Plastic Pioneer - During the post-war boom of the 1950s, innovation swept across industries like wildfire. Materials were evolving, engineering was advancing, and companies were racing to reinvent how things were made—from home appliances to entire vehicles. Amid this period of rapid change, one American company, Marbon-Chemical, was making waves with a remarkable plastic known as Cycolac. Originally intended for boat hulls and appliance casings, this unique ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic had the potential to do much more. The real question was—could it revolutionize the way cars were built?
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| Italian coachbuilder OSI built a stylized version of the CRV in 1966, featuring clear headlight covers, a hood air scoop, and a trunk bulge. (Picture from: Story-Cars) |
Marbon-Chemical certainly believed so. Eager to broaden the horizons for Cycolac and tap into the booming automotive market, the company made a bold move in the early 1960s: they decided to create their own car. But this wasn’t just about style or speed—it was about proving that plastic could be more than just a trim piece.
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| Centaur Engineering's workers put the finishing touches on the first CRV prototype just prior to its' debut in January 1965. (Picture from: C-We) |
To bring their vision to life,
Marbon teamed up with
Centaur Engineering,
a specialist in crafting racing cars. Led by
the innovative designer Dann Deaver,
the collaboration gave birth to five futuristic prototypes under the name CRV—
short for Cycolac Research Vehicle.
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| The CRV prototype was a two-seater roadster with a wrap-around windscreen, and based on the Centaur racecar tubular frame chassis. (Picture from: C-We) |
Each CRV prototype was a bold expression of what the future could look like if metal bodies were replaced with lightweight,
moldable plastic. From
CRV-I to
CRV-V, these cars weren't just showpieces;
they were rolling proof-of-concept vehicles aimed at stirring the interest of major car manufacturers.
Their sleek forms and surprising durability demonstrated how Cycolac could be a legitimate contender for more than just dashboards and grille surrounds.
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| The CRV prototype was first displayed at the SAE convention in Detroit in January 1965. (Picture from: C-We) |
The fifth prototype, the
CRV-V,
was the one that took Marbon's dream international. In
1966,
it was sent to Europe under the care of Guus Biermann,
an employee at Marbon's Dutch branch. His mission was simple: showcase the
CRV to Europe's most innovative automakers and coachbuilders.
One weekend stop at OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali)’s design center near Turin,
Italy,
marked the beginning of a new phase in the CRV’s journey.
But fate had other plans—
an unauthorized test drive by an OSI employee ended in a rollover accident that left the CRV-V nearly destroyed.
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| This Italian version of the CRV was initially infused with Renault Gordini engineering by Alpine before being returned to OSI for final assembly. (Picture from: Story-Cars) |
Rather than abandon the project,
Marbon and
OSI joined forces to rebuild.
They used the same ABS body shell technology,
with Marbon producing the panels and shipping them to France. There,
Alpine—
famous for their collaboration with Renault and racing heritage—stepped in.
They infused the vehicle with Renault Gordini engineering and then passed it back to OSI for final assembly. The result was
a reimagined version of the CRV:
one that stood at the intersection of French performance and American innovation.
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| The 1966 Alpine Marbon CRV was a reimagined model that blended French performance with American innovation. (Picture from: Story-Cars) |
This revamped CRV wasn't just confined to test tracks. It took center stage at major auto fairs across Europe, including in Paris, London, and Frankfurt.
Biermann once again took the wheel of this promotional effort, showcasing the vehicle’s innovation to crowds of industry insiders and curious onlookers. But as interest gradually waned, the tour came to a quiet close. The
CRV was returned to storage, placed in a Dutch warehouse just north of Amsterdam.
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| The 1966 Alpine Marbon CRV by OSI took center stage at major auto fairs across Europe, including in Paris, London, and Frankfurt. (Picture from: Story-Cars) |
Still, all was not in vain. The
CRV's greatest legacy emerged not on the auto show floor but behind the scenes.
The project’s techniques and ideas caught the attention of Citroën,
who acquired the production rights. This pivotal move led to the birth of
the Citroën Méhari—
a production car featuring a full ABS body.
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| The CRV project's innovative techniques and ideas caught Citroën's attention, leading to their acquisition of the production rights and the creation of the Citroën Méhari with its full ABS body. (Picture from: Wikipedia) |
While
the Méhari had a more utilitarian design, its roots traced directly back to the lessons and methods developed during the
CRV experiment.
The plastic used in both cars,
Cycolac,
proved capable of more than just structural integrity—
it could be chrome-plated,
molded in large sections,
and used in ways that resembled boatbuilding more than traditional car manufacturing.
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| The current condition of the 1966 Alpine Marbon CRV by OSI prototype is very poor and requires a complete restoration to bring it back to its former glory. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani) |
The
Alpine Marbon CRV might not be a household name, but it marked a turning point. It wasn’t just a prototype—it was a signal that the material boundaries of car design could be pushed further than ever before. With the combined creativity of
Marbon,
Centaur,
OSI, and
Alpine, this bold project stretched the definition of what a car could be. Even if it didn’t become a commercial success, the
CRV left behind something far more valuable: the courage to innovate, and a clear glimpse into an automotive future shaped not by steel alone, but by plastic dreams with real-world impact.
*** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARROZZIERI-ITALIANI | STORY-CARS | WIKIPEDIA | C-WE ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
