Hot Wheels '36 Cord (082)

On the bench today is a 1/64 scale Hot Wheels ’36 Cord. It debuted in the 1999 First Editions series. This model was designed by Greg Padington and it was produced from 1999-2005. This one’s a 2001 mainline edition, with silver trim on the rear fenders, and a Hot Wheels logo on the back. It’s #234 and was made in China. You can see that the paint’s chipped and the wheels are worn out, so I’ll break it down, strip the paint, prime it and give it a rich looking two tone paint job, a wheel swap and some much needed detailing. I have a vision in my mind of what I want it to be. Stay tuned to see if I can make it happen!

This Hot Wheels castings is based on the real life 1936 Cord 810 Westchester sedan (and later the Cord 812), which was a luxury automobile produced by the Auburn Automobile Company in 1936 and 1937. It was the first American-designed and built front wheel drive car with independent front suspension. Power came from a 289 cu in Lycoming V8 with 125 hp. The semi-automatic four-speed transmission (three plus overdrive) extended in front of the engine. This allowed designer Gordon Buehrig to dispense with the driveshaft and transmission tunnel, and as a result, the new car was so low it required no running boards. When introduced in 1936 the entry-level sedan cost US$1995.

The Cord was nearly devoid of chrome, had hidden door hinges and a rear-hinged hood. It featured pontoon fenders with hidden headlamps that disappeared into the fenders via dashboard hand cranks. This car was the first and one of the few ever to include this feature. It also featured a concealed fuel filler door and variable-speed windshield wipers. Its dashboard included complete instrumentation, a tachometer, and standard radio (which did not become an industry standard offering until well into the 1950s). The most famous feature was the "coffin nose", a louvered wraparound grille, from which its nickname derived - a product of Buehrig's desire not to have a conventional grille.

The car caused a sensation at its debut at the New York Auto Show in November 1935. The crowds were so dense, attendees stood on the bumpers of nearby cars to get a look. Cord had rushed to build the 100 cars needed to qualify for the show, promising Christmas delivery, expecting production of 1,000 per month, but the semi-automatic transmission was more troublesome than expected, and December 25th came and went with no cars built. The first production cars were not ready to deliver until February, and did not reach New York City until April 1936. In all, Cord managed to sell only 1,174 of the new 810 in its first model year, mostly as a result of a myriad of mechanical troubles.

Early reliability problems, including slipping out of gear, cooled initial consumer enthusiasm. Unsold, left-over and in-process 1936 810 models were re-numbered and sold as 1937 812 models. In 1937, after producing about 3000 of these cars, Auburn ceased production of the Cord.

In pop culture, some think this is the car that Superman is trashing on the cover of Action Comics issue No. 1, but that’s neither conclusive or unanimous. That comic book, by the way is worth $3m so, if you’ve got one, hang on to it.

Enjoy this ’36 Cord makeover. If you like the video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe to my channel and hit the notification bell for regularly updated content. It’s free! Your respectful comments are always welcome and I promise to reply to each and every one of them. Be sure to tell me where you’re watching from. I’m a world traveller, so I’m interested to know. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

Andrew Price
Basel, Switzerland
[email protected]

Want to learn more about the 1936 Cord 810 Westchester sedan? Go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_81...

Want to donate some old, beat-up diecast cars by post for future makeovers? I’m open to models of all brands and makes (Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Corgi, Siku, Majorette et al). Surprise me! I use an international shipping address in Germany:

Andrew Price
c/o LAS Burg 24708
Colmarerstrasse 10
Weil am Rhein 79576
Germany

FYI: I don't collect, display or sell the cars, and they’re certainly not competition entries. All of the Maple Leaf Matchbox Makeovers finished projects that are kid-friendly are put in custom blister packs and go to my local Goodwill store where they are given to children for free. If there are parts that can be swallowed, those cars are given as gifts to adult collectors that are fellow enthusiasts.

Note: Due to the use of paint stripping chemicals and power tools, this channel is not intended for viewing by children. Age 14+ is recommended.
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