Tag: 1936 Cord 810

Sunday Bare

The title of today’s post refers to the fact that I don’t really have anything to write today. I am writing because I feel compelled to do so, in no small way due to the fact that blog views for May are even higher, per day, than they were in the “record-setting” month of April. Obviously, because people “follow” Disaffected Musings more people read the blog on days with posts than on days without.

I guess I could mention that on this day in 1934 Gordon Buehrig filed for a patent on his design of a smaller Duesenberg; the patent was issued Oct. 2, 1934. The design was assigned to the Cord Corporation, Buehrig’s employer, and later became the starting point for the Cord 810 models. Buehrig was named named chief designer for Duesenberg in 1929. From RM Sotheby’s a picture of a 1936 Cord 810 convertible:

 

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As many car enthusiasts know, Buehrig’s design for this car was a protest against Harley Earl’s maxim that the face made the car. Buehrig had worked for Earl at General Motors before joining Duesenberg and designing the Cord 810 and the Duesenberg Model J. Ironically, the car with no face became a car with one of the most famous faces in history.

One of the dirty little secrets of these cars that are so revered today is that they were not well-made. Like virtually all US companies, the Cord Corporation, which owned the Auburn Automobile Company and Duesenberg among other holdings, struggled mightily during the Great Depression until E.L. Cord sold the remnants in 1937. This Cord was known for transmissions that performed poorly and for overheating/vapor lock. It should be no surprise that myth and legend almost always conflict with facts, that’s why they’re called myth and legend.

About 1,600 Cord 810s were built in 1936 and almost 1,300 812s were built in 1937. The 812 offered a supercharger and about 54% were supercharged.

Anyone have anything to offer about these Cords? Have a great Sunday.

 

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Cord!

On this day in 1935 the revolutionary Cord 810 was introduced at the National Automobile Show in New York.

 

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From RM Sothebys a picture of a 1936 Cord 810 that was offered at their Amelia Island auction in 2016. Many of you know that the design was drawn by legendary stylist Gordon Buehrig. Many of you probably know that his design was a protest against Harley Earl’s axiom that the front grill was the face of the car. Buehrig tried to draw a car with no face, but ironically the front of the Cord is its defining feature and one of the most recognizable designs in automotive history. As stated in History of the American Auto by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide®, “[The] dazzling new 1936 Cord 810 could never be mistaken for any lesser auto.”

The 810 marked the return of the Cord make after three years in hiatus. When one considers that US GDP declined for four consecutive years through 1933, the hiatus of an upper-class car is easy to understand. The sad aspect to the story is, of course, that Errett Lobban Cord’s automobile empire collapsed in 1937, taking Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg into history.

Although Glenn Pray purchased much of the parts inventory of the three makes of the Cord empire, and his son Doug continues to build “continuation” cars from those parts where possible, imagine if the FAST act were actually implemented enabling Doug Pray and/or another party to build hundreds of Cord 810/812 replicas with modern drivetrains. (Doug Pray refuses to call his builds replicas, which is why I called his products “continuation” cars.)

What classic cars from the past would you like to see built? No points for guessing what 56packardman will answer.  🙂

 

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