One of these days we’ll have to take an in-depth look at one of the most brilliant and influential automotive designs ever, the fwd 1936 Cord 810/812. I’ve never come across a rendering of it in the snow before, with chains on, no less. Now that makes me want to go skiing. And with the rain we’re finally getting, that may become a reality, at last.
Left as an exercise for the reader (viewer) is how they managed to transport the skis with the pictured car…
You mean it doesn’t have a pass-through in the rear seat, along with a built-in ski-bag?
They had the top down on the way up, and they put them behind the seats. Or else the camera-car is a Cord Wagon.
They coulda towed the toboggan with the skis tied to it
Ah, the beauty of renderings! As a professor of architecture, I often tell my students, in reference to the false perspective often required, “Sometimes you have to lie to tell the truth!”.
It seems this artist knew how to stretch the truth a bit, too. But only in terms of letting us wonder how that stuff got there. Imagine a time when you were allowed to drive up the ski slope, not to mention having a car that might do it.
Gorgeous image!
I believe that a print of this picture hung on the wall in the office of my car mentor, Howard. I only visited his office once or twice, but I could swear that he had a big print of this in a frame on the wall. A beautiful picture.
Another local car, built just down the road in Connersville, Indiana. I absolutely love these.
Because of my proximity to the museum (growing up) and after visiting the museum in 1985, Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg had a hold on my teenage imagination. I think that’s why the Toronado held my imagination from its birth to 1985, those wheels on the Cord even look like they belong on a Toronado.
You know, Dan, you may have something there. I had always wondered where the styling of those Toronado wheels came from.
There’s no question that Olds borrowed that design on purpose, as well as the horizontal grille.
A surprisingly nice car to drive, too. Got to drive an 810 convertible back in the late 60’s. Made my ’37 Buick feel like a bread van.
Maybe the Cord driver wanted to drive up and visit his friends on the slope?? The lodge was farther (further?) on up the mountain??
I know the Auburns of the same vintage had a golf bag compartment behind the seats with its own door, maybe they just hung the skis out that?
As for skiing, it was even raining up on Mt. Bachelor today Paul – that on top of a ~35″ base does not make for good skiing! Where’s that La Niña we were promised?
Yeah, it’s way too warm here; this storm is more like a pineapple express.
That is a neat image, Paul. Great setting and nice rendition of the car in an unusual color – I’d love to have that one framed – Wouldn’t mind having the car sitting out in the shop, either. I’m an Indiana boy, too, and remember when one saw cars from the A/C/D pantheon occasionally, at car shows, etc. I never tire of looking at them.
To add to the skeptics’ observations: First, could chains even FIT on the front wheels of a Cord? With most front-wheel-drive cars, there are clearance issues. Turn the wheel over hard, as in a right-hand turn, and off comes the fender.
And then…why would the driver even need chains? With all that low-tech cast-iron hardware over the front wheels, there would have to be plenty of weight.
Finally: if you think winter slush and salt are hard on hidden headlights…can you imagine SAND, used in those days, packed in the headlight covers? With the primitive servos?
…just wondering.
The headlight covers on these Cords were all mechanical, each operated by a separate hand crank, one on each side of the dash.
My first old car crush! Filled the backs of many boring worksheets with sketches of pontoon teardrop fenders. And everyone should make the pilgrimage to the A-C-D museum.
We had Cord in the shop once, and that flathead V8 is the smoothest idling thing I’ve hever heard. It makes that Lexus V8 sound like a dump truck with a running wood chipper in the back…