Concours: Amelia Earhart's legendary car is making its way to Hilton Head | LOCAL Life

The Cord that binds

Story by Leslie T. Snadowsky

Amelia Earhart’s legendary car is making its way to Hilton Head, where it will be showcased alongside an iconic airplane, creating a perfect pairing of aviation and automotive history.

Amelia Earhart sitting in the cockpit of her Lockheed Electra airplane, ca. 1936. In July 1937 Earhart and the airplane were lost over the Pacific Ocean. — *Amelia Earhart is shown sitting in the cockpit and checking equipment on her Lockheed Electra airplane in 1936. In July 1937 Earhart, her navigator and the airplane were lost over the Pacific Ocean.*

Amelia Earhart’s personal automobile will take center stage at the 2024 Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival, one of the island’s most highly anticipated annual events.

Earhart’s iconic 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Convertible, which she once owned and drove, will be featured at the festival’s Flights & Fancy event on Nov. 1 and the Aero Expo on Nov. 2 at the Hilton Head Island Airport. This same car, famously captured in a photograph of Earhart just before her ill-fated 1937 flight over the Pacific Ocean, provides a unique glimpse into the legendary aviator’s life off the runway.

The Cord, painted in Palm Beach desert tan and featuring a luxurious burgundy leather interior, was designed by renowned American automobile architect Gordon M. Buehrig. Its distinctive louvered, wraparound “coffin nose” grille and advanced front-wheel drive set it apart when it debuted at the 1935 New York Auto Show, where it was hailed for its cutting-edge design and high-end features.

Some speculate that Earhart’s admiration for the vehicle stemmed from its aerodynamic design. The car’s cockpit-like front seat and dashboard, along with aircraft-inspired disappearing headlights, reinforced its appeal to someone with a passion for flight.

“She did have a compass in the car, which is mounted above the dash,” says current owner Jack Boyd Smith, Jr. “It’s unique because it’s something she would’ve used in flight.”

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), checking equipment on her airplane. Ca. 1937.

The fully restored Cord, complete with period details like the ashtray and suicide knob, now resides in The JBS Collection based in Elkhart, Indiana. Smith notes that the car was inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register in 2023 and was prominently displayed under glass on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the Cars at the Capital event.

Smith, whose collection boasts over 70 cars housed in a private museum, remains tight-lipped about the Cord’s current value but revealed that he once declined an eight-figure all-cash offer for the rare vehicle.

During the festival, Earhart’s Cord will be displayed alongside a 1938 Lockheed 12A airplane. The aircraft, known as the Electra Junior, was built as a commuter airliner, though its legacy extends far beyond. Earhart was piloting a twin-engine Lockheed 10E Electra when she embarked on her ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The 1938 12A model echoes her legacy in the skies.

2024 - 8-30-24 - LL - AMELIA EARHART - 3 (864 x 543 px) - 1 — David Marco’s 1938 Lockheed 12A Electra Junior will be on display alongside Earhart’s 1937 Cord at the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival. A Lockheed 12 appeared as the French airliner in the climactic final scene from the 1942 film Casablanca.

“It was actually used more as a corporate airplane by all the oil companies and flown by people like Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes,” explains owner David Marco. “It kind of epitomizes the deco era of aviation. It’s a beautiful airplane with a beautiful shape. Even by today’s standards, it’s a wonderfully built airplane with fabulous performance.”

Only 125 Electra Juniors were ever made, with production halting as Lockheed shifted to manufacturing aircraft for World War II. Marco’s plane, originally purchased by Phillips Petroleum in 1938, was restored to its original configuration, complete with the same wood, cabinetry and leather interior that defined its executive style.

“It was their corporate airplane based in Oklahoma,” Marco shares. “The interior was redone in the 60s, but we worked with Phillips Petroleum to bring it back to its original 1938 design.”

The restoration process for Marco’s Electra Junior took an impressive 10,300 hours, and the plane is still flown regularly.

“It’s very comfortable,” says Marco, noting its cinematic fame. “And it may look familiar.”

Lockheed’s Electra Junior made a memorable appearance in the classic film Casablanca, serving as the backdrop for Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s famous farewell scene.

At the festival, Marco’s plane and Smith’s 1937 Cord will together pay homage to a timeless era of design and engineering.

“I think it will be a fabulous pairing,” says Marco. “People will get to see the inside, and a few might even get a chance to go in it. I have nine planes in my collection, and I am fascinated by the romance and history of it all.”