The Tom Mix Supercharged Cord and the Man who Restored it to its Former Glory
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- čas přidán 6. 02. 2024
- Let's Go For A Ride!
Thanks to @airmajormedia for their wonderful work on this video
I wore the biggest Tom Mix hat I have to interview the man who refurbished the 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Phaeton Cord Mix was driving when he was killed. In addition to great stories about the car, at the end of the interview Bob White said, "You ready to go for a ride?" And Boy Howdy, that is exactly what we did. It was, as they say, a hoot-and-a-half!
Bob Boze Bell is known as America's Western Storyteller. He is an artist, author, writer and serves as executive editor of True West magazine. Bell is a popular, sought-after figure in television documentaries about the Old West, appearing as an expert in dozens of Wild West history shows. Bell won an Emmy Award as Executive Producer of the PBS special, Outrageous Arizona, a zany look at the state's centennial, that he also wrote and helped direct. As an author, Bell has brought to life Billy the Kid, Geronimo, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok in his best-selling Illustrated Life and Times series. His books Classic Gunfights I, II and III are must-reads about the most important Old West gunfights. Bell’s Bad Men is now in its fourth printing, while his illustrated autobiography, The 66 Kid: Raised on the Mother Road, gives personal insight into the passions that have driven him on his lifelong quest to interpret the history of the American West for audiences around the world.
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This is the most fantastic video on the internet.I'm 83 and have been a fan of Cord's for 40 years along with the Tucker.Thanks for your time and effort.
I remember being stopped for construction in a wash out by Florence as a kid in the back seat of my Dad's 1968 Chevrolet Impala while he chatted with a worker through the open window when all of a sudden a car flew over the rise behind us and the worker hit our car loudly as he pushed away running to avoid the impending impact! The speeding car went barreling off into the desert instead of rear-ending us and had to be recovered by a wrecker. It was not Tom Mix driving that day but it was my Tom Mix moment that I always remember when out that way.
Thank you Bob for this awesome, awesome look at Tom Mix's unique car and it's new owner. Wow.
Hats off for Tom Mix and Tony.
When everyone was Fans of John Wayne, Roy Rogers(fan too) me a fan of Tom Mix, Buck Jones, & Johnny Mack Brown 🥰Thanks to my Grandmother, who turn me on to them 😬
My grandparents had a Cord but not the supercharged version they bought it used around 1947
My grandfather drove it daily until the mid 70s (i remember riding in it as a 7yr old)
Then he sold it,She was in 'tired' shape he was very meticulous about taking care of it but by the 70s it had way over 100,000mi on it and he kept having trouble finding parts.
The transmission was howling and clattering,the engine picked up a knock and it just needed 'everything' to keep it running
Too much money for his wallet so he sold it...that car was beautiful! He and I had hats that he called his 'Cagney Hats' or his 'Capone Hats' and he would mimic James Cagney gangster movie roles then he would put a Stogey in his mouth and mimic Capone then hand me a 'swisher sweet' and say...'Dont tell your parents and for God's Sake dont tell your Grandmother!!
I miss that car and miss my grandfather terribly
Tom Mix was the real deal, not just a movie star. Too bad he went out that way. Thanks for Sharing.
Great car, stories and story tellers. You keep that person alive when you speak of them.
Have been to the monument, but never thought I would see the ACTUAL CAR! Great find, Bob: the car and that hat! 🌵😎✌️
😂 Didn't know you're an Austin-Healey guy too, Bob! 1963 Sprite, 1098 cc with dual carbs, side curtains and a ragtop! Fits in the box of a Ford pickup, but don't ask me how I know that.... 🤠
Love those old coffin nose Cords. Cowboys and Cords, what a Mix! LOL!
Aviatrix too!
Wow! When I was a kid in the mid/late 40's Tom Mix was still big on the radio. He had been gone for years, but still popular. Someone else played his role on the air, of course. Fabulous car!
