AUBURN, Indiana — The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum announced June 30 that it has acquired a rare 1966 Cord 8/10ths model for their collection.
(NOTE: The video above is from a previous report on Chuck Lofton visiting automobile museums in Auburn, Indiana.)
The car was donated by Martin J. Gallagher III in memory of his father, Martin Gallagher II. It was originally purchased by Gallagher II in 1972 as a restoration project. When Gallagher II hired someone to help him restore the car, the person instead kept the car for themself and vanished without a trace.
Gallagher II submitted a police report for the stolen car, but police were given an improper VIN number and were unable to locate the car for decades.
That was until Gallagher III made it his goal to locate his father's stolen car.
He contacted people in 22 states along with 15 government agencies.
After a long search, the car was located in Virginia and in possession of an individual completely unaware of the vehicle's history.
In 1997, Gallagher III was finally able to obtain legal ownership of the car via a court proceeding and gifted his father the lost Cord.
“The museum is honored to be the caretakers of this historic 1966 Cord and to convey the legacy of the Gallagher family ownership,” museum curator Sam Grate wqie.
Prior to the car's original purchase by Gallagher II, the car was one of just 97 others produced by the Auburn, Indiana-based Cord Corporation.
The model was made with a "virtually indestructible" material called Expanded Royalite.
To show off the model's durability, the Cord Corporation drove one through a double brick wall while traveling at 30 mph. The car survived the demonstration and proceeded to drive away without issue.
The museum welcomes patrons to visit the car beginning Tuesday, July 4 in the Gallery of Excellence and Innovation.