Classic Car of the Week: 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Phaeton

Nicknamed the ‘coffin’ after the unfortunate shape of its engine compartment, the Cord 812 was a sensation when it debuted at the New York Auto Show in 1935. The crowds were reportedly so dense that attendees even stood on bumpers of other cars just to catch a glimpse of it.

This particular example is a later supercharged model, which was made available as of 1937, and distinguished itself from the naturally aspirated version with bold chrome-plated external exhaust pipes flowing out of the engine bay. Complete with blood-red interior, more chrome than Kanye West could shake a stick at and suicide doors, the Cord 812 is one of the original gangster carriages of the 1930s.

Fully restored in the late 1960s, this original factory-supercharged Phaeton will go under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s Hershey Lodge sale in Pennsylvania on 8 October 2015. Click here for more details.

Guide Price: $150,000-$175,000 (£98,000-£114,000)