Falaschi,” said Ken Gross, Concours Director. “Fans will not want to miss it.”

Additionally, hundreds of spectacular vintage and modern cars will be showcased throughout the weekend at a variety of displays, including RADwood, V8s in the Village, Concours d’Lemons and Car Club displays.

See the full schedule of events here.