MOTORINGPURSUITS  02.25

The JBS Collection’s ‘Earhart’ Cord Honored at Hilton Head

The 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Convertible, originally owned by famed aviator Amelia Earhart, continues to build momentum after winning a Best in Class award on Nov. 3 at the 2024 Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival

The JBS Collection’s 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Convertible, originally owned by American aviator Amelia Earhart, was named Best in Class in the CCCA Full Classics category at the 2024 Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival, Nov. 3, in South Carolina.

The iconic Cord—purchased by The JBS Collection’s owner Jack Boyd Smith Jr. in 2018 and restored by Nappanee, Indiana’s LaVine Restorations was, at one point in its illustrious history, disassembled and parted throughout the country. Previous owner Ray Foster reunited the vehicle’s original frame with its original engine before Smith Jr. purchased the automobile and worked painstakingly with restoration partners Eric, Vivian, and Travis LaVine to bring Earhart’s beloved Cord back to its original specifications and former glory.

Since The JBS Collection debuted the Cord at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the vehicle—inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register in 2023 and displayed under glass on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.—has earned enough honors and distinctions to establish its place among the more storied and historically-significant automobiles in the classic car world. Earlier in 2024 the Cord was a First Place category winner at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace and received the Superstars-Best of Collection Award at ModaMiami in Florida.

After being honored at Hilton Head—an event that transforms the fairways of the Port Royal Golf Club into a serene display of timeless, rolling masterpieces—the incomparable Cord next heads to Dearborn, Michigan for an extended, six-month installation at The Henry Ford Museum.

Smith Jr. said, “The Hilton Head Concours was our last show of the season, and to tie things off with a Best in Class award at this spectacular and prestigious event is truly fitting for this vehicle. Before Hilton Head, the Cord spent time on display on the grand rotunda at the Royal Automobile Club in London, and that was also a great honor for us this year. Now, like a superstar on tour, this rolling piece of history travels to Dearborn, Michigan for a six-month installation at The Henry Ford Museum. Owning this Cord has been a pure joy, and the joy—for me—is that I get to share it with the world.”