What a great way to tell the story of Tom Mix's most famous car. Bob has done a wonderful job of preserving a priceless artifact of western and Hollywood history. Tom lived life at full throttle and unfortunately for his millions of fans met his demise while enjoying one of his favorite sports, driving fast.
This is fantastic! I happened on Tom Mix Wash a few years ago, and the story has stuck with me since, but I'd assumed the car was a total loss after the accident. Amazing to see it so well-restored. I also wrote a Western crime story featuring Tom Mix and his Cord, which will be published later this year.
Great video. As a retired automotive designer I find Cords fascinating and way ahead of their time. Combine that with True West and Tom Mix and I really enjoyed all aspects of this video. Thanks!
Fabulous fabulous fabulous. Magnificent restoration, and fabulous history.
I remember when you wrote for the Phoenix new times. I'm so glad to find this channel. My father stopped at the Tom Mix monument when I was a kid. We did not know who he was. When we got home, my father bought Tom Mix movies on video tape, I've been a fan ever since. Thank you so much.
In 1953, when I was 9, my uncle took me to the Cord factory in Auburn. I don't remember what company was running the place, but there was crew working om rebuilding Cords. They told us one of the cars was Tom Mix's car. About all I remember is the the door panels were upholstered in Holstein cow hide (with the hair still on it).
Good to see you, Bob. That's a good looking hat.
Thanks for bringing this to us Mr. Bell.
I stop often at Tom Mix Monument off Highway 79 in Arizona. I even stay th night there sometimes in my travel trailer. It’s a beautiful place, but I am a car guy and I’ve always been interested in what he was driving. I’m a native of Tucson and I probably first heard the story of the crash, as a kid, in the early 1960’s. I heard it was a Cord before I ever knew what a Cord was. Thanks for sharing this and clarifying things! 👍🏼👍🏼😎🌵
What a great story! Something some might not realize is how hard and dangerous making those old Westerns was.
I used to work for Roy Huggins who bought and lived in Tom Mix`s house in LA Roy Huggins discovered James Garner. There were a lot of Tom Mix things still in the house.
I enjoyed the Tom Mix museum while passing through Dewey several years ago. It was especially fun because I had never heard of him - having grown up seeing every John Wayne movie. The story of piecing the car back together is just another interesting element of this lively cinema cowboy.
Great show, the old cars and trucks I always think of the song, give me forty acres and I’ll turn this rig around. Thanks
My dad would have loved this video as he liked singing cowboys and vintage supercars made in Indiana.
I had a friend who owned one of these and had to sell it. I never got to see it personally. Just the painting that he had commissioned of it where it hung in his garage where he had what was left his car collection. He actually at one time owned the largest auto mascot collection in the world. I miss him dearly. He passed away in 2021. We sat in his office with his son and 2 of his grand sons
and watched what was one of his cars at one time sell for a million dollars at auction. A 1931 Marmom sixteen coupe.
What a fantastic video! Bob, you look so happy it’s wonderful!!!
There were more boys sent to the office for playing that song wipe out. Now I’ve got it playing in my head and will for awhile. Thank you for this information I thoroughly enjoyed it and the car with all its extras. Bob I don’t know where you’ve been but I’ve missed you
What a wonderful video ! A story about cowboys and cars. It doesn't get any more American than this!!!!!
Mr bell here, I think is a wonderful historian!He keeps us in touch with our heritage
As a retired Long Haul trucker I remember going from Phoenix over to Tucson and I don't remember what I was doing on that Tulane road but I stopped to look at all the cactus and I seen that Monument to Tom Mix and I'm like oh no way this is where that happened so that was kind of cool
Yes, been there also.
Great interview, thanks for keeping history alive!
In the mid-60’s, my best friend’s father took us along to visit Mr. Fettering. My friend’s father was a collector. We saw the Tom Mix car, Clark Gable’s car, a building devoted to Corvettes, and in a single stall garage a Mercedes from WWII Germany. Homer had us hop in a modern Lincoln (suicide doors) for a ride in the field with his buffalo.
