Peer beneath the imposing coachwork of nearly any grand classic and you will immediately recognize a design fundamentally like that of the era’s everyman car, albeit with more cylinders, more power, and better build quality.

The Cord L-29 blazed a different trail, pairing its conventional 298-cubic-inch Lycoming L-head inline-eight engine with an ingenious front-wheel-drive system inspired by the pioneering Indianapolis racecars of Harry Miller.

Beyond its novelty, Cord’s front-drive system was a boon to stylists.

With no lengthy driveshaft to accommodate, designers like the great Alan Leamy were free to pen low, rakish coachwork of dramatic proportions, all without compromising cabin space or comfort.

The earliest known owner of the cabriolet offered here was Bill Smith of Millville, New Jersey, a longtime Cord enthusiast and L-29 collector, with whom it remained from 1962 until 2003.

Restoration had begun for Mr. Smith in 1998 at the well-known L-29 specialist Ken Clark’s shop, ...