CMT Kraftfahrzeuge GmbH - Quality Vehicles Since 1940

[CMT]

This is the topic for my own brand, CMT. Here you can see all vehicles built from 1940 to today, in chronological order (as they are done by me yet, maybe there will be added some vintage models later).

What does CMT stand for? CMT is a german brand which also tries to focus on the oversea marked, as its founder was fond of the American Way of Life.
CMT focusses on quality - each model aims for high reliability.
CMT always looks for a good balance in power and economy. You won’t find any sluggish shitbox, but also no gas-guzzling 8,0-Litre monster engine.
CMT stands for contemporary design and engineering. Any new model represents the state of the art.

In 1940, CMT was founded by its german CEO in the USA - forced by the war in Europe. So these very first models are designed to meet the american taste.

At first, there is the compact 1400 - the name is given by its engine, a 1400ccm inline four, which delivered 58hp - not bad for it’s size. The 1400 was supposed to be an affordable and practical car for everyone. But even being quite simple, its price seemed to high. Two- and Fourdoor sales did not meet the expectations. It’s delivery variant - CMT wanted to generate business customers for fleet sales - didn’t do this either. It was dropped in 1952. Maybe a larger engine with better performance would have pleased the public more. It’s quite acceptable mileage somewhat did not.

[CMT]

I had some trouble with the image upload, as I was a new user. Maybe I should have read the “instructions” in the PM first before posting. Obviously I did not (my bad), this is why the rest of the 1940 lineup comes seperately.

Beside the basic 1400, the Deluxe 2600 was added. It is a premium sedan somewhere between mid- and fullsize. The CEO did not see any sense in mounting a large V8 in it, as he hoped the war in Europe would be hopefully over soon - and over there, in his home, there was more demand for cars equipped with a moderate six. The 2600ccm SOHC inline six engine delivered 110 horesepowers, a very good output compared to other engines of its time and size. The only thing the engineers should consider was that the Deluxe 2600 should reach 160 kph, which it did. Fuel consumption was just three liters higher than the 1400, a merit by its “Aerodesign”. Although many critics were not fond of the handling, which was surprisingly dull, the comfort and design were aprreciated. The 2600 was no sales-wonder, but did well untill it’s end in 1950.

In 1945, as an experiment, a version with a large V8. It helped the company’s image, but had no real advantage justifiying the much higher price. As being an experimental car, this was not too bad. Construction for an improved version of the Deluxe body had alrady begun…

The third car in 1940 was the Deliveroo. As it’s name says, it is basically a business vehicle. Entry level was a pickup with the 1400 pushrod engine. It was just too small, economy at all costs went a little wrong. Some units were sold anyway. Luckily, 0-60 mph in 33 seconds was still enough for most delivery vehicles, but nevertheless mileage suffered under drivers having to floor the car constantly. The Panel Van got the 2600 SOHC, as it should take heavy load and it was far more popular than the Pickup. A passenger version completed the lineup. Its length was extended for maximum interior space. Eight persons travelled quite fast with it through the endless America. It sold steady and brought the brand into people’s minds. All three variants were on sale until 1950, party parallel to its sucessors.

[CMT]

As already mentioned, the Deluxe 2600 V8 Pullman was an experiment. Its 4000ccm “Iron Pig” engine was not developed for being built only a few hundred times. When WW2 was over, CMT was able to release its new “Village”-Models in early spring of 1946 which based on the Deluxe 2600 with numerous tweaks under the sheetmetal. In war times, there was neither much time nor resources for developing a completely new vehicle.
The Deliveroo Passenger was a sucess until then, but you just can not deny the transportation-vehicle-base. A more distinguished station wagon was the Village Universal, for those who did not need the Deliveroo’s versatility. It offered slightly better performance and fuel consumption while being much more pleasant to drive. But comfort, safety and prestige were not raised in comparison to the Deliveroo Passenger - CMT had to keep its price in mind.
It fared well up to 1955, when sales finally showed the car had outdated. It was not such sucess as the Deliveroo Passenger, mainly because the Village Universal had more competitors.

Village lineup included a category-busting “Flatbed” variant. Up to the B-pillar it was a normal, maybe not too well-equipped sedan, but after that there is a dent-resistant steel bed. Many decades before Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero, CMT offered the first half-car, half-truck. But it was not a sucess, at least there was no loss with it.

In the following year, V8 Pullman was already ready to be dropped. Based on the improved Village-platform, the 4000ccm Iron Pig did it’s job from now on in the “Sedan de Luxe”. V8 Pullman were produced until late 1948 and sold at production costs - to acquire price-sensitive premium customers and as a reaction to the fact that the Sedan de Luxe was not a lot more expensive to build. In fact, the new top-of-the-line model was a lot of bang for the buck! The Sedan de Luxe was a little less pracitcal, but besides that, it did everything miles better, because the older Deluxe 2600 was, planned as a premium family-commuter, just not designed for the high-end market. The Sedan de Luxe did no serious harm to the Big Three, but it amortized its huge development expenses and helped the CMT image a lot. It reached real 200kph - a world record for a luxury sedan! Some movie stars bought it for that reason and did more for the brand’s image than any advert would have done. In total, the Village - and mainly the V8 model - was a sucess.

In the next post, we will make the step into the 1950s - stay tuned.

[CMT]

And now the last part for today: The 50s!

After the war, the CEO of CMT Motor Corporation wanted to go back to Germany from where he had escaped in 1933 being disgusted by the NSDAP.
When he saw the destruction and suffering in Europe in a trip 1949, he decided not to come back yet. The people especially in Germany just can not afford a car. The problem was, that a small delivery vehicle designed to help in the reconstruction was nearlly finished. But nobody would be able to afford it. It was planned to retain the old pushrod Butler engine, but now the car had to be changed for the American marked, where the car would be failing as underpowered. CMT developed a modern, 2,3 litre four in just one year. It should have an output of 100hp, and everyone was happy when it finally delivered 107. The engine was designed for utility vehicles, so the first car to get it was the underpowered Deliveroo Pickup, which improved its performance dramatically while fuel consumption remained unchanged. The modern engine was not cheap, so the rosen price had cut demand in retour. The Deliveroo Pickup did not improve its rather disappointing sales as expected, maybe also caused by the lack of redesign. All resources were needed for the all-new Express.