My friend’s father, Harold, took his 28 Packard up Pikes Peak once. (Gladden Tour, I think). My friend once drove their 37 Cord around the Indianapolis Speedway. I grew up around everything from a Crosley Hot Shot and a Messerschmitt to 12 cylinder Packards, Lincoln Town Car and a Cord. Indian motorcycles, too.
Nice car … with ‘Armstrong’ steering😊! Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
Very classy Cord. I particularly love the leather splash guards! Mr. Mix really tricked it up wonderfully!
I REMEMBER SEEING IT IN 1967 ON MY SENIOR CLASSTRIP IN A ROADSIDE MUSEUM IN SOUTH DAKOTA ON THE WAY TO THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA
Age 17 in 1973-74. Living in Phoenix AZ. A newspaper article talked about Tom Mix and Arizona. Didn’t even know who Tom Mix was.
Mix died on a stretch of deserted two-lane highway, SR 79, which runs northwest from Tucson/Oracle AZ up to the southeast Phoenix suburbs. The Tom Mix Monument is found about 20 miles from Oracle and features (if it's not been stolen - again) a metal cutout of Tom Mix' famous horse TONY.
Yep.. Tony has been replaced about 30 times... they were making exact replicas back in the 80's... maybe 1000 replicas made ! So.... if someone try's to sell you a real 'Tony'.... it's more than likely a replica. Replica and real look the same in every way.
I did notice the antenna was missing on the front bumper guard as well as the guard on the left side . Awsome story .
I've seen that monument to Tom Mix. The first time I was on that highway I spotted it at the side of the road and stopped to see it. Was I surprised!
they need to make a movie after his life!
Absolutely fascinating story. Mr. White, please bring this piece of history to the Fountain Hills Concourse in the Hills next year. It would truly be THE best in show! I have seen a Cord last year at this event also several years ago at the Saturday car show at the pavilions in Scottsdale. Beautiful car.
I saw this car in 1972 or so in San Fernando :Valley in a guys house.. he restored it twice once after the war started again after he sold it . He also had Mixes girl friends car an identical cord with the continental kit. he said the only two kits on any cord....
That was Ray Nelson.
Trivia- Tom Mix didn't come from Texas like they say, my folks knew him and his family. He was from Pennsylvania, near a small town called Driftwood, his family's cabin is still there, search "Mix run Pensylvania".
I never knew Tom Mix died in a car wreck or that he had this wild Cord.
I was in a driver education required class 25 + years ago and they used his death as an example of loose objects in a car of not what to do
Terrific topic for your come back episode Mr. Bozell. Great insight on one of the greatest cowboy movie stars and his famous personal vehicles. Beautiful restoration work. My compliments to the owner. Much ablige to both you hombre's for sharing 🤠🐎 🎥🏜️ PS are band also plays wipeout in are song list 🥁👍
Great to hear this story and see the Cord. I remember an issue of Special Interest Autos from the 70's that had a story about Coachcraft of Los Angeles and it showed a custom built Studebaker woodie wagon that they built for Tom Mix. I wonder if that still exists. I think it may have been a '39 model.
Outstanding as always BBB!!!❤😊
Are there "imposter" Tom Mix "Cords" around? Because decades ago, I saw what I was told was his Cord, in an
Auto Museum, in either Las Vegas or Indiana, (can't remember which)! That car was "cream colored" & somewhat
faded! I touched the driver's door & all these years, thought it was the "real thing", but may have been duped!
Yep... there are 3 that I know of...
It was displayed in Las Vegas at a car museum at one time. BMW
always good to see a nice old Dove such as this one!!
Beautiful car !!
A little before my time...but a fantastic story. Thank you.
Tom Mix was born and spent his early years in PA.
The small village of Driftwood in Cameron county is very close to the family homestead.
There is a stream and a road bearing the Mix name as well as a roadside sign on Rt 555 a few miles west of Driftwood in commemoration of him.
