Feb 20, 2019  •  For Sale  •  31 Comments

One Of A Kind: 1936 Cord Custom

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“One of a kind”, “Unique” and “Cool” are the first words that come to mind when I laid eyes upon this wild, unfinished custom project. It’s listed as a 1939 Cord here on eBay in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a BIN of $15k(or trade) however the seller says that it’s a Cord front clip mated to a 1939 Hupmobile Skylark frame. It’s definitely a unique design and combination!

Among the laundry list of full-custom work done is the following from the seller: “The FWD sheet metal beneath the hood was replaced with second Cord hood inverted below the front of the fence for a “mirror image” nose look. Bottoms of the Cord front fenders were trimmed off and replaced with the top half of the Skylark fenders turned upside down and swapped left to right before being welded to Cord fenders. Three of the four steel fender skirts have been made to produce a stylish custom four “pontoon fender” Cord.  Car has linear actuators in the rear to raise and lower it at the touch of a switch. No front suspension. Narrowed rear housing and axles with coil over suspension. Except for top, most of the body and fender work is done”

The seller also tells us that Ed Newton, designer of most of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s creations, helped on the artwork and famed “Cadzilla” designer Larry Erickson submitted several interior design proposals for this car. Obviously, we here have no way to prove that, however the seller includes some of the design artwork in the listing.

I can’t find the proper words to describe this car. It looks, to my untrained eye, like something that the late Boyd Coddington started but didn’t finish.

Looking at it now, and looking at the concept art, do you think they were on the right track before the project stopped, or would you do something differently? It’s definitely an interesting and odd find, but is there anyone out there willing and capable of finishing it?

Comments

  1. Coventrycat
    Feb 20, 2019 at 8:33pm

    I can find the proper words for this car, but you won’t print them.

    Like 19
    • Mike
      Feb 21, 2019 at 3:44am

      You can say what you want, just us asterisks, such as – This is one awesome m*****-f****in’ automobile. Holy s***, this is a great looking car. This is one kick-a** Cord! etc….

      Like 15
  2. Big Len
    Feb 20, 2019 at 8:40pm

    This would be a helluva car if completed, but without a huge effort and investment, this is yard art.

    Like 9
  3. J.T. WILSON
    Feb 20, 2019 at 8:47pm

    If Dolly Parton ever bought a custom car, this should be it!!

    Like 19
    • mark houseman
      Mar 1, 2019 at 8:25pm

      The front fenders and Dolly Parton have a lot in common……

      Like 0
  4. Kenneth Carney
    Feb 20, 2019 at 9:17pm

    Looks like they were going for the
    Dallahaye look and they got it. A
    convertible sedan would be the way to
    go with this one. Power could come
    from a 300 HP Northstar V-8 backed by
    a 4T80E automatic transmission. The
    interior would be Cord style with leather
    seats and door trim. The dash could be
    filled with VDO gauges with a hidden
    radio a la a’ ’68 Imperial. The hidden
    headlights could be retained and the
    outside pipes could stay too. The
    windshield would be a one piece fixed
    unit with a mild chop. That’s what I’d
    do. Anyone else?

    Like 14
    • 68custom
      Feb 21, 2019 at 8:42am

      cool vision, but LS powered! I think Hupmobile bought the rights to the Cord after they quit and turned the body into a read wheel driver, which would explain the Hupmobile parts.

      Like 2
  5. OhU8one2
    Feb 20, 2019 at 10:37pm

    Mr. Foose,
    I really hate to bother you at the moment, but I need to ask you for a favor???

    Like 7
  6. UK Paul 🇬🇧
    Feb 21, 2019 at 12:05am

    Wow, love it! Beautiful.. so many possibilities

    Like 3
  7. Ike Onick
    Feb 21, 2019 at 5:44am

    Shop manual says it takes 4.5 days to change a front tire.

    Like 12
  8. Unreal
    Feb 21, 2019 at 6:57am

    Melt it down and get three Toyota’s out of it!

    Like 5
    • Ike Onick
      Feb 21, 2019 at 7:16am

      Or 7,563 beer cans which would be a much better use of this fever dream.

