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Cord 810/812

Gordon Buehrig · 1936

It didn’t just look like the future — it bolted the future’s chassis to America’s road.

Worth your time?4.5/5Yes.Drive the whole thing.What works, what does not, who it is for ↓
10:12in productionCh. 1 · Who made it, and why/ 10:12 · ceiling 15 min
4 chapters · 10:12Ceiling 15:00

The brief is written and checked. The video joins this page when it is cut.4 chapters · 1 min read · 10:12 planned

Read the brief

The Cord 810/812 is a 1936–1937 American luxury automobile designed by Gordon M. Buehrig for Cord Automobile, a division of Auburn Automobile Company. It pioneered front-wheel drive with independent front suspension in the US. It introduced hidden headlights and replaced the radiator grille with horizontal louvres — earning the 'coffin nose' nickname. Its semi-automatic transmission sat ahead of the engine, eliminating the driveshaft and transmission tunnel. It omitted running boards. Total production was 2,972 units. The Cord 812 was recognised for its originality by the Museum of Modern Art in 1951.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:08
    Who made it, and why

    Gordon Buehrig designed a luxury car for Cord — a division of Auburn — in 1936.

  2. 2:43
    How it broke the rules

    It was the first American front-wheel-drive car with independent front suspension — and the first production car with hidden headlights.

  3. 4:17
    What powered it

    A 4,739 cc Lycoming V8 delivered 125 hp — modest output, but packaged radically.

  4. 6:03
    How history judged it

    Its originality was formally recognised by the Museum of Modern Art in 1951.

1 more chapterFewer chapters
Worth your time?

Yes. Drive the whole thing.

4.5/ 5
What works
  • low floor
  • no transmission tunnel
  • clean side profile without running boards
  • singular, resolved silhouette
What does not
  • deliver reliability or ease of service
  • offer rear-wheel-drive balance or feedback
Drive it if
  • people who study how form follows function
  • people who study how function forces form
Skip it if
  • drivers seeking refinement
  • drivers seeking proven dynamics
  • drivers seeking service infrastructure
Who should drive it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read

What the car is and where it came from

The Cord 810/812 is a luxury automobile produced by the Cord Automobile division of the Auburn Automobile Company in 1936–1937. Gordon M. Buehrig designed it.

How it works, in terms someone would actually use

It places the engine and semi-automatic four-speed transmission ahead of the driver, driving the front wheels. This layout eliminates the driveshaft and transmission tunnel. The front-wheel drive uses independent front suspension. The headlights retract into the body. The nose has horizontal louvers instead of a radiator grille.

What it gets right

It gets the packaging right: low floor, no tunnel, clean side profile without running boards. It gets the visual statement right: the ‘coffin nose’ louvres and pop-up headlights create a singular, resolved silhouette.

What it does not

It does not deliver reliability or ease of service. Its complex transmission and novel layout created durability and maintenance challenges. It does not offer rear-wheel-drive balance or feedback.

What it changed

It proved front-wheel drive with independent suspension could be packaged in a production American luxury car. It made hidden headlights and grilleless front ends viable design propositions for mass-market manufacturers.

Who it is for, and who it is not

It is for people who study how form follows function — and how function forces form. It is not for drivers seeking refinement, proven dynamics, or service infrastructure.

Is it worth your time

Yes. It is a rare, documented pivot in automotive architecture — not for what it perfected, but for what it dared to omit and rearrange.

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