Thank you for this fantastic video & story. Until your presentation I had read somewhere that Tom Mix was driving an Auburn so thanks for setting me straight on that. BTW, it's noteworthy that another famous Cord owner/driver who suffered in a vehicle crash has been in the news lately; Amelia Earhart. Thanks again for posting!
I love the Cord beautiful car
"Killed in a wash named after him" reminds me of what a guide at a Civil War battlefield said. He says that some visitors ask "How did they fight the battles with all the monuments here?"
Probably already mentioned: Tom Mix had special tires made for that Cord with "TM"'s in the treads so they would leave his initials behind him in the dirt.
I could not find any photos or evidence of the TM tires. Bob White
Very cool car with great history
Crazy story, thanks for another great show!
Phaeton means Owner Operated in horse drawn vehicles. and some times it also refers to some the body style.
Great story Mr bell, stopped by today with my grandkids to get photos , nice little rest area in the middle of nowhere,no accommodating bathrooms! You guys ever get a chance to go to Auburn Indiana , check out Auburn duesenberg chord museum, very impressive also!
Wow, what an interesting interview. Thanks so much for sharing!
Cool car cool story. Has an 851 /852 Auburn hood ornament on it too.
Like a Railroad Lantern.
My Dad had a chance to buy a Cord in 1944. However, he didn't have the money & he was shipped out to the Philippines a couple of weeks later. He thought it had transmission problems as well.
Incredible!
My grandfather was friends with Tom Mix
How do I get in touch with this gentleman??
Really interesting and fun video 👍
Great interview and photos. I really missed seeing the engine and supercharger and interior. Do you have another video that shows these parts?
Check the book The Tom Mix Cord book by Bob White for engine pics.
Great to see some new stuff from you we appreciate it. 👍
Cord bodies were produced by American Central Manufacturing (ACM) who would go on to produce hundreds of thousands of body 'tubs' for 'Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4X4, G503' and their CJ2A offspring; better known as 'Jeeps'.
Haliburton does a lot of Oil Well Drilling ..in Texas, I have seen their Trucks in Michigan.
They sold the suitcase line around 1939-40. BMW
Hello Bob I Learned About Tom Mix Nov.22, 1940 . Traveling On Hwy. 99 Near Wheeler Ridge Ca. A Packard Pass Us Veeded Off Road Struck A Pole The Driver Lived. Just Like Tom Mix Accident My Father Told Me About Tom . I Know My Motor Vehicles At Eighty Six Of Age (86) Note: Coffyville Kansas (Dalton) The Name Ms Thertha Smith Farm Oct.4, 1892 Mean Anything To You ?????
Thanks for the video.
Guy Beatty of Virginia owned and restored a Packard Tom mix owned
does he still own it or know where it's at
@@BobWhite-zm8lm You would have to research his name…not sure if he’s still with us . All his cars were concours quality
I just stopped at the memorial today!
Harry Knight, the rodeo stock contractor was Toms son inlaw . Tom had just left Knights house around florence when the wreck took place.
This is BBB and some of us believe Tom was on his way to Harry Knight's home in Florence when he died.
@@bobbell7213 Harrys son Bill told me he had just left so i dont know.
When you are just getting on the road, right where it splits, it looks like the road just south of Carefree.
It was at the Desert Mountain golf club. BMW
I was in a driver education required class 25 + years ago and they used his death as an example of loose objects in a car of not what to do
In the photo at 15:00 it looks like the convertible top is not black. It is probably a custom made top that matches the color of the car itself.
Good observation. Out of the factory it had a canvas colored top, but he replaced later with a black top, which is what it had when he crashed. BMW
Love your videos. How about making a video about Oliver Lee and the Albert Fountain disappearance in southern New Mexico? I remember a little about that from Tularosa, an old book I read by Eugene Rhodes
Have you ever thought of making a video about the life of Tom Horn?