      Like 2
  9. azd
    Feb 21, 2019 at 7:12am

    Oh man, this thing NEEDS to be completed! Very cool concept, and the workmanship so far looks top notch. It would be quite impressive once finished. I’d want to build it to look as though it was made in the 40s or early 50s.

    With that long hood it needs a long engine. Something like an inline 8. Maybe an OHV Buick with custom manifolds and multipe carbs.

    Like 7
  10. Will Fox
    Feb 21, 2019 at 8:21am

    Holy Mother of Pearl!! I think I see the next “winner takes all” of the custom car show world!!!
    I picture this in a sleek art-deco swoopy two-tone of maybe pearl black sapphire blue with terra cotta leather guts!!

    Like 0
  11. r s
    Feb 21, 2019 at 8:35am

    Looks like the automotive version of ‘My 600 Pound Life’.

    Like 4
  12. Frank Sumatra
    Feb 21, 2019 at 8:52am

    The front wheel whatevers are completely out of proportion with the rest of the whatever. Hideous design that would have gotten the ‘designer” tossed out of any Industrial Design class, with good reason.

    Like 4
  13. Ward William
    Feb 21, 2019 at 9:25am

    Rip off the front balloon fenders to expose the front wheels but leave the rear ones on. Then Rat Rod that baitch.

    Like 2
  14. ccrvtt
    Feb 21, 2019 at 9:35am

    Frank is right about the proportions, but the sketches reveal a more coherent concept. Toning down the excesses and showing some restraint could result in a really nice shape. I see dark blue metallic for the body with large skirts front and rear painted in a contrasting silver blue. A monochromatic gray mouse fur interior with lots of chrome accents. Buick straight 8 power with a 3-speed manual.

    Like 2
  15. Jack Quantrill
    Feb 21, 2019 at 9:56am

    What gives with the hideous, bulbous front fenders?

    Like 1
  16. Cargirl
    Feb 21, 2019 at 10:13am

    Am I missing something? That first picture made me blush.
    And no Delahaye or Cord ever had those balloon cartoon fenders. Bulbous fenders yes. Balloon cartoon fenders no.

    Like 4
  17. Ike Onick
    Feb 21, 2019 at 10:31am

    I’m not sure about that.

    Like 0
  18. leiniedude leiniedudeMember
    Feb 21, 2019 at 10:38am

    They probably decided to sell it when they were trying to fit a front suspension, turning radius, what turning radius?

    Like 3
  19. BlondeUXBMember
    Feb 21, 2019 at 11:02am

    Just too cool. Rare parts/Right look.
    Use some imagination.
    Sure beats the rusted Mopar muscle we’ve been seeing here…

    Like 2
  20. Doug
    Feb 21, 2019 at 12:20pm

    Needs completed, and powered by ANYTHING but an LS.

    Like 1
    • BlondeUXBMember
      Feb 21, 2019 at 2:50pm

      Seagrave V12…

      Like 3
  21. MoparDude
    Feb 21, 2019 at 2:25pm

    imagine this with a corvette engine!

    Like 1
  22. bog
    Feb 21, 2019 at 3:09pm

    This is an amazing piece of automotive art and truly should be properly finished. Since it’s already set up for rear-wheel drive….gasp…put a twin turbo BMW or Mercedes V12 in it and really drive folks nuts ! BTW, it should be easy enough to confirm/deny the artist/designers allegedly involved. One of the images on eBay actually shows a signature by the left rear wheel….

    Like 2
  23. Chevy Guy
    Feb 21, 2019 at 6:34pm

    i have litterally never heard of a cord

    Like 0
  24. Lbpa18
    Feb 21, 2019 at 8:32pm

    Never hears of a Cord???!!!

    Like 2
  25. SumtingWong
    Feb 25, 2019 at 5:16pm

    I love it, would look in my garage. I would finish just the the drawings show it. If I was 20 years younger I would be all over this car.

    Like 0
  26. Kevin Preciado
    Mar 20, 2021 at 12:19pm

    Looking @ the original concept, I’d put an 810/812 Roadster-Pheaton spin on it. Marcel’s would be tapped for the job and it would be something E.L. Cord himself could’ve said that he commissioned. This would fit right in with staging in front of his beautiful Pan Pacific Auditorium. Space Age before we ever hit the scene.

    Like 0

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