1937 Cord 810 Convertible Coupe

Designed by the legendary car designer Gordon Buehrig, the Cord 810 created a sensation when it debuted at the 1935 New York Auto Show. Also known as the Baby Duesenberg, Cord attempted to market a car priced between Auburn and Duesenberg. Sadly, Cord's finances couldn't match Buehrig's incredible design and the 810/812 Cord lasted only two years. There were approximately 3,000 Cord 810 and 812s produced over two years. With a selling price of around $2,000, Cords could not compete with models from GM and Ford, where engineering costs could be spread across a much larger number of cars produced. In 1937, the ACD Automobile Company went out of business, yet another casualty of the Great Depression.

Today, the Museum of Modern Art has named the 810/812 as one of the top ten finest industrial styles of all time. The Gordon Buehrig design is sleek, low, and devoid of running boards, the door hinges and headlights are concealed, the fenders pontoon to surround a wrap-around grill, and the dashboard is in an aircraft style. The mechanics are equally unique with front-wheel drive and a Lycoming 288 cubic-inch 125 horsepower engine.

This particular example initially appeared as the featured 1938 Auburn exhibition car at the big 1938 auto show in eastern Canada. It was sold at the 1938 Canadian show and was subsequently owned by several owners until 1970, when it made its way to Vancouver and then on to the state of Washington. It was acquired by the current owners in Hanford, Washington, and driven East to Wisconsin during snowstorms in November, towing a U-Haul trailer loaded with spare parts.

A repair was accomplished after the left front fender was damaged from a run-in with an elk during the cross-country trip. Many accretions (push button doors, etc.) were added by various owners, and these have since been removed. Restoration to original specifications commenced in 1971 and was completed in 2010. Lavine Restorations, Inc. in Nappanee, Indiana, did the final restoration.