Glenn Pray: From School Teacher to Automotive Executive
By: Sam Maven
Tags: Cord, Automotive, Glenn Pray, Classic Cars, Auburn

Glen and his “baby” (Photo credit: ACD Factory)

From 1952 to 1960, Glenn Pray taught shop at Tulsa Central High School in Oklahoma. Having always had a fascination for the 1936–1937 Cord Phaetons, believing they were some of the most beautiful cars, he challenged his students to find a Cord to buy in the area. The students were successful in finding a 1937 Cord Supercharged Phaeton. The car was in bad shape; therefore, he restored it by himself over the next year, becoming an expert on Cords in the process. The car would become his daily driver, and he was adamant that he would never sell it.

In 1960, the Auburn Cord auto plant, in Indiana, was put up for sale. Glenn called to inquire about the company’s price tag. He spoke with Dallas Winslow, who owned the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Company, and asked him how much he wanted for the entire company. When Dallas’ answer was a very reasonable $75,000, Glenn jumped at the opportunity. They scheduled a time to meet in Auburn, Ind., to discuss.

According to an article in The Oklahoman, penned by Mike Coppock, “Pray did not even have gas money for a drive to Indiana and his car had bald tires. He ‘borrowed’ traveling money from the PTA Fund. A friend agreed to drive him to Indiana in his Lincoln Continental, but that car had its left side bashed in. The two did not have the money for a hotel room, just enough to drive straight to Indiana and back to Tulsa.”

Dallas was surprised when Glenn told him that he would borrow the necessary money from him. Dallas eventually agreed to loan Glenn the money. In order to raise some of the money, Glenn unfortunately had to sell his beloved 1937 Cord Supercharged Phaeton.

In 1963, Glenn decided to pack up the entire operation, which included a large amount of original car parts for Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs, and move to an old pickling facility in Broken Arrow, Okla. He continued to sell parts directly from the bins he brought from Indiana, as well as servicing Cords.

Between 1960 and 1963, Glenn collaborated with U.S. Rubber Company and the original Cord designer, Gordon Buehrig, to produce a reduced-scale version of the original Model 810 Cord body. According to Forgotten Fiberglass, the new Cord was the first therma-plastic (not fiberglass) car built in the U.S.

A press release posted on Forgotten Fiberglass that was originally published by Uniroyal/U.S. Rubber on September 22, 1964, states: “The first Cord built in 28 years shows that styling lines like those used on the 1937 Cord 810 are just as up-to-date in 1964. The Cord Sportsman — which had its public unveiling last month in Tulsa — has a unique body made of Expanded Royalite, a thermoplastic material manufactured by United States Rubber Company.”

Glenn’s goal in creating a “second-generation” Cord was that it would resemble the original Cords of the 1930s, but include comfort features such as air conditioning. He had high hopes for the cars, expecting it to be the equal of other high-end automobiles of the time. Despite his best efforts this was not to be the case and only three Cords were ever produced before he was forced to leave the company in 1966.

Glenn not only kept the Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs alive and running by selling parts, he also introduced “Auburn Continuations” (or Second Generation) Auburns. In an article shortly after Glenn’s death on March 24, 2011, detailing Glenn’s impact on the automotive industry, Chris Summers had this to say about the replicars, a term in which Glenn despised, “Arguably Pray’s ‘second generation’ cars were the finest of their type, and while they were not a financially successful venture for him, they have built their own devoted following.”

The Auburn 866 Speedster were introduced to production in 1968 and continued until 1981. According to AuburnSpeedsters.com, Glenn stopped building cars soon thereafter due to his failing health. He, however, “continued selling original Auburn and Cord parts and performing restoration work from his factory.”

Today, Cords are some of the most collectible and sought-after vehicles in the collector car industry thanks in large part to Glenn for keeping the brand alive.

Sources: ACD Factory, The Oklahoman, AuburnSpeedsters.com, Forgotten Fiberglass