Express held what its name promised, with top speeds well over 160kph, another world record for a delivery vehicle. The track had to be widened to prevent the car from flipping at high speeds. The engine was over-engineered - an equally-strong (just in torque!), cheaper six would have been what the Americans wanted in an utility. Price rose too high, so the critics were good, but especially small companies did not want to spend the money that was needed for it.

CMT saw that problem coming and tried to repeat the sucess of the Deliveroo Passenger, but now with a smaller vehicle. The practicality of the 9-seater was unbeaten by any competitor, drivability was pleasant for its category. It outsold the heavily aged Deliveroo Passenger immediately. It was dropped in 1960, when its sucessor arrived.

In 1950, the Deluxe 2600 was dropped. It’s replacement, the Nestor, arrived delated in 1952, because the development of the Express Engine had priority. Originally planned for 1950, it had to meet the '51 Petoskey Indian, which offered comparable qualities at lower prices.

Petoskey Motors: From the ashes of War (1940-2012...)

Petoskey goes to war and the aftermath. The year is 1942, the war is going full swing. After declaring war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States turning the conflict into a global struggle. The United States found itself fighting a war on two fronts, that means the military would need all the hardware it could get its hands on. Knowing this need, Petoskey Motors switched the majority of their production towards heavy duty vehicles for military …

Due aged models sales declined, and the development of a new engine for the Nestor was too expensive. The time was used instead to improve the design, but critics considered it as too modern. But, luckily, enough people saw that extraordinary design as nice enough to pay $ 600 more than for the conservative Petoskey. The Nestor did well in the family premium segment.

In 1953, the Nestor Coupe was added, its panoramic windscreen was larger that that of the sedan to make it look sportive. It was the last car to get the legendary Iron Pig eight, and still made 200kph with it. But beside impressive top speed and reasonnable accelleration, there was no special quality. Yes, it offered quite a lot room for a Coupe, but it’s prestige was not extraordinary. Mainly former Sedan de Luxe buyers decided for a Nestor V8 Coupe. At least, that car helped binding customers.

In the mid-50s, Europe’s economy recovered. Now it was time to join the market. The Commuter was meant to compete with the Volkswagen Bug. Its front longitudinal engine was a new developement, the Lamont four, developed by Eddie Lamont, head of engineering. The Express engine would have been to large. Lamon developed 80 hp - a record for a 1700ccm commuter car engine. The car itself was much smaller than you would expect with that engine, having a weight of just around 730 kg. No doubt this was rather a city premium than a commuter car. Again, those who were able to spend $ 4000 for a car ordered larger vehicles - the Commuter had no prestige for that amount of money. In the USA, it was the car of elder rich man’s wives and sold constantly. In Europe, the Commuter “Basic” had less eqipment and the old Butler engine. With a top speed of 125 kph, it was comparable with the Bug. It was a total fail in the US, but the first CMT to be seen in noticeable amounts on European roads.

[Awildgermanappears]

This reminds me of an earlier incarnation of my own company. Simpler times.

[BobLoblaw]

A slugfest with my most iconic model from the '50s, I’m touched. Out of curiosity, were you comparing that sedan with the I6 model or the V8 one?

[CMT]

The Nestor still has the 1940 Ironsix engine with 110 hp, so I compared it to the l6 version of your car. Mine gets all in all slightly better ratings, but just marginal and is some 600 $ costlier in production. The V8 coupe may holds up well with your performance variant of the Indian. I had no time yet to take a closer look at its specifications.

[CMT]

Now I’d like to continue with the further history.

Being established on the US market and having first sucess in Europe, it was now the time for the first prestigeous sports car. CMT decided to name its sporty cars after famous race tracks all over the world. The all new 1956 Indianapolis went on sale as Gran Turismo coupe and convertible. The coupe had a very unusual roofline, giving rear passengers more space to be a worthy 2+2. Again, Petoskey was faster, offering their Meteor since 1955. CMT wanted to defeat the annoying competitor by offering the largest engine ever produced by CMT yet: A 4600ccm (280ci) flatplane eight with an output of massive 275 horsepower. The cars set a new 236 kph record, as it was already a tradition for CMTs top cars. Acceleration was just little better than average for this power, mainly becuause of wheelspin. A longer gear ratio improved that, allowing slightly better economy (if you can call 12 MPG that) at identical acceleration. Both cars were a sucess in the premium sports segment, with a pleasant balance between performance and comfort. The Flat8Sport-engine became one of the most famous and long-living machines of CMT, as development costs were high. Critics said the Petoskey Meteor was more refined and nicer to drive, but the Indianapolis Gran Turismo offered more interior space and - and this is important - way more power at lower prices. Its classic design became a milestone in the second half of the 50s.

Together with the Meteor, Petoskey introduced the giant luxury liner Ventnor. CMT quickly developed the new flagship Enterprise within two years. Its art-déco inspired design followed the line the Nestor had set. When Enterprise appeared in 1957, everyone turned his head after it. Critics said once again the Petoskey is the better car, but hardly anyone - even in USA - was able to afford it. The Enterprise was very costly as well, but the bill was some $5000 less than the Ventnor which helped sales a lot. In well-situated suburbs, you had a good chance to see at least one Enterprise in 1960. It used the same engine as did the Indianapolis, still pushing that massive loaf of metal to 200 kph, but economy dramatically sank to under 10 mpg. Luckily, buyers did not care a lot.

In 1959, CMT had a good position in the USA. The Commuter offered nice engineering for most people, as the Nestor was a very individualistic choice in the midsize range. The Indianapolis was one of the most admired sports cars and the Enterprise was well-known in premium class. The Express was a thrifty family mover with large sales numbers, but now it slightly lost desireability. The Deliveroo Pickup was doomed for 1960, as it never had the sucess it may deserved. The competitors did not sleep, both the big three and small companies like Petoskey or Studebaker. There was no time to relax facing the 60s.

[CMT]

And now - last for today - the first half of the 60s.

In 1960, the CEO founded the “CMT Kraftfahrzeuge GmbH” in Germany. His dream became true: To be a German automaker. Of course, he had to adapt the model portfolio. The first car to be new in 1960 was the Carry, which followed the now-outdated Express. Express name remained though, as being the delivery variant of the Carry. The panel van retained the Express four with 107hp and was designed to be as cheap as possible without erasing quality. Both in Europe and the USA, Carry Express did its job. The passenger variant got an updated variant of Eddie Lamont’s 1700ccm-four, now delivering remarkable 87 horsepower. Carry was not a fast car, but well balanced. It was neither a slug nor overpowered. Its design was loved by the public and got an award.