I heard he was on his way too The Red mountain ranch in Mesa Arizona that was a cattle ranch and later on a dude ranch or guest ranch that my wife's family owned
3rd time watching this one BBB.😊🤠
LJ!!!!!!! //Thanks
I'm a picker too. Piano to be exact.
Hey Bob, your hair looks like a stump full of grandaddies when your hat's off. Tom Mix did all his own stunts and could shoot caraway seeds off a hard roll on a foggy morning, yet was killed by his own suitcase. Still and all, we might have been kin, cause I'd be an orphan it wasn't for drunks. My mother would testify at church how she was sure I didn't drink, because I was always so thirsty in the morning. Love this channel, buddy.
Carriages, not Wagons. The Carriage that carried the name Phaeton was an owner-driven sporting vehicle. Hence, the designation of Phaeton for Tom Mix's Cord 812. The name was taken from the Greek God Phaeton who was the son of the God Helios. Being that Phaeton was a bit of an idiot, it was appropriate that Tom Mix would meet his end in the same way, losing control of his chariot.
i have a friend who was hit by an unmounted stereo speaker on the rear deck who is crippled from the waist down because it flew front and hit his neck. yup, this can and will happen guys.
Going 80 mph on a country road when most people were driving 30mph…
Not bad ⚡️
I think I went to school with Bob did he go to charter Oak high school
I’m wondering why the top color is different? Originally cream and now it’s black?
Mix had changed the top to black by the time he crashed. BMW
BEEN TO TOM MIX MUSEUM IN DEWEY OUTSTANDING😊
A major I worked with in the army drove one. Made in Tulsa ok
Cords were from Auburn, Indiana.
@@-oiiio-3993 You are correct Mr. oiio!
Really , I'm a Tulsa native and thought they was made in indiana ? However I beleive Tom Mix probable tore up the streets of tulsa in that ride
A company in Broken Arrow made a 3/4 Cord. They also sell parts.
My mom bought me the legends of the west stamp set for christmas when they came out. We were talking about the guys on the stamps and her dad who had a stutter said, theyre more like the D D D D D DICKS of the west.
Who sells parts for Cords?
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg company in Broken Arrow OK. BMW
Interesting story and project but we never really saw the car.
Killed in a collision between Tucson and Phoenix?
Re-learn what a Phaeton really is...😮
My father was stationed with Tom Mix in the Army on the Mexico /Texas border chasing ( they never saw him) Pancho Villa. When WW-! was starting the entire outfit was transferred to New Jersey for training. Tom Mix never showed up and was declared a deserter by the US Army. Nice car, the aluminum suitcase in the back seat broke his neck and killed him.
If you look at the photos of when it was in the field you can see there was barely anything left of the original car. What this guy has done really amounts to a reproduction. Calling it the "Tom Mix Supercharged Cord " is really misleading. There is nothing in this new car that Tom Mix actually touched.
The entire body and frame was intact. The original engine was at a machine shop. It is not a reproduction. BMW
I really hate videos about cars that are produced by people who don't know crap about their subject like ten gallon hat boy in this one. The owner has to keep setting him straight.
Very cool watching these two zombies drive a car………,
shooting rabbits,what aN EVIL MAN. dont rest in hell. ,MIX'
Glorifying a drunk driving accident.
Amazing how the cult of personality endures.
Helluva way to go. Wiped out by your suitcase😂
Tom lived life to the max in whatever he did. I don't think this glorifies drunk driving, its a fact what happened. Do remember that at that time virtually no one thought about endangering others after drinking. It happened constantly and many were killed on the roads. Its not known how much he drank that fateful day, quite possibly too much. For years he made a huge salary, but if he made $5 he spend $10. The side of him to remember is that he was generous to so many. He was the most popular and well known person on earth from about 1925 to 1935. Movies were the only entertainment and escape from reality most children had during the depression. Tom loved the children and helped make their lives happy during those dismal times. Once while filming he disappeared and they found him at a local children's hospital visiting the sick kids. He did live life to the max, right to the end, but was inspirational for millions.