1937 Cord
edited by David Barth, 30 January 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Photos were taken in January 2009.
Cord was part of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg empire created and directed by Erret Lobban Cord. It was one of the finest
and most stylish automobiles to ever grace the roads of America. The Cord was introduced in 1929, and was initially
marketed as a mid-priced car, between the high-end Duesenbergs (which often sported factory prices higher than $6,000
in the 1920s), and the lower-level Auburns (which were only several hundred dollars more expensive than cars from
Chrysler or Chevrolet).
The first successful car to have front-wheel drive, Cords had lower bodies than traditional
rear-wheel driven cars, which made them exceptionally stylish. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused the mighty
Cord L-29 to cease production in 1932. However, in 1935, a new front-wheel drive Cord appeared. With an art deco body,
it was unlike anything the American public had ever seen. Styled by Gordon Buehrig, it featured pop-up headlights, a
coffin-shaped grille, and immediately became one of the most stylistically distinct cars in American automotive
history.
The Cord seen here is one of the last produced before the company's dissolution in 1937. It is a supercharged phaeton
convertible, perhaps the most desirable of all front-wheel drive Cords. It is also a shining example of automotive
passion.
The owner of the car was Ottmar Antze, who was a mechanic in a Chicago factory in the mid-1930s. He fell in
love with the Cord, and in 1936 acquired his first Cord, a black Model 810. At the time, he was only earning 85 cents
an hour, so buying a $2,000 car was quite a struggle for him since that was probably his yearly salary. Nevertheless,
he was smitten with the stylish car.
Unfortunately, he made the mistake of driving his "black panther" to work, where
the company president discovered it. The president, who drove a Buick, was rather dismayed to see what one of his
employees was driving, and promptly fired Antze.
When the supercharged Cords were introduced, Antze traded up to a car
he considered his great love and later wrote that he "treasured every enraptured moment I spent with her." He surprised
his wife on their wedding day, when he arranged to have this Cord delivered after the ceremony, and the immediately used
it to start their honeymoon. While Mrs. Antze did not particularly like riding in the Cord (especially when the top was
down!), she recognized Mr. Antze's love for the car and even came to love the car, herself.
In 1953, Mr. Antze displayed the Cord at a sports car show held at the Henry Ford Museum, and then graciously loaned
the car to the museum. By the early 1960s, the Ford Museum had acquired their own Cord, so Mr. Antze arranged to have
the car transferred to the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, where it has been on loan ever since. In 1979, Mr. Antze
traveled with the Cord to Dusseldorf, Germany, for the prestigious Grand Prix D'Elegance. While there, he was able to
meet and personally thank Gordon Buehrig for designing a car that he loved so much. In 2000, the Antze family generously
donated the car to the Crawford collection so that future generations can see the unrestored beauty that Ottmar Antze
considered his "ultimate mistress."
Model: 812 Supercharged
Body Style: Phaeton Convertible
Original Factory Price: $2,645
Brake Horsepower: 170
Displacement: 288.6 cubic inches
Bore: 3 1/2 inches
Stroke: 3 3/4 inches
Cylinders: V-8
Wheelbase: 125 inches
Manufacturer: Auburn Automobile Company
Location: Auburn, Indiana, USA
Donor: Ottmar Antze Family, 2000
