Glenn Pray ‘Lost Cord’ heads to auction

TULSA, Okla. – Leake Auction Co. recently consigned a 1937 Cord Phaeton Model 812 that was discovered in a barn where it sat for 45 years. The Cord has ties to Broken Arrow, Okla., as it was originally purchased and restored by Glenn Pray in 1953. It will cross the auction block in Tulsa during the Leake Collector Car Show and Auction on June 5-7. The auction will be held in the River Spirit Expo on the Tulsa Fairgrounds.

After fully restoring the Cord, Pray made it the family car. It was shown at Auburn Cord Duesenberg car meets across the country. When Pray had the opportunity to purchase the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company (ACD Co.) in Auburn, Indiana, he sold the Cord to purchase the factory. In 1961 the beloved Cord found a new home with James C. Leake.

In 1962, Mr. Leake sold the Cord. Upon learning that Leake had sold the car, Glenn enlisted the help of Cord historians and club rosters to find the lost Cord in 1968. The Cord had not been registered or seen at any car shows. It was presumed that it had left the country. Pray never saw his beloved Cord again.

In 2014, Doug Pray (Glenn’s son) received a call about a 1937 supercharged Cord Phaeton that had been purchased around 1965 from the estate of a deceased man. After thorough research, Doug confirmed that it was in fact his dad’s Cord.

The Cord had been in a barn for 45 years. The barn took its toll on the famous Cord, but it was complete down to its cigarette lighter and tires. The “lost Cord” has come full circle and is now being offered for sale by Leake Auction Company. Glenn Pray’s Cord was considered one of the finest Cords in the world in the late 1950s and the Pray family has decided to part with it once again, hoping a new owner will restore it to its former glory.

“Because of this Cord’s history, I believe it has the potential of becoming one of the finest supercharged Cord Phaeton in the world,” said Doug Pray. “The Glenn Pray family will help with the history and any details the new owner may need. This is the car that started the entire second-generation car building craze that has swept the country since Glenn built the first modernized version of the Cord in 1964.”

For more information about the Cord or other vehicles consigned to the auction, visit LeakeCar.com or call 918-254-7077. Admission to the auction is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, and $7 for children under 12.