1937 Cord 812

The Berline was built as a chauffeur-driven personal limousine, featuring a 132-inch wheelbase, 7 inches longer than a standard 812. The Custom series examples were slightly taller, recognizable by the addition of an eighth louver in the grille. A Stromberg AA25 duplex carburetor fed 289 cubic inch (4739cc) Lycoming L-head V8 Supercharged under the hood, with a front mounted 4-speed electrically-selected semi-automatic transaxle, and L29 Front Drive making it the first mass-produced front wheel drive American car in history. Company data show that there were as few as 36 Custom Berlines produced. 27 are documented to have survived. Of those, only 9 were equipped with the Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger that added an additional boost for the Lycoming V8 engine, boosting horsepower to a factory estimated 175hp, more like 195 horsepower when tested directly. It was a very modern power plant, featuring an iron block with an almost square bore and stroke and aluminum heads with nearly horizontal valves operated by roller-equipped rocker arms. While not as powerful as a Series 90 Cadillac V-16s 185hp, the Cord weighed a mere 4,100 pounds, compared to nearly 6,600 pounds for the Cadillac limo. This example is a Custom Berline Deluxe. Deluxe denoted for its deluxe rear vanity, which includes lighters and ashtrays, dual glove boxes, intercom system, and one of 11 equipped with a wind-up glass divider window. More research has gone into this Berline than into any other in history. This is the most luxurious and expensive Cord ever built, setting the standard for all Berlines. Restoration began in earnest in 2016 by Mayhorns Restoration of Hartly, Delaware and completed in 2019 in time for the inaugural Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival in Auburn, IN where it won Concours Honors. The Berline currently resides in the main showroom of the ACDA Museum and featured in the If These Cars Could Talk monthly program.