There's No Riding Around Incognito In This One
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
Cord automobiles were never very subtle. E.L. Cord, the driving force behind these vehicles, saw to that. They were extravagant, elegant, and in-your-face strikingly beautiful. Describing the car when it was first introduced, a writer of the time was quoted: " It didn't even look like a car. Somehow it looked like a beautiful thing that had been born and just grew up on the highway ".
The car you see here is a 1937 Cord 812 SC Cabriolet Sportsman. It's generally regarded as the high-water mark of the Cord line of cars and universally considered to be one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced. It was the brain-child of designer Gordon Buehrig and it carried the Cord philosophy of excessiveness to the extreme. Another writer of the times was quoted: " The word minimal is not in the Cord company's vocabulary ".
Good looks were not this car's only strong suit. As with all Cords, this car represented the latest in mechanical developments....some for show and others for go. The 812 series had a centrifugal supercharger that provided about 6 lbs. of boost to the engine, giving it about 190 HP. The supercharger was a $450 option....a princely sum back then....and only 64 cars were produced with it. The V-8 engine was made by Lycoming which was another company owned by Cord and noted for its aircraft engines. A SC version of this car set many speed records while running at the Bonneville Salt Flats....one of which was running for 24 hours straight at an average speed of over 100 MPH.
Some of the mechanical appointments with this car were way ahead of its time. It's fitted with variable-speed windshield wipers, unheard of then. It is the first car to have pop-up headlights. The list of features that set these cars apart just goes on and on.
Striking good looks, a host of engineering marvels, and true high performance were not enough to save the Cord line of cars. As with many of the expensive automobiles of the times, the Great Depression did them in....or at least hastened their demise.
The car you see here is a 1937 Cord 812 SC Cabriolet Sportsman. It's generally regarded as the high-water mark of the Cord line of cars and universally considered to be one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced. It was the brain-child of designer Gordon Buehrig and it carried the Cord philosophy of excessiveness to the extreme. Another writer of the times was quoted: " The word minimal is not in the Cord company's vocabulary ".
Good looks were not this car's only strong suit. As with all Cords, this car represented the latest in mechanical developments....some for show and others for go. The 812 series had a centrifugal supercharger that provided about 6 lbs. of boost to the engine, giving it about 190 HP. The supercharger was a $450 option....a princely sum back then....and only 64 cars were produced with it. The V-8 engine was made by Lycoming which was another company owned by Cord and noted for its aircraft engines. A SC version of this car set many speed records while running at the Bonneville Salt Flats....one of which was running for 24 hours straight at an average speed of over 100 MPH.
Some of the mechanical appointments with this car were way ahead of its time. It's fitted with variable-speed windshield wipers, unheard of then. It is the first car to have pop-up headlights. The list of features that set these cars apart just goes on and on.
Striking good looks, a host of engineering marvels, and true high performance were not enough to save the Cord line of cars. As with many of the expensive automobiles of the times, the Great Depression did them in....or at least hastened their demise.
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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Hi Joe,
Thanks for the compliment.
I know of the festival you speak about. It's one event I've yet to make but it is on my " to do " list. E.L. Cord was one of the strongest personalities to grace the automobile scene in those days. The cars that either came from that fertile mind or were greatly influenced by him ( Auburns, Duesenbergs, and Cords ) were all benchmark vehicles.
I can imagine you have a real blast enjoying the festival. I'll make it there one day.
Tom
http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
I hear you, brother. Gotta love YELLOW. A couple of years ago, this same show had a special section set up that featured yellow Italian sports cars only. Lord have mercy!!! It was a field of yellow Ferrari's with a sprinkling of a yellow Maserati and Lamborghini thrown in for good luck. I went into immediate sensory overload and had to limp my way home.
Tom
What are those dryer looking vent tubes for? I know it's a dumb question to ask, but it has me baffled.
Waiting for the Red
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
You in the ACD club? If not, hope you consider. Also be sure to check out the Club forum at www.acdclub.org
Same has J Allen up above, I too am from Auburn and a member for the ACD Club. I don't own an ACD Car, however during the festival there is usually an ACD car in my garage and a few in the drive-way. A few of the photos I've taken, http://www.dajatuphoto.com/Cars
The linkage to the Festival that Allen posted. Hopefully soon the ACD Festival staff will be giving me info so I can get the website updated.
Looking forward to meeting you and your Cord in Auburn soon! You can find me hanging around the car below:
It's an advertisement I did for "The Reunion" book for the ACD Club
Photos | Blog | Youtube
Those tubes are part of the exhaust system for the car. The manifold headers coming off the engine feed into these tubes and the exhaust is then routed to wherever the tubes lead. The flexible nature of these tubes made them easier to manipulate....as opposed to solid-walled, unarticulated pipes. The engine in this car is a V-8 in configuration, therefore, it has 4 cylinders exhausting on the right bank and the other four exhausting on the left bank. In this case, you have two cylinders from each bank exhausting into one of the tubes....so, as you see here, there are two tubes servicing the four cylinders in each bank.
Tom
Thought they had to be a part of the exhaust system, but couldn't figure it out when it was directed out the fenders of the front tires. Learned something new
Thanks for the info Tom
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
Hi David,
Thanks for looking in. I hope I haven't given you the impression that the beautiful Cord I shot belongs to me. Regrettably, it doesn't. One of my favorite pastimes is attending, and shooting at, as many of the major car shows around the country as I can work into my schedule. I like to focus on the Amelia Island show, Pebble Beach, and Meadow Brook ( which has a new name now ). I'll also get to as many of the major regional shows as possible.
The festival you guys up there stage every year has been on my hit list for a long time.... but. like several other events, I just haven't made it there yet. At some point, though, I will get there.
BTW, I looked at a lot of your work on the links you sent me. You've done some excellent work.
Tom
Your title had me cracking up--It made me think of the car in the first shot whispering to the little yellow car from the side of his mouth "try and blend in".
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It's great to hear from you, Liz.
Yea, anyone trying to slink around town had better find a ride more suitable to slinking.
Tom