Gary Morgan of Chilliwack has always had a thing for unique cars.

There was a Ford Model T, a turbocharged 1968 Corvair convertible, a Bricklin and the factory display 1990 Lexus. For years, he had searched for a Cord automobile when a friend in the early 1980’s told him he knew of one.

An Oldsmobile dealer in Petitcodiac, New Brunswick had advertised a 1937 Cord for sale. The dealer was 80 years old and was selling a shed-load of old cars

The odd-looking Cord had been traded in on a new 1964 Oldsmobile by a widow who lived in Connecticut. It hadn’t been driven since 1943.

Morgan bought five cars, including the Cord, from the dealer, hired a car carrier and had the lot shipped to his Fraser Valley home.

He sensed he had a very special Cord when he nearly ruptured himself taking a door off while disassembling the car for restoration. The inside had armour plating to make it bulletproof.

“Who owned this car,” Morgan thought at the time.

More than 30 years would go by with Morgan tinkering with the mechanics of the car and buying $15,000 in new parts – almost everything that was available.

But health problems, downsizing and the loss of his workshop convinced him to do something with the car.

“I was starting to despair I wouldn’t get the car done and almost made the decision to sell it as parts,” he says.

Instead, he commissioned 360 Fabrication of Abbotsford to do a complete restoration on his rare classic.

Proud owner Gary Morgan and the fully restored 1937 Cord 810 at 360 Fabrication in Abbotsford. The special car was ordered new by then-Louisiana governor Huey Long, but the 'Kingfish' never took delivery of it as he was assassinated before it was completed. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The Cord was in rough shape when Gary Morgan bought it. Submitted , Driving

The 810 Cord outside the shop. Kevin Uy , Driving

The beautifully restored interior of the 1937 Cord 810. , Driving

This original plaque confirms the classic Cord reached the speed of 110.8 mph prior to shipment from the factory. Kevin Uy , Driving

360 Fabrication's Daryl Francoeur in the Abby shop with the Cord. Alyn Edwards , Driving

A detail shot of the fantastic restoration job. Kevin Uy , Driving

They certainly don't make body panels like this anymore. Kevin Uy , Driving

The 'boot' of the classic Cord. Kevin Uy , Driving

The revolutionary Cord 810 cars were introduced simultaneously in late-November 1935 at the New York and the Los Angeles Motor Shows. The unique cars — dubbed the coffin-nosed Cords for their louvered wrap around grille — stole the shows and all the publicity.

Apart from the dramatic styling, the 810 introduced 18 industry firsts, including a unique front-wheel-drive system, independent front suspension, reverse-mounted 125-horsepower V8 engine and an electrically selected semi-automatic four-speed transmission. In addition, the front frame could be unbolted with the running gear still in place, and was the first unibody car with integrated body and frame. It was so low it didn’t need running boards.

Other unique features included variable-speed windshield wipers, crank-operated hidden headlights, the industry’s first alligator hood, turret (filled) top, hidden door hinges, gas filler and radio aerial, flush-mounted taillights and a body nearly devoid of chrome trim.

Orders at the introduction of the new 1936 Cord 810 models exceeded 6,000 vehicles — this at the height of the Great Depression. With the 1937 812 models, the company introduced custom series cars with a longer wheelbase.

“The Cord was the transitional car from the Model T to today’s cars,” notes 360’s Daryl Francoeur. “You don’t often see leaps in mechanical history like this.”

When the world-famous restorer got the 1937 Cord in his shop, he noticed a ‘Custom’ badge on the lower body behind the front fender. Research showed there was no other Cord sedan made with side-mounted spare wheels in the front fenders. Also, there was an extra louvre in the grille indicating the car was taller than production models and it had a unique bustle back trunk. And the wheelbase was 132 inches instead of the usual 128 inches.

“You have a one-off car,” Francoeur told Morgan.

Further research revealed the custom-built Cord Beverly model was ordered by the State of Louisiana for controversial senator Huey Long, who had been governor of the state and who had been targeted by the Ku Klux Klan for being ‘un-American’.

Long was assassinated a month before he was to announce his candidacy for the presidential election, and well before the car was to be delivered.

Instead, the custom-bodied car was delivered to the State of Louisiana 80 years ago, a few months before the Cord Automobile Company would cease production and declare bankruptcy after building approximately 3,000 810 and 812 models.

Huey Long’s Cord was subsequently dedicated to wartime service with the U.S. Coast Guard, transporting admirals and other top-ranking wartime dignitaries.

When the car was declared surplus, it was sold to a member of the Coast Guard who was later killed overseas. His widow stored the ‘cursed Cord’ in a Connecticut garage for 20 years before trading it in on a new car.

“This car had been driven only 56,000 miles in its first five or six years and then stored for nearly 75 years,” says Francoeur. “It’s a great source of pride to get something out of a garage in boxes and resurrect it.”

The restoration took just six months and 571 hours.

“The car was complete and in really good condition with no rust,” Francoeur adds, noting among the parts supplied by the owner was a correct wool broadcloth interior in the original royal blue. “This saved a lot of time and labour. An interior job can take up to 400 hours to recreate and install.”

Owner Gary Morgan was thrilled with the restoration in the Cord’s original silver gray colour. But the first viewing was bittersweet, as he has made the decision to sell the car.

“My health won’t permit me to drive the car. It’s priceless and should go to someone who will preserve it,” he says.

The historic one-off custom 1937 Cord will be displayed in a special section of the Vancouver International Auto Show along with other restored vehicles completed by 360 Fabrication operated by brothers Daryl and Rick Francoeur.

It will be the first time custom-bodied Cord built 80 years ago in April 1937 will have been seen publicly since the early 1940s.

Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. aedwards@peakco.com