Topic: Whaddyacallit #82 - SOLVED - 1st CRV prototype by Marbon Chemical

[Ray B.]

Ever seen this ?

Please, respond below and let us know the make and model designation of the car posted here.
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Thanks!

[Ray B.]

Promoted.

[@re]

I actually didn't recognise this until you promoted it! It's the first prototype for the CRV (Cycolac Research Vehicle) built by Marbon Chemical in the early 60s. It developed into a production car that was called the Piranha, which has actually featured in no less than two earlier AutoPuzzles:

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=751.0 and http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=1329.0.

More about it here: <<< link removed >>>

I actually had the OSI version stacked for later posting - it's similar, but not quite the same:

[Ray B.]

Indeed.
I had searched AP for CRV or Marbon and not Piranha, so I didn't find those.  I never succeeded to go through all the solved puzzles. I was puzzled when I discovered the Fageol Supersonic today !
As often, the link you give me is where I'd found the car.

This makes you another point anyway.

[osicar]

Yep - not quite the same but mostly. Front end and some other body details were changed by Alpine who built the mechanical part of the car. The overall finish then was done by OSI who is regarded as the manufacturer of that prototype. I found it in january 2010 somewhere near the dutch north sea coast - stored in a barn for some 30 years.

[Paul Jaray]

What a find!
Here you are a period pic from an old magazine.
Keep us posted!

[metalshapes]

Yep - not quite the same but mostly. Front end and some other body details were changed by Alpine who built the mechanical part of the car. The overall finish then was done by OSI who is regarded as the manufacturer of that prototype. I found it in january 2010 somewhere near the dutch north sea coast - stored in a barn for some 30 years.

That car has history with the Dutch Slalom race Club Wimedo.


I've seen some old home movie footage of it, long time ago.


Wimedo cars had to be painted white at the time, so even that checks out.

Very cool that its found...


Are you going to restore it?

[osicar]

What a find!
Here you are a period pic from an old magazine.
Keep us posted!

Hi - thanks for the pic. Do you still know where it was published - press pictures are quite rare - so I'd love to find some mags on ebay or so.

[osicar]

That car has history with the Dutch Slalom race Club Wimedo.
I've seen some old home movie footage of it, long time ago.
Wimedo cars had to be painted white at the time, so even that checks out.
Very cool that its found...
Are you going to restore it?


Yes I actually plan to restore it, but I first try to check the car's complete history. The seller told me that the car was sold from Marbon Chemical to one of their employees who painted the car in white and attached some race items eg. the wide alloy wheels, safety belts and the roll bar. But until now I couldn't find any evidence that the car was ever used on a race track. Do you have any more information on this race club - photographs, starting lists, films, anything....?

I'd be thankful for any help

best regards
Oliver

[metalshapes]

Team Wimedo is still active.

Here is their site.

<<< link removed >>>

I have already asked one of my old racing buddies who is still active in the club about the super8 footage, but he didnt remember seeing it.

I'm pretty sure what I saw was a Slalom ( known in Holland as a Behendigheids Wedstijd ) that was held at the Go-Kart track in Driebergen.

It mostly focuses on Simca RalleyIII's etc, but the CRV was visible for a couple of seconds.

[osicar]

hello

meanwhile I was in contact with a person of the wimedo club and he promised to have a look in their materials – but it will take it's time. He is is quite sure that there is something about the car. As soon as I have the result I'll let you know.

thanks again
Oliver

[Allemano]

On a different subject as we have with osicar an excellent expert on board: Is there something known about the whereabouts of the OSI Ford Mustang? Are more infos available about this car?
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=5374.new#new

[osicar]

This OSI Ford Mustang was built on a shortened chassis (2400 mm wheelbase) with tubular frame and glassfibre body (the OSI Mustang was the first OSI project where they used a fibreglass body. It was a result of the Alpine-OSI cooperation fixed in 1965). It was first shown on the 1965 Turin Autoshow. It is quite likely that Sergio Sartorelli was the designer – being head of the Design Studio he claims responsibility for most of the OSI cars of that time. The whereabouts is unknown.

sorry, thats all I know for this car

[Allemano]

Thanks!

