Model 812. 170 bhp, 288.6 cu. in. supercharged L-head V-8 engine, four-speed preselector transmission, trailing arm front suspension with transverse leaf spring, tubular rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 125"

- Offered from the Estate of Don Kizziar

- Timeless Gordon Buehrig design

- Supercharged Lycoming V-8

- Low-production bustleback Beverly sedan

After trying to manufacture and market a front-wheel drive car with his 1929-30 L-29 model, Errett Lobban Cord tried again in 1935. Retaining front-wheel drive, his new 810 model was powered by a V-8 engine, driving through a four-speed electrically-shifted preselector transmission. The body, designed by Gordon Buehrig, was a thing of beauty. Its blunt louvered hood gave rise to the nickname “coffin nose,” always a term of endearment. Its reception at the November 1935 New York Auto Show was enthusiastic, and orders poured in.

There were four body styles, two of them sedans and two open cars, a two-passenger Convertible Coupe and five-passenger Convertible Phaeton Sedan. Least expensive was the five-passenger Westchester Sedan. A four-passenger Beverly Sedan had a more luxurious interior that included an outsized arm rest in the back seat, akin to armchair seating.

Chief among changes to the coffin-nose Cord for 1937 was an optional Schwitzer-Cummins centrifugal supercharger that boosted rated output of the Lycoming V-8 engine to 170 bhp. Most Cord authorities, however, estimate that the true output was more like 186-195 bhp. The car was now designated 812, and a longer wheelbase sedan, the Custom Beverly, was developed to provide greater legroom.

We are informed that this supercharged Beverly sedan has had just two owners since 1967. It was restored in 1968 from an excellent original car and has been in the current owner’s collection since 2001. Correctly painted in Cadet Grey, it has dark blue cloth upholstery with grey piping throughout. The paint has only minor blemishes, and the chrome is all excellent, with the effect being an appearance that belies the age of the restoration. It is fitted with correct Cord accessory fog lights, whitewall tires and has the sought-after “bustle” trunk lid that affords copious luggage space.

The car’s authenticity has been verified by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club. It was awarded a First Place in Senior Division judging at the 1985 Hershey AACA meet and has earned Primary status in ACD Club national competition at Auburn, Indiana in 1983 and Senior status in 1986.

According to Cord historian Josh Malks, about 401 bustleback Beverly sedans were built, barely a quarter the quantity of fastback models. Slightly more than a third of them were supercharged. As such, this lovely Cord is both rare and desirable, while representing a cutting-edge engineering achievement in its day.