It is difficult to understate the stunning impact of “The New Cord” at its introduction at the 1935 New York Auto Show. The pride of Indiana’s Auburn Automobile Company, it was easily the most advanced American automobile introduced in decades, representing, as few cars have, a clear break and leap forward in design from top to bottom.

A V-8 engine propelled the front wheels, with shifts accomplished through a “key” on the steering column and actuated by pumping the clutch—this was merely the tip of the iceberg. Bodywork was constructed in semi-unitary fashion, with the front “stub” frame, carrying the engine and transmission, bolted to a body structure built in unit with the frame. There were hidden door hinges, a one-piece hood that opened at the front, and an utter lack of the traditional grille, replaced instead by seven louvers that encircled the nose. Most prominently, there were hidden headlights, each raised and closed by means of a small hand crank at the edge of the dashboard.

Gordon M. Buehrig’s design would go on to be acclaimed by everyone from architectural historians to museum curators. Indeed, when the Museum of Modern Art hosted its groundbreaking exhibit of “Eight Automobiles” in 1951, a Cord sedan was among them, with the catalogue recognizing the tasteful audacity of its lines and noting that it “suggests the driving power of a fast fighter plane.” The late Cord historian Josh B. Malks preferred the comment of one onlooker, that a Cord looked “like a beautiful thing that had just been born and grew up on the highway.”

And it is on the highway that a Cord is best experienced; properly sorted, it is a magnificently comfortable automobile that feels 30 years newer than its age. It is a car to make a believer out of the enthusiast who has never before ventured into the pre-war realm.

Cord’s convertible models added further innovation by being one of the first open production cars with a disappearing convertible top. Hidden when closed under a flush-fitting tonneau behind the seat, this feature gave them an especially smooth and sleek appearance. Indeed, the Cord retains its original chassis stub frame, correctly numbered as it should be (1,000 digits from the serial number), and bodywork, while the current engine is a correct replacement 810 unit.

This car is a wonderful piece of the modern, functional art that Gordon Buehrig created—a masterpiece of form and function.

Serial No. 810 2375 F
Chassis No. 1375
Engine No. 1309
Body No. C 92 123

The Ron Sturgeon Collection