A surprise was the introduction of the new Nestor in summer 1960. It totally changed its concept: No bulky premium midsize with a sixpack under the hood. It was a straight, simplificant small midsize with the new Lamont-II-engine borrowed from the Carry Passenger.
Orders were simple: Not heavier than 1000kg, but the top speed should be near 160kph. The result was stunning. As the carry, it was well balanced between Europe and the US. It was the premium alternative to Opel Rekord or Ford 17M and supported the high-end image of CMT in the old world. In the US, the Nestor II was an alternative for those who liked the Ford Falcon but wished more quality. The best for CMT on the US market was the fact, that the Nestor II bet the all-new and very similar Petoskey Cortino clearly. It was better all around, for a reasonnable $ 300 more. There is no wondering why the Nestor II was a segment leader in family sport and premium.

Other efforts failed, as the facelift of the Commuter. It also got the Lamont II, but mated with an automatic gearbox, a completely new three-speed. CMT thought that many city drivers would appreciate the comfort of not having to shift anymore. But the basic car was too old, and sales were poor.

Expressive car design in the US had its peak in 1959, after that the cars became more conventional again. For that reason, a reworked Enterprise got on sale in 1962. It did everything slightly better, a new gearbox with now three gears by Borg Warner pushed both performance and economy. The new front styling resembled a little the 1955 Petoskey Ventnor, but nobody cared: The facelifted Enterprise, which did not rise its price, was a much-liked representative family sports car. Critics no longer considered it as luxury due to its age.

The Americans liked small european sports cars. MG for example, was quite sucessful. CMT developed a new sports car called “Monza” in Germany and presented it in 1964. The engine was a compromise, CMT faved the V6 as the main engine for the company. Two new engines were in developement, but not finished. German engineers took just the utility-meant Express four and quickly tuned it to a race engine. Aggressive cam profile, twin carburetors and more resulted in surprising 147hp. But fuel consumption was awfully high. In Europe, where it was developed, it failed, but in the USA, this small boom-box was bought frequently. And the new engines would arrive soon to push the Monza to the next level.

[Oskiinus]

Carry Express looks a bit… scared, not in tact, surprised, idk

[CMT]

I really wondered what you mean… then I saw that picture:

I never noticed that scared face of the Carry before. In fact, I liked it more than any other design of that van here and thought it was flawless.

[BobLoblaw]

Just FYI, When I use the name Ventnor, that’s a sub-brand. The trim is the actual models name. In the example you mentioned above that’s the Ventnor Sovereign. Sort of a take between Lincoln and Cadillac.

[CMT]

All right, I’ ll consider that.

I did not quite catch that yet, maybe I just read too much in too few time.
In 1965, to the 25th birthday of CMT, there was nothing new to present. New engines still needed more refinement. Everyone was wondering why the Nestor II has not been updated at all, while the main competitor, the Cortino, got a better choice for body styles, engines and trim options.
There was a reason for that. Originally, the Nestor lineup was planned to be extended. But seeing the immense sucess of the BMW “Neue Klasse”, CMT decided in 1962 to restyle the complete car. As the German division was quite new, it took some time to fulfil this task. But you know, if the Germans do something, they do it properly - at least back in that time. In 1966, the Nestor was ready to be dropped - dealers got the impressive new Ambassador in their showrooms. But Nestor remained, as it was a completely different car with a different target group. Ambassador only was on the first look basically a Nestor with nicer and sportier styling and modernized trim. It was a completely new car in the end. Engine was traverse instead of longitudinal, and it was changed to front wheel drive. Suspension became much more advanced to beat the BMWs. The wohle car was shortened from 4,46 to 4,20 meters in length. Being smaller and lighter, base engine was the new 1500ccm “Thriftmaster” four, delivering 85 hp featured in “Economy” trims. The sedan had standard three-speed automatic transmission, being easy to drive in city and commuter use. The wagon would have been too slow with that and recieved a brand-new 5-speed manual. In Europe, both versions did not reach the popularity of the BMWs, but filled the niche the bankruptcy of the Hans Glas GmbH had left. The rather small power of its engine was compensated with nice handlng, as the Thriftmaster was light and economical. They were fun to drive at modest prices.

Originally made for USA but also welcomed in Europe, the Executive trim featured another new engine, the 2000ccm “Small Six”. It delivered solid 111hp and pushed the light car nicely. Surprisingly, fuel economy was as good as in Economy models. It was the perfect opponent for the year-old Rebel suceeding the Cortino. The Ambassador Executive was the better and more refined car for just 300 $ more, but beside much better driveability and economy, there were only nuances seperating these two competitors, so it was mainly a question of taste. But the both styling and the handling allowed the marketing to push it with great sucess as “the true European sport sedan”. Storm Captain was no direct competitor, as it had a V8 and was completely adapted to the traditional american taste.

For sporty drivers, there was also a coupe recieving the Small Six. This version was a compromise between the track-oriented Monza and the normal Executive sedan. It leaded the sport budget segment - and sold much better than the Monza.

The Small Six also powered the Monza from new on - critics found that it did not really fit the car in general, but made a good performance at great economy. Buyers nevertheless preferred the Ambassador Sport.

A second new engine was the “Super Six” mounted in the Le Castellet convertible. Indianapolis was outdated and had to be sold with immense discounts that made it almost unprofitable in its 10th year. Le Castellet featured a special design with individual grille. The Super Six was, as the Small Six, an engine which profited from its long developement time. Modest 150hp allowed top speed around 200kph, as CMT wanted the car to stay in line with the new “economical and reasonnably sporty” image.

Another new model was the Daytona, a true muscle car. It featured the Flat8Sport - in its original 1956 variant. The car was modern and carefully constructed, but featured nothing special what might had helped in competition. All right, its handling was nicer than other competitors with leaf-spring solid axle it was -of course - not officially sold in Europe, but dealers got it as grey imports inofficially. From 1966 to 1973, they sold 1337 units over there that way.

