The Cord 810 and 812 were revolutionary front-wheel-drive cars that were produced for a brief time in the 1930s. The 810 model saw fewer than 1,800 copies before the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Co. ran out of funds for the vehicle. An enthusiast later bought remnants of the company and produced a small number of shrunken 810s in the mid-1960s, including this example in Mahwah, New Jersey. One of only 97 built, it’s said to be in like-new condition and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $22,500.
A variety of body styles of the 810 were made, with convertibles being about 70% of the output. The Cord was significant in that it would be the last U.S. production FWD car built until the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado debuted 30 years later. 1936 Cords were 810s while 1937 Cords were 812s, but they were simply leftover 810s that were retitled. Years after the demise of the Cord, Oklahoma schoolteacher and Cord junkie Glenn Pray came along and purchased the remaining assets of Cord.
Pray decided to build a more luxurious version of the 810 but on a smaller physical scale, calling it the 8/10 (was it 80% as big?). To make it happen, Pray took the air-cooled engine and platform of the Chevrolet Corvair and reversed the order since the Chevy was RWD. The body materials were plastic, but not fiberglass. Though he gained a bunch of bits and pieces from the Cord acquisition, Pray decided to sell both parts for the old 810 and newly completed 8/10 vehicles. The latter were built in a former pickle factory in Broken Arrow (Oklahoma).
The 8/10s should have all run off Corvair flat sixes that were supercharged for maximum performance. Despite other investors getting involved, Pray was only able to assemble fewer than 100 of the 8/10s, which included a handful of experiments. The seller tells us this 8/10 is production #8 and once belonged to Glenn Pray’s son, Adam. We’re told it’s well-documented, and there’s a YouTube video out there of it moving from OK to NJ. The current price is $6,000 less than the original price, st as just the right buyer has yet to emerge.
His looks very interesting. Never heard of these replicas. What I’d really like to see is more photos of it outside in the daylight and some good interior and under hood photos too. From what I can see the proportions look dead on. This looks like it would be fun to drive, but I’d be nervous of something happening to it. Nice one Russ!!!
Russ, you featured one of these in 2020, but that one looked like a good parts car candidate. This one looks pretty nice from the photos. I’d like to see one in person to see the fit and finish up close.
I first became aware of these replicas when I was 8 years old. They were included in my 1966 edition of the Auto Universum book. It was my first knowledge of replicars. This one looks to be pretty nice.
Couple thoughts, its interesting that the seller has another one parked next to it in the garage with its hood up. I looked at the your tube video and what strikes me is how small this car appears with a person sitting in it! the 8/10 scale really does show with a person behind the wheel. There is a beautiful 812 in a local museum near me and the scale of these replica’s just do not sit with me. Check the video…….just not right……
That YouTube video is interesting, shows these to be more sports-car sized, reckon Pray loved the styling but wanted one as a snug, nimble sports car rather than a big, comfortable sedan.
Selling on Potatobook Marketplace is unserious enough as it is, supporting it with four sentences, two of which are incomplete, and five really bad late night indoor pictures without any of the motor or interior let alone of it up on a rack and no real specifics on the car? Not at all worth my time.
Being a Corvair enthusiast, especially at the time, I remember these when they came out. I did NOT know that Pray built fewer than 100 of these. Definitely worth refurbishing and getting at least to some local events. Thank you, Russ, for posting this!
Dick Clark, of music fame, owned one of these.
I saw a couple of the replicas when we moved to the Tulsa area in 1968! I was surprised to see one just parked in a driveway? Learned later that it was built in the area!
I love 812 Cords, actually I love everything from Auburn-Cord-Speedster, but the replicas not so much. On an interesting side note Amelia Earhart bought an 812 Phaeton convertible less than a year before she disappeared and her husband sold it afterward and some of it was sold for parts. Fortunately an Earhart history buff by the name of Ray Foster tracked it down and reassembled and restored the car and it was added to the National Historic Register in ’23. Hagerty ran a cool article about it with a picture of her with it in front of the Lockeed:
https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/amelia-earharts-1937-cord-added-to-the-national-historic-vehicle-register/