1937 Cord 812 Sedan

This car was one of the entrants in the Cheshire Concours d'Esprit at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2017.

It's a 1937 Cord 812, and the information sheet in the windscreen of the car reads as follows:

YSU 476

1937 Cord 812

SUPERCHARGED

WESTCHESTER SEDAN

One of the most distinctive

Cars of the 20th Century

"The single most beautiful American Car"      American Heritage Magazine 1996

The 810 Series was conceived by E L Cord as America's first front-wheel drive auto. The Cord 812 supercharged developed from the 810 as a US design classic, revered to this day.

•   Lycoming V-8 engine.   125bhp  289 cu in (4739cc) L-Head

•  812 model offered optional Schwitzer-Cummins Supercharger for 170bhp-plus power and 110 mph top speed.

•   Four speed Bendix semi-automatic pre-selector transmission (3 + Overdrive) with electric gear change.

•   Supercharged cars sported brilliant chrome plated external exhaust pipes on each side of the bonnet.

•   Independent front suspension.   Rear semi-elliptical leaf spring suspension.

•   Four wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

•   The body by Gordon M Buehrig was a thing of beauty.  It's blunt bonnet gave it the nickname 'coffin nose'.

    Hinges were hidden, and the low bodyline meant running boards could be dropped.   The Cord 810/812 set new standards for automotive design.

•   Retractable hidden headlights, adapted from aircraft landing lights and raised/lowered by hand cranks.

•   Comprehensive instrumentation in engine-turned dashboard included radio as standard.

This futuristic front-wheel-drive supercar was based on the revolutionary Cord 810.

The car's reception at the November 1935 New York Auto Show was enthusiastic, with onlookers standing on the roofs of other cars just to catch a glimpse of the 810, and orders poured in.

Alas, the advanced and complex design was slow and expensive to produce, and components (particularly the semi-automatic gearbox) proved troublesome.   Warranty problems followed.

After an initial flurry of orders, teething troubles delayed deliveries.   Cancellations followed, leading to financial problems and the cessation of production in late 1937.

Only 3000 Cord 810/812s were produced.   Few survive today of this extraordinary cult classic.

YSU 476

•  Built in 1937 in supercharged form.   Chassis No 16775.   Engine No FB2111

•  Sporting the rare Westchester Sedan body.

•  Imported from the USA and first registered in UK 1990.   Owned by a private Cheshire gentleman.

•  An occasional visitor to local Cheshire classic car events and displays, YSU 476 won Best Grand Tourer in the 2017 Gawsworth Hall Classic Concours.