The Carry was replaced with an - as CMT said - completely new Carry. In fact, it was just a facelift and customers were not amused that CMT did not hold what the announcement promised. Even the engine was still the Lamont, as tests proved the Thriftmaster being underpowered. The Lamont III was pushed to 95hp. But the Carry became heavier due to better standard features. A decade ago, the performance of the Carry was sufficient, but now expectations were higher. A delivery variant was also released, but its design was different from the passenger version. At first look, there was no reason for that, but the Express’ focus was Europe. The Passenger was designed by the American team with a lager hood for sportier look, while the Germans kept the original shape of the Express. Why the 1969 Carry Express got dual headlights will be a mystery forever.

The last car of the 60s was the Sentinel. CMT also tried to save money with just putting a facelift on the Ambassador, but at least it got a new name to avoid buyers realizing that. A strange thing was the fact that CMT started with the station wagons - the midsize sedans were still '66 Ambassadors. For being able to offer midsize cars with larger engines, Sentinel had RWD again, but a simpler rear axle. Engine switched to longitudinal again - CMT thought that would be a better platform for wagons. 1969 Sentinels came in Base trim with Lamont III - the thriftmaster was, as in the carry, not powerful enough, because the weight rised as more features became standard. The automatic version recieved the Small Six, the “Premium” the Super Six. Compared to the Ambassador Wagon, the Sentinel Base offered just better safety and greatly improved sportiness, but in every other category it was equal or even worse - this was the reason why the much smaller Ambassador wagon remained on sale. Hardly anyone bought a Sentinel Base wagon, because the Automatic with the Small Six was sold for just $ 250 more. Premium models were much costlier and rare for that reason.

The 1960s ended mixed. Ambassador made a lot of cash, Sentinel seems not to do so, as just the Automatic was a sucess. Monza, Daytona and Le Castellet had medium success, just the new Carry seemed to become a hit in the early 70s. There has more to be done in the next decade.

[CMT]

Since 1960, CMT was free of the loans that had been necessary to found the
company. Developement budged raised, and the first model offensive in
1966 was, all in all, sucessful. For the sixties, the advertising
slogan was “The best of both worlds”. CMT now changed the
strategy to a more local one and started developing totally different
cars for Europe and the USA. USA-exclusive were all 1970 cars. Very
popular were the new Sentinel variants: The V8 Premium. Well, price
was high, especially to the “normal” premium trim with the
Super Six. But that car was unlike anything else: You could throw
anything in its trunk, drive your back ache suffering granny to a
coffee-clatch, pick up your kids at school and, well, win races on
sunday. Power came from an improved version of the Flat 8 Sport, now
raised to 265 hp - and still taking regular gas.

Together with this allrounder, the first Sentinel sedan arrived - as this
platform was capable of taking performance variants. Those fun cars
were well made previously mainly by Petoskey (Rebel) and Storm
(Captain). Another new version of the Flat 8 Sport ran with premium
gas and delivered 290 horsepower - reducing wheelspin was a main
point in its developement. Trunk space is also respectable, but
sportiness is better and weight lower than V8 wagon’s. But comfort
suffered. We should not care too much: That car hits the 0-62 clock
in under seven seconds and reaches 230 kph. Running on premium gas,
consumption sank to an unbelievable 15 liters per 100 km. Competitors
were astonished. 9500 $ is no bargain, but insaneness is priceless.
But it was more helping brand prestige than sales. Competitor Storm
sold its new 1970 Commander (5,0 litre, 326hp) for much less. You
really had to be a sales representative to get $ 2000 back with the
much better economy. And the Commander even ran on regular thanks to
fuel injection.

If you do not need large trunk and interior space, the “Race”
trim of the Daytona offered for the same price might be the vehicle
of your choice. It features the sam “High Octane” engine,
being equal on the track to the Sentinel Super Sport. It needs half a
liter more and handling is not as easy due to a rather nervous rear
axle (no wonder: the torque is immense). But the prestige is higher,
of course. It could compete with real hyper cars for an unbeatable
price. That car was a beast. And sold like crazy in a time when men
were still men.

The luxury market was left to the competitors, as Enterprise was not
replaced until 1970. Enterprise hung on as family sport premium,
pushed more and more with discounts as the car had amortized in the
late 60s. The all-new Majestic offeret decent design, an unknown
level of comfort and quite good driveability for such a battleship.
Performance was comparable with the Enterprise facelift, as weight
rose and the Majestic had the 265hp variant under its giant hood.
Being nice to drive despite its size and driving like on a cloud, the
price rose just 1000 $ in comparison to its predecessor. Muscle car?
Commuter premium? Family sport premium? Sports car? Utility premium?
The Majestic failed in almost no category. Well, except for city
where it was like a whale in the dry. As you could hardly get
anything else with that great value for money, Majestic’s yearly
estimated production was already sold out wihtin three months.
Luckily, CMT had already planned and started to build a larger
factory last year. By 1972, delivery time was again 10 weeks. CMT
showed Chrysler, Cadillac, Buick and Lincoln what a small company can
do if they do it with passion. The Majestic actually had beaten the
Ventnor Statesman MKII in characteristic ratings, but Ventnor
wouldn’t have been Ventnor if anybody could reach their prestige and
their monumental design. Majestic sold miles better, but Statesman
kept the crown in the public mind. And that would not change until
Eden Citeria Valiente’s 1972 Mammoth with a V12.

Majestic came with a second trim, designed for taxi use. CMT needed a rather
low-end V8 for excellent reliability at low prices per unit. Instead
of developing a new one, the well proven “Iron Pig” hat its
revival. A new fuel system consisting of double twin caburetors
helped economy. The rest was unchanged. Power remained nearlly the
same as back in '45, 205hp was enough for its purpose. What the - in
1945- leading engineer James Butler had built, was still good today.
Everyone was happy with that oldie. Even civillians demanded for that
car - and got it on request. You might be a little disapointed by the
taxi trim after changing from the Luxury Sedan, but a $ 7500 price
tag is a sweet deal for this giant monument of steel that still makes
0-62 in 10 seconds and reaching 200 kph. Main competitor was the ADM
Rivera base model, being quite equal in power and size. Again, it was
a question of personal taste which one to buy. Majestic Taxi was more
powerful but also more expensive. Well, ADM Rivera leaded taxi sales
for that reason, but the CMT had an acceptable value of around 25 %
of annual taxi trim’s production being actually sold to taxi fleets.

