Cord 812 Supercharged 1937
- Thread starter Gids
- 7 comments
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Overview
The Cord 812 (and related Cord 810) was an automobile produced by the Cord Automobile division of the Auburn Automobile Company in 1936 and 1937. It was the first American-designed and built front wheel drive car with independent front suspension. The 810/812 was also the first to offer hidden headlights.
The design of the Cord 810/812 remains one of the most distinctive of the 20th Century.
Design and engineering
The styling of the Cord 810 was the work of designer Gordon M. Buehrig and his team of stylists, which included young Vince Gardner and Alex Tremulis. While the first American front-wheel-drive car with independent front suspension, it had an archaic tube rear axle with semi-elliptic rear springs. Power came from a 4,739 cc (289 cu in) Lycoming V8 of the same 125 hp (93 kW) as the L-29. The semi-automatic four-speed transmission (three plus overdrive) extended in front of the engine. This allowed Buehrig to dispense with the driveshaft and transmission tunnel; as a result, the new car was so low it required no running boards. It had a 125 in (3,175 mm) wheelbase.
Reportedly conceived as a Duesenberg and nearly devoid of chrome, the 810 had hidden door hinges and rear-hinged hood, rather than the side-opening type more usual at the time, both new items. It featured pontoon fenders with hidden headlamps (modified Stinson landing lights) that disappeared into the fenders via dashboard hand cranks. This car was first and one of the only ever to include this feature.
It also featured a concealed fuel filler door and variable-speed windshield wipers (at a time when any wipers were rare, and those were likely operated by hand). Its engine-turned dashboard included complete instrumentation, a tachometer, and standard radio (which would not become an industry standard offering until well into the 1950s). The most famous feature was the "coffin nose", a louvered wraparound grille, from which its nickname derived, a product of Buehrig's desire not to have a conventional grille.
Public reaction, sales
The car caused a sensation at its debut at the New York Auto Show in November 1935. The crowds were so dense, attendees stood on the bumpers of nearby cars to get a look. Cord had rushed to build the 100 cars needed to qualify for the show, and the transmission was not ready. Even so, Cord took many orders at the show, promising Christmas delivery, expecting production of 1,000 per month, but the semi-automatic transmission was more troublesome than expected, and 25 December came and went with no cars built. The first production cars were not ready to deliver until February, and did not reach New York City until April 1936. In all, Cord managed to sell only 1,174 of the new 810 in its first model year, as the result of mechanical troubles.
812 Supercharged
Supercharging was made available on the 1937 812 model. Supercharged 812 models were distinguished from the normally aspirated 812s by the brilliant chrome-plated external exhaust pipes mounted on each side of the hood and grill. With supercharging, horsepower was raised to 170.
End of the run
Early reliability problems, including slipping out of gear and vapor lock, cooled initial enthusiasm. Although most new owners loved their sleek fast cars, the dealer base shrank rapidly. Unsold left-over and in-process 1936 810 models were re-numbered and sold as 1937 812 models. In 1937, after producing about 3000 of these cars, Auburn ceased production of the Cord. A single 1938 Cord prototype, with detail changes to the grille and transmission cover, was built, and it survived as of 2009.
Specs:
Layout - FF; Cylinders - V8; Aspiration - supercharged; Displacement - 4739 cc; Max. power - 170 hp; Max. torque - 352.5 nm; Transmission - 4-Speed Preselector; Weight - 1814 kg (Convertible Coupe).
0-100km/h - 13.5 s; Max. speed - 164.6 km/h (102.3 mph).
Appearance in video games:
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (as Thor 812 FWD)
L.A. Noire
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_810/812
http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2005/11/01/hmn_feature1.html
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10031/Cord-812.aspx
Competition/same era cars suggestions:
BMW 328 Roadster 1938 , Bugatti Type 55 SuperSport Roadster 1932 , Bugatti Type 57 C Voll & Ruhrbeck Cabriolet 1937 , Chrysler Airflow Eight 1934 , Cord 812 Supercharged 1937 , Duesenberg Model J Supercharged version (SJ) 1932 , Duesenberg SSJ 1935 , Rolls Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe 1935
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P.S.
I honestly think that driving games like Gran Turismo should have more historically important and significant automobiles, even if they are not as fast as modern day supercars. One can have great pleasure driving older cars with rich history and heritage.
I encourage you to learn a little bit more about this piece of automobile history.
Last edited:
- 1,115
- Rivera
- Tsukishima-TDUDT
How about the Duesenberg Model J Supercharged from 1932 with 320 hp?
Or would it be just too fast for the competition?
@Tsukishima
I have been adding those links while you were making this post
Already there, plus Bugatti Type 57 C Voll & Ruhrbeck Cabriolet 1937.
If you know any more suitable cars to add (suggested by anyone), please, tell me.
I have been adding those links while you were making this post
Already there, plus Bugatti Type 57 C Voll & Ruhrbeck Cabriolet 1937.
If you know any more suitable cars to add (suggested by anyone), please, tell me.
- 1,115
- Rivera
- Tsukishima-TDUDT
Too "modern", I guess)
- 6,963
- South Africa
..........I'm slightly hurt over here for no one remembering this little suggestion of mine. I'm a sad little chipmunk. 
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...m-i-jonckheere-aerodynamic-coupe-1935.320193/
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...m-i-jonckheere-aerodynamic-coupe-1935.320193/
Well, I didn't see it before, and finding cars from specific time period is not an easy task on suggestions forum. I'll add it to the list...........I'm slightly hurt over here for no one remembering this little suggestion of mine. I'm a sad little chipmunk.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...m-i-jonckheere-aerodynamic-coupe-1935.320193/