[osicar]

hello,

some months ago, I was talking to a gentleman who was a former employee of the OSI company. He told me that a lot of cars were given away when OSI got financial problems in 1968. He himself was able to buy the OSI Scarabeo and he also wanted the Mustang and the 124 Cross Country. But theese cars were already sold at that time. So it is quite likely that the OSI Mustang is still in private hands.

[Allemano]

Thanks for the info!

[Otto Puzzell]

I actually didn't recognise this until you promoted it! It's the first prototype for the CRV (Cycolac Research Vehicle) built by Marbon Chemical in the early 60s. It developed into a production car that was called the Piranha, which has actually featured in no less than two earlier AutoPuzzles

Not quite. The bodies were molded by Marbon. The puzzle car was designed and constructed by race car designer Dann Deaver, co-founder of Centaur Engineering. The chassis of the puzzle car is a Centaur tubular race frame.

The second car built (CRV-II) was also built by Centaur (not Marbon), for track use.

Marbon sold a third body molding to OSI for their version.

[Carnut]

Marbon sold a third body molding to OSI for their version.

Believe this one is that car (same one as in Reply #4):

[Ray B.]

Well; it has patches of blue too, and the setting could very well be the Dutch coast as it said...

[Carnut]

Here's a colour photo of the OSI produced car (actually the same photo as in Reply #3 but in colour), together with some info from a website:

QUOTE
Over the years, some photos and articles have been published of what appears to be a Marbon CRV which had been created by the Italian coachbuilder OSI. The car was tastefully modified in the headlight, hood, windshield, and trunk areas and was said to feature Renault running gear. However, there was never any reference to how or why the car was built.
 
Did Marbon Chemical hire OSI to build it? Did OSI see one of the CRV's and purchase parts from Marbon to build their own version? Whatever happened to the car? These are some of the questions that has burned in our brains for years. Finally, someone who knows the answers has come forward.

Guus Bierman worked for Marbon Chemical in Europe during the 1960's, operating out of Geneva, Switzerland, and Holland. His task was to develop applications for vacuformed and injected plastic in the automotive industry for the European market. During his time at Marbon, he even traveled to the USA and met CRV designer Dann Deaver, Trant Jarman, and Forbes Howard.

In 1966, Centaur Engineering completed CRV-V and Marbon shipped it over to Europe for a promotional tour. Guus took the car to every car manufacturer in Europe to tote the possibilities of plastic for automobile manufacturing. Of special interest was Italy, where most of the exotic car designers resided.

During a visit to the prototype studio at OSI, one of their engineers crashed the CRV-V heavily and it was no longer drivable. Subsequently, the car was returned to the US to analyze the impact absorption of the Cycolac.

Sensing how badly they felt about wrecking the car, Guus convinced OSI to construct a European version of the CRV. Marbon supplied the two-piece Cycolac body and a fiberglass chassis. Through his close contact with Renault, Guus obtained running gear from an Alpine Gordini. The inline four cylinder and five-speed gearbox was much lighter than the Corvair package which made the car very fast and well handling. The car was finished as a convertible "Spyder" version and was painted French Blue with white stripes.
 
Upon completion, Guus personally drove the car over 5,000 miles around Europe promoting the car and the products. After the novelty of the car wore off, the car was stored in the Marbon factory in Amsterdam. Guus left the company in 1971 to start his own business, and years later a Marbon employee obtained the car and modified it for racing in Holland. Guus has seen pictures of the car racing at the Zandvoort track in the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, Guus had not been able to locate the car for us, but he hopes to furnish more information in the future.

Special thanks to Guus for writing and filling in one of the many gaps in the CRV/Piranha history!
UNQUOTE

[Otto Puzzell]

Period pic

[grobmotorix]

Even in Germany it has been used for advertising in 1969:

[Mogul]

Name manufacturer, type, based on what and year?

[gte4289]

Name manufacturer, type, based on what and year?

A well-known car:

The original CRV (Cycolac Research Vehicle)-Centaur, Centaur Engineering Corporation and Marbon Chemical, Sunbeam Imp-powered, 1964-65.

[Mogul]

The CRV part is correct it has another name to, the company & year is correct too; build during 1964 introduced to public in January 1965, I have no details on engine other then it was water-cooled, but it's based on another specific part.....
So it's looked for you to find the the other name and the specific part it's build on.....