Imagine leaving a fancy 1930 Cord L-29 Brougham car not once, but twice, in an old tobacco barn. It sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it? But back in the day, this beautiful Cord was just a stylish way to get around.

The first time, the original owners were driving it from the Midwest to Florida in 1931. Sadly, it broke down in Mayfield, Kentucky. They couldn’t fix it, so they traded it for a new Cadillac. Then, a local guy named Galen Hargrove saw the Cord sitting at the dealership, fixed it in just 90 minutes, and drove off, leaving everyone amazed.

Galen was quite a character. He raced the car between towns for fun and won bar bets. He was also really good with fixing things. In 1939, he put the Cord in his tobacco barn and went off to work during World War II. When he came back, he never took the Cord out again. It just sat there until Howard Brandon, another Mayfield resident, bought it in 1975. Howard stored it in his barn until 2007.

Then, in 2007, Shawn Coady bought the Cord. He spent the next ten years collecting missing parts and making a detailed plan to restore it. Finally, in 2016, he trusted the restoration to LaVine Restorations in Indiana.

Jason Stoller managed the restoration project, and it involved many young workers. They finished it in 2017. The Cord was taken to Pebble Beach and won third place in its class. It also went to other shows and won more awards. Shawn plans to enjoy driving it and taking it to shows because, as he says, these cars were not just beautiful; they were fantastic to drive. It’s a story of a car that was forgotten but is now shining bright once again.

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