Citro?n-Cord

This should be easy to ascertain. Get Bob McEwan a six pack and he'll remember where the letter is filed.

I don?t think your a smart ass Henry!
Most of this information comes from a letter from Claude Maurel to McEwan the editor of the Newsletter in 1956. Some of this information has been confirmed by Citroen historians.
To understand why the engineers from the Citroen factory were so interested in the V8 Cord, you have to know that in 1935 they were forced to close down there own V8 projekt, the model 22. 20 prototypes were made and tested when the Citroen-factory was taken over by The Michelin tyre company. Michelin abandoned the 22 projekt to save the Citroen-factory. One prototype of the model 22 survived until 1950, and I?m sure, the Citroen engineers did compare the V8 Citroen with the V8 Cord. The different modifications of the Cords could indicate that the experiments with a V8 engined Citroen was not totally abandoned, but this is my guess.

Torsten

Torsten, I am not trying to be a smart ass but I am wondering where you obtained the above information ? Is it from Citroen factory engineering records that can be verified or from various stories that have appeared in print from time to time? From an engineering stand point, after testing a product as made; what can be gained from modifying some one else's product? On the other hand if some big Citroen executive wanted it done for their personal use, that's another story! Do we know for sure that Charles Dechaux did not modify these Cords? Respectfully, Henry

Hy Torsten
In historic position you may be right , but these technical experiments should be at least made in a optical goodly way .
On one of the photos you`ve posted i can see that the converted Cord was a 812 S/C.
You can see it at the closed exhaust-pipes-gaps . >>pic !
This strikes to me as rebuilding a `61 Corvette with a even old Diesel motor.
Indeed it`s technic possible , but it`s right to do ( ? )

Sorry about my opinion , don`t be displeased
cordly regards
Marcus

You may be a purist Marcus, but in my opinion this special Citroen-Cord is a vital part of the Cord history.
In 1936 the Citroen-factory bought 2 Cords, one sportsman and one sedan for evaluation in the same way as Auburn did with a new Citroen traction avant in 1934, and as General Motors did with a Cord in 1936.
After the Cords were examined they were used for experiments. In 1936 Citroen was in the process of developing a new 6 cyl. model and the Cord sportsman was used to test the new front suspension with torsion bars and drive shafts.
The original FB engine of the sportsman was replaced with a FC engine, again bought for evaluation, but the the Citroen engineers were not satisfied with the supercharger, so they threw it away and replaced it with two Zenith carburetors.
In 1938 the Cords were put away until 1950 when the sportsman was bought by S. Claude Maurel. This was very unusual as experimental cars normally were destroyed, and that's why this car, in my opinion, is so important to the the history of the Cord as well as the Citroen.

If you look at the Cords that were rebuilded with Citroen engines by Charles Dechaux, they are also part of the history, how Cords in France were kept alive when the source of spare parts dried out.

Torsten Vig

Did the white Cabriolet in question have a Citroen engine installed? I was under the impression it was mostly a suspension conversion.

Hy Cordfriends <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

Sure , the appearance may be approximately the same to a Cord 812/810
But , that`s my opinion , only a Cord with the original V8-Lycoming engine is a real Cord 812 to me .
Where remains the originality if you put an other engine and drive train in a
Body of a Cord ?
In this case I?m a Purist - Sorry -tractiondk !
No one would come to the idea to install a 4cyl engine in a Mercedes-Benz
600 Pullman , for example .

Cordly regards

Marcus

Charles D?chaux converted several Cords to Citroen running gear. There was an article about him in an early Newsletter.

Henry. I will try to take pictures of the things you mentioned the next time I visit the museum where the Cord is on display.
No I don't know Mr. Kneisner but I have read about him in the Newsletter, and I think the friends you mention are Cord enthusiasts in Sweden not Denmark.

Torsten

Torsten, Please, if you can,take some pictures of how the drive train (engine,transmission,&amp; etc.) are installed and any chassis modifications that have been made if you can. Do you know my friend Hans-Juergen (Audi) Kneisner in Braunschweig ,Germany? He has a Cord phaeton. (<a href="mailto:[email protected]][email protected][/url]). He has Cord friends in your country. Thanks , Henry P.S. Ric does a good job on his videos.

Thanks to Chris, Ric and Henry for your reply.

The reason for my interested in this particular Cord, is I?m a Citroen-enthusiast as well as a ACD-enthusiast. I have read the story about the 2 Cords that were bought by the Citroen-factory and used for testing.

Originally the Cord 810/812 were not imported to Denmark, but know we have 4 and one of them is a french Cord 812 #32051 S. It has been rebuild with a 4 cyl. Citroen-engine just after WW2 by Charles D?chaux in Paris. I will post pictures later.

Again thanks for your help and Ric I?m interested if you find the video.

Torsten

Torsten, The last I knew the owner of this car is John Belluardo(<a href="mailto:[email protected]][email protected][/url]).

In one of my videos I interviewed the then owner. He described many of the differences and gives a lot of its history. If Interested, I could search my files and find you a copy. I am running late so you may have to be patient. Ric.

There's several in Griffith Borgeson's "Errett Lobban Cord." The ACD Museum store may still have a few copies in stock.

Pricey, but a wonderful piece of literature.

Does anyone have a picture of the Cord cabriolet with Citro?n suspension and wheels. I think the car is owned by a gentleman in Ohio.

Torsten Vig
Denmark