Chris Cord

He may have been born into a family whose name was etched upon the American automotive landscape by his grandfather, E.L. Cord, but it was his stepfather, Bill Doheny, who first exposed Chris Cord to the sport of auto racing at legendary venues such as Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and Santa Barbara. After establishing himself in the world of finance with E.F. Hutton and later as a “self-employed venture capital banker,” Cord decided to pursue that passion, starting out driving a friend’s Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He shortly moved into IMSA racing with his own AAGT Chevy Monza, and a GTP Lola T600 followed, but it wasn’t until he stepped back into production-based cars with Dan Gurney’s All American Racers Toyota team that race- and championship-winning success would finally be enjoyed. VR Associate Editor John Zimmermann sat down with Cord at his Beverly Hills office to discuss his career in and attachment to the sport.