The ‘coffin-nosed Cord’ and its Electric Hand
Q: I read your column in my local newspaper and enjoy your technical advice. I don’t know if you can address an issue that is more of a curiosity than a problem, but I am a fan of the Cord automobile that was produced from 1936-1937, often referred to as the “coffin-nosed Cord.”
I have learned a great deal about this vehicle, but one aspect of the car that still mystifies me is the operation of its pre-gear selector mechanism, the gear shift module that hangs on the steering column.
The term “pre-gear selector” escapes my understanding. I’d like to know its operational function. For instance, is it electrically operated?
I’d appreciate it if you could direct me to an informational source.
—Gerald Di Napoli
A: Gerald, thanks for asking about this!
I enjoyed researching this interesting system and fell in love with the car along the way. The 1936-37 Cord 810 was an amazing car. It was developed during the Depression on a skimpy budget. In addition to being one of the most beautiful automobiles ever made, the Cord, alongside its other ahead-of-their-time features, employed the Bendix Electric Hand to semi-automatically shift its gears.
Rather than having the typical, floor-shifted three-speed transmission, the Cord had four speeds and a stalk on the steering column containing a teeny shift lever operated in a dog leg pattern. The transmission was mounted in front of the engine, driving the independently sprung front wheels, allowing a low, flat and roomy front floor and eliminating the need for running boards as an entry step.
Using just a fingertip, while keeping both hands on the wheel, one could “pre-select” the next desired gear, then step on the clutch, and it automatically shifted. You can find videos of the Electric Hand in action online.
The Electric Hand was also used on the Hudson Terraplane automobile, which also featured an automatic clutch control beginning in 1935. By far, the most comprehensive information on the Electric Hand I could find was a Hudson publication which can be found on hudsonterraplane.com.
Hudson's version of Electric Hand operated a three speed transmission and included a portable shift handle, held in clips beneath the dash, if the Electric Hand should falter.
The Electric Hand was part electric and part mechanical in operation. In addition to the driver flipping the control key lever (connected to a group of switches within the stalk), a clutch switch indicated the clutch was depressed halfway or more, and one or more electric solenoids delivered engine vacuum to a diaphragm actuator on the transmission which toggled between the transmission's shift rails, and a shift cylinder, which pushed the selected shift linkage either forward or rearward. Pretty cool! But things did go occasionally wrong. Jay Leno says his Cord shifts like a champ, but vacuum leaks and linkage issues causing it to not shift or jump out of gear were reported to be occasional gremlins.
The Terraplane's automatic clutch control was also a vacuum driven system operated by a switch on the accelerator pedal assembly, which allowed over travel beyond the idle position. When the pedal was not depressed, the clutch was disengaged. As one pressed the accelerator pedal to either idle or higher throttle, a “cushion control” mechanism engaged the clutch with velvet-like precision! Other semi-automatic transmissions were also developed in the 1930s, and GM's Hydra-Matic, introduced in 1939, became the world's first mass produced true automatic transmission.