1938 Cord 814 Prototype

In the early 1920s, E.L. Cord used his business and sales talents to gain control of the Auburn and Duesenberg automobile companies. In 1929, he created his namesake, the Cord, as the middle-class volume sales part of his ACD conglomerate.

Cord had designer Gordon Buehrig design this car to be a 1935 Duesenberg. The concept of front-wheel-drive was incorporated and, at the last minute, it was renamed Cord. The design featured twin flush-mounted tail lights, no running boards, a step-down interior, a disappearing top, concealed door hinges, fold-away headlights, built-in radio, and fully ventilated wheel disc.

The Cord 810 was introduced at the 1936 New York Auto Show. Show rules required that 100 cars had to be produced in order to be displayed. Auburn built the 100 cars in 116 days. The car was the hit of the show, with people standing on tops and running boards of other show cars to get a glimpse of it. For 1937, the model was designated as 812 and a supercharger was offered, increasing horsepower to 170. These models were distinguished by the chrome-plated external exhaust pipes mounted on each side of the hood and grille.

When the current owner started restoring this car, he found many aspects of the car that 'didn't add up.' Research determined that it was a custom prototype for 1938 featuring planned changes such as a sloping grille, raised body, and a smoother transmission cover, but the company went out of business before 1938 production could begin.