The Carry Express '69 was not really accepted outside Europe. Within two
years, there was a truly American delivery vehicle, the Hauler. The
digged-out Iron Pig was just the engine that Hauler needed. Under ten
seconds and more than 164, that was the surprising performance for $
5750. Any more questions? Oh yes, it sold much better than the Carry
in the USA.

In 1972, a 9-seat passenger variant was added. Having a $ 8000 price
tag, it was more expensive than the “taxi” Majestic. But it
is capable of taking 9 people and reaching 160 kph with full load.
And this without too bad ratings in comfort and ride. Practicality
and safety were much higher than those of the competitors. The safety
was nearlly equal to the Majestic Taxi. In addition, that car was the
first one having standard catalyc converter - power plunged to 225
hp, but that new variant of the Flat 8 Sport (yep, another
Frankenstein dinosaur) was ready for an unleaded future. Governmental
restrictions? The Hauler Passenger did not care at all as he was well
under the restricted limts coming soon.

Of course, not all resources were spend for the US customers. In 1972,
Europe got the largest and smallest car of their portfoilio at the
same time. New flagship over there was the CF (comfort family) which
had a very unusual design. It was like a mix of hatchback and sedan,
it was one of the first liftback cars. The wohle car looked a little
like the Ford Granada, a similar car that was also new to the
European marked in 1972. CF came with two trim levels, either as V6
or V8. As premium gas had become more common in Europe, both engines
ran with it. The all-new 2400ccm “Sport Six” delivering
approx. 150hp already delivered a decent performance. The car was no
bargain, but very versatile on the whole premium range, getting high
scores from family over utility to sport. For those who consider 9
seconds to 100 and 172 kph as slow, the second trim level offered
CMTs strongest engine at that time: The “High Octane” Flat
8. Compared to the Sentinel Super Sport, CF V8 is slower, thirstier
and more expensive. But the cars differ very much from each other, as
the CF V8 was not designed as sports car. It had great comfort and
was pleasant to drive, an excllent cruiser with good practicality.
Sentinel Super Sport was just a sports beast, not refined but
fascinating. A four-door muscle. That would not have worked in
Europe. The CF did work. It was no sales wonder as it was quite
pricey, but you got a reallly good car for your money. It was worth
it.

In the late 60s, the CEO of CMT met with Renault, as the R4 should be
produced under license as Commuter II. Well, that car did not fit
into the philosophy of CMT, but the sucessor, the modern R5 maybe
would. No wonder the upcoming R5 looks a lot like the CMT, as CMT did
not wanted to repeat the fail of the Commuter and sticked to a design
of a brand that had great sucess with its small cars. The new car was
built around the Thriftmaster engine, as it proved to be too weak for
all cars except the aged Ambassador - developement expenses would
have been lost if there won’t come quickly any small car.
When
Renault 5 and CMT Dolphin (the name should be something nice and
positive, so marketing decided to name it after an animal really
everyone likes) were unveiled in 1972, they were similar just in
design. CMT was more expensive and, of course, more advanced.

All 1972 models offered the '66 Thriftmaster. Three-door sport model hat
impressive results. Top speed 180 kph (more than a CF Six!), 10
seconds to 100 and just 8,6 litres per 100 km. Although four-speed
gearboxes were standard in these cars, CMT already used a five-speed.
US retail price would have been $ 4500, but CMT thought the Amercians
would laugh at that small vehicle with a length of only 3,55 meter.

The five-door “City” trim was designed for city use, so it got
an automatic transmission, as the engine had more than enough power.
Having AT and being larger and heavier, it was just ok that
consumption was a liter higher. Performance lost 10 kph and 2
seconds. Still much better than nearlly every competitor. The Dolphin
was an instant hit, having the same unbelievable success as the
Majestic in the USA. In Europe. the Dolphin City was the right car
for almost everything. City driving, commuting, even as a family car
it worked well. And due to its power, it sold well even in the pony
car segment. Remember: You can compare it with the CF on a race
track! And sales records would just last a year, as 1973 would be
even better for the Dolphin.

Oil embargo in 1973 had hit the whole car business. From one day to
another, gas-guzzling performance cars became unsellable. Small cars
which the Americans laughed at before improved its sales. Daytona and
Majestic were affected by that and lost most of their volume. To
compensate that, CMT wanted to offer America’s thriftiest car. The
Dolphin Eco.

The Eco got a new Thriftmaster variant with fuel injection - remarkable
for that year. Horsepower dropped to 73 as the car was optimized for
the lowest consumption possible and for unleaded fuel - here you can
clearly see that the engine was already planned for introducing small
cars to the United States. In Europe, that car was driven with leaded
fuel, as unleaded was unknown over there. Having no catalyc
converter, this was no problem for the Dolphin Eco. Performance lost
again, so it was necessary to mount the five-speed manual in the
five-door body to keep performance nice. Dolphin Eco still was among
the quickest subcompacts. Tests proved that economy improved once
again: Seven liters. Seven! Carefully driven, highway mileage was the
best the USA had ever seen. It was the leader in the city eco niche -
for years!

But CMT knew that Americans prefer sedan bodies. The Ambassador that
seemed to slowly fade out, came back to strong sales in 1973, as it
still was one of the thriftiest sedans. Demand dropped again in 1974
and sales became really poor, so Ambassador had outlived its
usefulness in 1975. Its successor was smaller, but faster: It was the
Dolphin sedan. Basically a five-door Dolphin wiht a trunk and much
better comfort. That affected performance once again a little, but
the car was not meant to be a performer. It should be cheap,
comfortable and reliable. Its weight was just 40 kilograms less than
the Ambassador Economy Sedan and performance slightly better, but we
have to consider that Ambassador had standard automatic transmission.
The Dolphin Eco Sedan has a five-speed manual. Ratings of these two
were comparable, being the Dolphin sportier and just needing 7,5
liters instead of 11.

Eco hatchback and more upscale sedan let sales boom in Europe and USA.
The Dolphin made CMT rich and famous over night. When Majestic sales
came a little back for 1974, the Dolphin stayed strong. Well, there
could not have been a better time for the Dolphin. CMT had doubled
its sales from 1967 to 1972. Doubled within five years, that is
awesome.

