Engineers Harry Miller and Cornelius Van Ranst, who had previously been closely involved with front-wheel drive Indianapolis race cars, were recruited by Erret Lobban Cord as advisors in the development of his all-new front-wheel drive passenger car, the Cord L-29 in 1929.

The deserved success of that model was thwarted by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, however, undaunted, Cord returned in 1935 with a new and radically-designed, front wheel drive car styled by Gordon Buehrig and powered by a Lycoming 125hp V8 engine.

The new model was designated the 810 and in 1937 the same power unit was used for the new 812 model.

A supercharger was offered as an option that year increasing the power output of the Lycoming engine to a purposeful 170bhp.

Buehrig’s coffin-nosed design was exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art and was instantly recognisable with its concealed headlights and flowing, external, flexible, chromium-plated exhaust pipes.

The Phaeton was the most expensive standard model...