1937 Cord 812 Phaeton 810/812

This 1937 Cord 812 is a supercharged convertible phaeton that is said to have been purchased in 1970 by Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club founding member and former club president Bob McEwan before being sold in 1980 to former ACD Club president Ethan Turner, who remained its steward for 30 years. The car was purchased in 2010 by the seller, who subsequently commissioned a six-year refurbishment by Capaldi Enterprises that included a repaint in Cigarette Cream and overhauls of mechanical systems as well as a re-trim of the red leather interior by ACD Club upholstery specialist Rick Hulett. The car is powered by a 288ci Lycoming V8 that is fitted with a Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger and drives the front wheels via a vacuum-operated four-speed preselector transaxle. Additional features include external exhaust pipes, independent front suspension, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, manually operated pop-up headlights, fog lights, and a tan convertible top with red piping, the latter of which was also fabricated by Rick Hulett. This supercharged Cord 812 is now offered with a stack of invoices from the refurbishment and a clean Ohio title in the seller’s name. The Cord 810 was introduced in late 1935 for the 1936 model year and returned for 1937 as the 812 before the Auburn Automobile Company ceased manufacture of the Cord marque. Gordon Buehrig-penned styling includes a “coffin-nose” front profile with a louvered wraparound grille, a rear-hinged hood, hideaway headlights raised via dash-mounted hand cranks, concealed door hinges, and a split windshield. Six body styles were offered in 1937, each of which was available as a supercharged variant distinguished visually by external exhaust pipes on each side of the hood. This example’s two-door convertible phaeton coachwork is finished in Cigarette Cream and was repainted during the refurbishment by Capaldi Enterprises, which also included re-plating of the brightwork by Qual Krom in Erie, Pennsylvania. The tan convertible top is said to have been fabricated during the project by ACD Club interior specialist Rick Hulett and features red piping and an oval rear window. Red-painted steel wheels wear chromed covers and are mounted with 8.50-16 Firestone whitewall tires, as is a matching spare secured in the trunk compartment. Stopping is handled by four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, while suspension incorporates a trailing-arm independent front setup with a transverse leaf spring and a solid rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs. The cabin is said to have been re-trimmed during the refurbishment by Rick Hulett using long-grain red leather over the front and rear bench seats as well as over the door panels and rear side panels. Additional interior features include burgundy carpeting, roll-up side windows, retractable rear quarter windows, dual lockable gloveboxes, and a dash-mounted rearview mirror. The cream-color three-spoke steering wheel features a bright horn ring and shares its column with a Bendix “electric hand” gear selector at the driver’s right. A machine-turned dash fascia houses instrumentation including a 150-mph speedometer, a 5k-rpm tachometer, a clock, and gauges monitoring coolant temperature, fuel level, oil pressure, and amperage. The five-digit odometer shows 12k miles, approximately 100 of which have been added under current ownership. The seller notes that the tachometer cable requires attention. The 288ci V8 features three main bearings, aluminum cylinder heads, and side valves angled at a near-horizontal position and is topped with a Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger and a single Stromberg carburetor. Power is transferred to the front wheels by a Detroit Gear four-speed manual transaxle mounted ahead of the engine. Gear changes are preselected via the column-mounted electrical switch and are set into action when the depression of the clutch pedal completes the electrical circuit that actuates vacuum cylinders on the transaxle unit. The car is titled using its body number, C3476637, which is shown on a tag riveted above the chassis tag. The car is shown above with former ACD Club president Ethan Turner after Turner’s purchase of the car in 1980. A collection of invoices from the refurbishment performed under current ownership is included in the sale. Additional images of the invoices are shown in the gallery, including a closeup sample of a cost log from 2015 totaling over $38k for a portion of the six-year project.