So wasn’t there any fail? Not really. Just one model was not that what
the people wanted: The Sentinel Eco Sedan. It got that 73hp
Thriftmaster and was the entry level of Sentinel, meant to be a late
replacement for the Nestor II. It was not that awfully slow as you
might expected, but beside all the oil crises, the customers wanted
more performance in a car like the Sentinel. At least CMT now got
what they wanted in taxi business.

[CMT]

In 1974, the oil crisis slowly faded out. And that was really necessary for CMT, as the top-selling Majestic recovered and a new sports car was introduced: The Donnington, a mid-engined two-seater. The first one was painted in British Racing Green which matched the tan leather interior perfectly. It even had small wooden decor inside. It had the 147-hp Sport Six, which actually disappointed in a performance car, most people expected more. But who wants to race with a car which has such comfortable leather seats? A true Gentleman’s tourer. It was quite expensive, being a little costlier than the CF with the same engine. So not too much units were sold.

Another new car put CMT back in compact market, the Commuter II. It’s styling was much more liked than that awkward one of the first Commuter. The new one was announced for 1975, but the base model came in mid-74. It offered the 1200ccm 65hp (sorry for 73 in previous posts, it is just 65 as the
screenshots say) known from the Dolphin and Sentinel Eco variants. Compared to the Dolphin Eco, it needed two liters more and did not drive any better. All you get for a bearable $ 500 more is a little more utility and larger interior space. Most buyers took Dolphins that still sold incredibly well. The Commuter
was no flop anyway.

CMT decided that the strategy of offering two different midsizes at the same time in Europe and the USA together was too complicated.
The smaller, FWD and sporty Ambassador was dropped in mid-74, at the same time as Sentinel was announced to be dropped in 76. Again, CMT faved the „Think Locally“- strategy, developing one midsize for the USA and one for Europe – both in the premium range. The European car was the Legend, which only came with sixes under the hood – as Ford did well with the Granada. To everybodys
astonish, it came with FWD. Engineers kept wheelspin low, and it drove nicely.
The base trim GX had the Small Six, unchanged since 1966 as it was an advanced design back then. The trim offered not too much to keep the price accessible. For those who wanted more: The GL had a nice package made of the Super Six, a pleasant automatic transmission and rich trim.

In 1976, the Commuter II got the long-expected higer trims. The automatic variant came with the original ´66 1500ccm Thriftmaster. It was – incredibly – more expensive to produce than the Legend GX. The Commuter IIs were not expensive due to high margins, that car was simply expensive to build.
If you do not need automatic transmission the V6 Elegance might be the car of your choice: For just a few dollars more it had the 111hp Small Six and superior trim level. The best-sold Commuter II was the Turbo. Yeah, you read right: CMTs first turbo engine, based on Thriftmaster design. It delivered 115hp, and for an early turbo engine it was reliable and thrifty. Not to mention the prestige of a turbocharger. And the best: It already ran on unleaded fuel.

The same could be said for the Legend GT. The first new variant of the Small Six delivered well-driveable 140 horsepower. But it still needed leaded fuel. Unless that, it was an interessing piece of technology for a
reasonnable price and sold correspondingly.

New technology, although no turbo, came with the Americana, the new US- RWD midsize as well. Two trims were offered, both with new engines equipped with two-way catalytic converters to meet the restrictions of each federal state. Standard six offered rather simple interior and a manual, engine
was the Super Six, as it was the largest Six and it’s 3000ccm still were a rather small size for american habits. It’s weight of 1,1 tons was surpringly light, it’s length of 4,6 meters relatively compact. Consumption was rather high with 15 liters, thanks to it’s clean exhaust. Americana was very
expensive, but handling and safety set a benchmark.

For those demanding for comfort, the V8 Sedan offered a brand new 3600ccm „Compact Eight“ engine with clean 190 horsepower mated to automatic transmission. Consumption was not too much more compared tot he „Standard Six“ variant, as you have to consider that the V8 Sedan had an automatic and
way more equipment.

Many people missed the Ambassador Sport. There was left a gap in the sport budget segment. Two years after the end of Ambassador, the Jarama filled it. Engineers had a challenging task: 200 kph, not more than 1000 kg, maximum 10 liter consumption and bearable rear seats, being affordable for young peope. Compared to Ambassador Sport, it had a little tighter interior and trunk, but it was noticeably faster, thanks to the Sport Six instead oft he Small Six. Consumption and weight remained nearlly the same. Jarama became a top-seller, but needing leaded fuel and having no catalytic converter it was partly hard to sell in the USA – for that reason, Jarama became a mix of sport budget and pony car over there: The catalytic converted 3600ccm V8 was small enough to fit in the Jarama and had a slightly updated trim. It worked, dealers sold the cars sucessfully.

As CMT became insanely sucessful in the 70s, there was enough money to put a supercar on its wide wheels. The Green Hell was equipped with a 6400ccm V12. A V12! It offered insane 582 horsepower, aggressive cam profile made it an excellent race car with high possible revs even using unleaded fuel. Quality was excellent as well, especially of the surprisingly comfortable, handcrafted interior. It was an everyday supercar you could go shopping with – if you have an idea to handle the poor trunk space. Of coruse, 90 percent of the population could only dream of one, but those who had the money accessed.
CMT calculated a loss with that car, but it acutally amortized. CMT was on the peak of its success in the late 70s.

[BobLoblaw]

Impressive lineup so far.

[CMT]

Oh yeah, that lineup is manifold.

I forgot one car in the last postings. The 1966 Le Castellet convertible succeeded in Europe, but Americans wanted something else. CMT CEO and founder, being already 54 years old in 1970, liked cars for elder rich men, like the Mercedes SL. So he decided to build something similar, but with four
seats as he liked tours with the family. The Le Castellet was a four-seater, another convertible had to de built anyway. When the long-awaited R107 surprised the public in 1971, CMT overworked the design oft he Long Beach to match the SL better, but without copying too much from the Mercedes. The CMT
was smaller despite offering room for four adults and more affordable, but less prestigeous.

It recieved the brand-new catalytic converted Flat8 when it was put on sale in the United States in 1972. Having a two-way converter, it was not sold in Europe where the people liked the Le Castellet anyway.

Let’s move back to 1976. The 69 Carry lost ist position, and for Europe CMT tried to copy the sucessful concept of Volkswagens Transporter.
Rear engine and smaller chassis and the 65hp Thriftmaster, as European utility vehicles were commonly poorly powered.

