Cumberford

In 1982, with backing from a computer company, Robert Cumberford designed a flamboyant front-engine, rear-drive two-seater of which two examples were crafted as development prototypes – with body of cast and sheet aluminum; African Mahogany fenders; a 3.2-liter, in-line, BMW-sourced, six-cylinder engine; as well as steering and suspension components from a Citroën CX. Two prototypes were constructed in Stamford, Connecticut, with one displayed in a San Diego museum for a period and another kept in Cumberford's garage in France. With the two-seater appearing on the cover of Car and Driver magazine in April 1982, the intention had been to market as many as 300 of the cars (as the – to Cumberford Martinque) but only the prototypes were manufactured – with an overall investment of approximately $3.5 million. Funding dried up after John DeLorean was indicted in a completely unrelated automotive scandal. Cumberford later drove one of the Martiniques from Austin, Texas to Pebble Beach, California in 1985, and both still exist today.