The Listra did not succeed, it actually failed with both variants. Although being small and slow, it was expensive, and CMT soon asked itself if the car should get an early facelift or be dropped. For families, the
Carry was reworked within one year to see if that concept works better, it even recieved an engine that ran on unleaded fuel. A few more units were sold, but that car was basically a 1960 design, although thouroughly reworked. CMT and utility vehicles in Europe, that was a horror story.

Things were better in the USA, the Hauler had no leading position in its segment, but sold constantly. To keep that, CMT presented an extensive makeover in 1977: Both variants now recieved the same engine, the brand new 3500ccm Compact Eight. The delivery variant was the first commercial vehicle with a catalytic converter, CMT used that in a giant advertizing campaign. Even having 15 hp less, it accelerated more quickly than the 1971 model. It drove miles better and offered much better comfort, but price rose as well as reliability did. CMT Hauler was considered as luxury transporter by the drivers, just few enterprises could afford them in larger numbers.

The same improvements were made with the 77 model of the Passenger, although it was not as succesful as it’s main competitor, the GMC Vandura.

After the oil price rising in the 70s, CMT was not sure if the large Majestic would get a replacement. As CMTs financial base was excellent, they built one at least for presitge reasons to profit from scale effects. The Lexington appeared in early 1977 as six-cylinder fullsize wagon – something completely different than the Majestic except it’s size. It featured 7 seats and a brand new four-speed automatic transmission and the 155hp Super Six variant. Everything to please soccer moms. Consumption remained high, but not too high regarding the fact that that giant accelerated in 11,6 seconds to 62 mph /100kmh and reached speeds well above highway limits. Underpowered? No, it was just perfect for its destinated use as family dinosaur.

In the summer of 77, the rest followed. The 3500 Sedan is a car everyone flipped a bird at. A really giant sedan, equipped with a V8. Everyone thought it would be a 5-liter one with a decend automatic. But it was the 3500 Compact Eight with a manual. That monster was acutally called Sport Sedan!
Sport! Many laughed at it – until they got busted by it, as 200 of them were a gift to local police stations. They were rock solid, very fast due to reasonnable weight, and consumption was on the level of the 3000 Wagon. Suspension was both agile and comfortable, it was actually a real sport sedan on a larger scale. But that was something the public did not need anymore. But police did, as they liked the for-free 200 and opted frequently for more.

The Majestic Luxury’s sucessor was the 4600, still featuring the Flat8Sport. Although unleaded, exhaust-cleaned and 50 hp weaker, but Lexington was lighter and accellerated quicker reaching comparable top speed. Handling was nicer and consumption five (!) liters lower. Although the Lexington 4600 did not keep up with the luxury segment, but for that CMT had something else.

The 6400 offered the Green Hells V12. A V12 race engine in a fullsize battleship. Critics complained, that it was not as nice to drive as the other Lexington’s, but the prestige was immense. It even made over 280 kph, and this might be the reason why CMTs flagship featured excellent safety. To everyone’s surprise, that unusual hypercar sold relatively good, as Green Hell did. You could easy identify the V12 by the additional cooling vents in the hood.

In 1978, CMT returned to the Pickup segment with the
Deliveroo II. You could opt between a 155hp six with RWD or a 4600 V8 with AWD.
Compact Eight was not mounted, as the 225hp variant of the Flat8Sport delivered
more torque.

An experiment was the Poweroo, basically the AWD variant with the High Octane version known from the Daytona Race, the Sentinel Super Sport and the CF V8. Daytona and Sentinel were dropped in 1975 as demand dropped after 73, so where to mount it now? Well, this ist he answer. Leaded ban made it a very short-living model. Poweroo was a rare collectible after its end in 1982.

Something small followed later in 1978. Dolphin still sold strong in all variants, so there was the idea for a less conventional small city vehicle: The Turbo Dwarf. Roomy interior, clean design, sporty profile and mainly powered by turbo engines. An individualistic premium city car, high in quality and price. Base model got a completely new engine, the Mini Turbo, delivering 85 hp with just 1000ccm. It was actually a research car that was developed so well that it could be sold to the public.

Being less experimental, the NA Carburetor variant recieved the old 66 Small Six with 111hp. After the Lexington Manual, the people flipped again the bird at CMT. A Six in a subcompact. Surprisingly, this variant was thriftier than the 1,0 turbo! The base model was already quick, but the Six delivered even more. To confuse the public even more, CMT made a sport variant with the new turbo version of the Small Six. Due to the additional weight, it accelerated on the same level as the naturally aspirated version, but reached over 200kph. There was only one use for it: Fun and track car.

Well, CMT made loss with the Turbo Dwarf. But that model delivered useful findings for furhter developement and did not take away buyers from the Dolphin as the concepts were very different from each other.

CMT still made much money, but the profits sank. The reason was the bloated lineup, offering too many models in too many variants. Well, the „Think Locally“ strategy helped sales a lot, but the factory and engineering costs rose too high. And even more cars were in developement, approved before controllers warned. CMT would get in trouble in the 80s.

[CMT]

As already said in the last post, CMTs sales were more than respectable, but the costs of offering so many different models exploded. The CEO reacted too late, he even urged for more cars that will hit the road in the 80s.

CMTs last car of the 70s was the Bathurst, a 2+2 sports coupe. It was sold in europe in fall 1979 with a brand new version of the Small Six that had been aged a little since its debut in 1966. Horsepower jumped from 111 to 123, offering a sweet package well balanced between performance and economy. In Februar 1980 the Bathurst also was the first car of the 80, as the US version with the well-known Super Six with catalytic converter stood behind dealer’s windows. Surprisingly, the stronger US variant was cheaper to produce and so there was no wonder that it sold better than it’s EU counterpart. It also outsold the Petoskey Meteor IV, offering more reliability, practicallity and sportiness at a much lower price, although enthusiasts noticed that the Petoskey performed better in driveability.

1980 was an important year for CMT, as nearlly the complete lineup changed. Long Beach, one of the oldest models on sale (debut 1972) recieved an extensive makeover, resulting in a larger body for more comfort and space, as it was supposed to be a comfort-oriented open tourer. The engine power sank noticeable, as the Flat8Sport finally dropped out of production. Since 1956, that engine had served its purpose in various versions and now outlived its usefulness. Replacement was a 2500ccm V6, called “Threevalve Engine” as it had three valves per cylinder - new for CMT. Just the V12 was an exception, as it had four of them but also was a race engine with limited production. Another interessing fact was that the 72 variant of the Flat8 had injection, but the Threevalve had just carburettors, but a 4 Barrel version.
Weight, sportiness and reliability improved, and the consumption sank dramatically. But besides that, there was nothing else to be excited for. Sales kept steady due to more contemporary economy, but that was it. Of course, it helped sales that the renovated Long Beach was also sold in Europe.

Just two weeks later, the next facelifted car was ready at your local CMT dealer: The Donnington that now put even more emphasis on its Gentleman image with more comfort. It featured a special turbo version of the Threevalve Six with injection. Even if the very little performance improvement of the 180 (instead of 150) horsepower did not justify the higher consumption (three liters more) at all, critics were fond of the facelifted Donnington, that, like the Long Beach, hung on until December 1985. Donnington was a car with good reputation, now featuring interessing high-tech (uncared if it actually has better results or like, in this case, not really) and even more true sports-car design with a luxury-sedan comfort at a price that was even lowered a little.

Another car ready to be facelifted was the aged CF, losing sales every year. The CF (new Threevalve Six) and the CS (Compact Eight) for EU / US marked were presented - and never sold. The CS went directly into the recently founded CMT museum in New York, the other one was bought from a private collector who actually drove it every day until he had to throw it on the scrapyard in the early 90s: After an accident, there were no spare parts for that unique car. But that full story will be told later, as concept cars will make the end of CMTs history here.

Instead of the CF/CS, the new (also liftback-styled) Authority was rolled on the podium - a car that was kept a secret to the CEO! In 1980, he partly retired from the boss-chair, now only being responsible for the European and especially the German market as he lived in his old home again since 1971. Now, being 64 years old, he left the USA business to his oldest son (34 years). That son presented the Authority as a gift for his father’s farewell. Having the same engines with drivetrain and the same boxy plastic-and-leather interior with wooden decor as the CF facelift to not throw away too many developement expenses, it did everything better than the renovated CF and was a car that really suited as figurehead. Europeans got their car with a standard 5-speed manual, as it was designed as a premium sport sedan for engaged driving, attacking BMWs. Light weight made it economical. The US cars had standard 4-speed automatic but retained the firm suspension, as it should remain as “european” as possible to not compete with the Americana V8. Well, some Americana buyers looked on the Authority, as it was the slightly better car for the same price, but Americana was designed quite conservative and Authority very progressive, so they had different target groups.

In the summer, the last new car for that year arrived - being completely boring and exciting together. Read more about it tomorrow.

[ramthecowy]

Not related to this at all, but your posts make use of a lot of pictures, hard on the browser. I just see blackness in their place. Just thought to let you know.

[CMT]

Ah no, let’s bring 1980 to an end.
In August, the Legacy inherited the Legend in Europe. Although basically the same car, it recieved a new name to underline the great differences that had been made. Suspension saw only minor tweaks, the design changed not too much, but none of the engines remained. What changed the most was the price: It rose dramatically. But why?

CMT presented the Legacy as the most reliable car of the world. From the first screw to the last one, that car was build with maximum quality. The reliability of the Legend was a little above average, something that the CEO wanted to improve. The Legacy was an experiment in two ways: How much does this extra quality bring into practical use and how many people pay extra for that?

For advertizing, two CL base models and a CS wagon were send around the world: Canadian winters, African dunes, italian rush hour, bad east european roads. Nothing stopped them, and the public was excited about that. And really: Even today, in the 21th century, you’ll rarely see a stranded Legacy at the side of the road even if the odometer has 300 000 km on its clock. Chassis and body were very resistant to dents and rust, the engines could be floored without too much stress, the suspension could withstand the worst conditions. Base CL models had a rather low-tech 1781ccm four developed with Volkswagen/Audi, thus not identical with the VAG one. It was expensive to build but nothing was able to stop that engine from running. Even today some have the first gaskets with brittled rubber, but still not leaky. Bad oil? Engine makes strange noises and deliveres less power due to higher friction, but takes no critical damage. Burnouts? The clutch only stank after the 10th attempt to fry it. Many owners can tell you unbelieveable storys of the Legacy CL. Yes, it wasn’t fast or thrifty, but it was hard to kill. And the first car with a three-way catalytic converter. The customers got the converters extra for a later mounting. The trim was rather poor, no electric windows, power steering or rear headrests. That poverty for that price - only Mercedes buyers of that time can understand that. At least, that what was mounted, was excellent, the radio was simple but had good sound, the heating laughed at Canadian winters and the seats were comfortable and had velours fabrics that withstanded friction for decades.

The GL had the revised Small Six and performed much better. Without converter, consumption was lower than the CL’s, but acceleration was nearlly the same due to a richer trim with power steering, better radio with electric antenna, front power windows and foglamps, and other small but nice things. Reliability was a little lower than CLs due to all these extras, but still very, very good. As the GLs price was not too much above CL’s, both variants sold approx. the same.

Unlike Legend, the Legacy had wagons in its lineup. The CS had one of the most modern engines of its time: A 1998ccm DOHC 4 Valve four with an impressive output of 130 hp. Trim level was just marginally higher compared to CL, the CS was an ascetic sport wagon, being faster, sportier and roomier than the GL.

Top of the range was a station wagon with GL trim plus 4x4-drivetrain and hydropneumatic suspension, built for use both onroad and offroad. The new Threevalve Six was just right for it, well, that car was everything but thrifty, but it was very versatile and did well in almost every situation. But the so much paised reliability of the Legacy suffered: The complex suspension system was a weakness.

As there was no Americana Station Wagon, CMT exported a special version of the Wagon 4x4 to the USA and Canada, mainly inspired by the AMC Eagle cars. It featured a rework of the catalytic converted Super Six from the Americana Standard Six model (now with a three-way one), but was more expensive than the Americana V8. For that reason, it was quite rare, but those who afforded it, were full of praise for it. As CMT left the offroad business for a long time, the Legacy 4x4s were maybe a sign that CMT wanted to go back into the mud and dirt. But well, not with the Legacys. They just looked too good in front of operas, kindergardens and beaches although they did well in light offroad situations.