Car of the Week: ‘CordVette’ custom

In 2013, Robert Martino pitched to his older brother, Marty, the idea of integrating the legendary design features of his two all-time favorite automobiles—the 1937 Cord 812 and the C5 Corvette—into one modern platform, thus creating his ultimate classic automobile.

“I wonder what it would look like?” Robert pondered.

It was not the first time Robert had considered the idea of a modernized Cord. His earlier Cord project had involved a Samco, one of the fiberglass-bodied Cord replicas built in Oklahoma.

“Our dad ended up with a 1970 Samco in one of his collector car deals,” Marty recalled. “He traded it to Robert. We were well underway with ‘fixing’ the hideous front fenders and many other details, with plans for a chassis swap that would have made it a dependable and authentic replica, when Robert and Kerri changed course and started designing their dream property.”

About a week after Robert suggested blending a Cord with a C5 Corvette in 2013, Marty showed up at Robert’s shop with a rendering that depicted the key aesthetic features of the 1937 Cord 812 integrated into the C5 Corvette platform. He had methodically sketched his rendition of the automobile to scale, then presented it to Robert. One look at the drawing and Robert knew he wanted to start the process of creating the one-of-a-kind custom they named “CordVette.” 

After seeing the rendering, Robert asked, “Can you build that car?”

Marty smiled at his brother and said, “Yes, Robert, I can do it, but we’ll need a really nice C5 Corvette with its hide-away headlights.”

Soon after, Robert started saving for the project while looking for the right C5 Corvette to use as the donor car. In 2015, he found on Craigslist a really nice, original six-speed 2000 Corvette. It was located in Blackstone, Va., about an hour away.

Creating one-of-a-kinds in Marty’s words

At the age of 5, Marty Martino was asked by his mother what he wanted to be when he grew up. He immediately told her that he wanted to design cars. By the time he was 17, he was building his first custom from a 1957 Imperial Crown sedan in his parents’ driveway. Since then, Marty has become a world-renowned car builder. His resume includes building a variety of vehicles, from presidential “Kennedy era” Lincolns for films to unique customs to restoring GM Motorama concept cars.

“I bought a book when I was in my mid-teens from JC Whitney titled, ‘Glass Fiber Auto Body Construction Simplified’ by John Wills—I knew then that I would want to create my own car, and this seemed to be an excellent way to accomplish the goal,” Marty says.

Marty simplifies what he learned from reading that book and by practicing its applications in his explanation for how he now builds his renowned creations.

“The standard, number-one method of creating a unique design fiberglass body is to sculpt a male form, cast a mold from the form, then cast bodies in the mold,” he says. “That is the method used by the auto industry, even for a one-off.”

As Marty explains, there are other methods available to builders, too.

“In the 1970s, there was a company named Quincy Lynn Enterprises that sold plans and instructions for do-it-yourselfers who wanted to build their own copies of QL’s unique designs. Number two is their method for creating a one-off body. It was to sculpt a form in ridged foam of the intended design, then layer fiberglass directly over it, similar to casting a mold; however, this would be the actual body. Being that the outer surface was highly textured, it would require laborious filling and block sanding to achieve an automotive-grade finish. In some cases, the foam was removed; in other items, it was left as part of the body.”

Marty says a third method is somewhat rogue, but with a lot of forethought, it can be very time- and labor-saving.

“I have had relatively good success working with versions of this method,” he says. “A mold is made without casting from a form. The intended design has to be planned in reverse. The molds can be made of wood, plastic sheets or the inside of existing car parts or anything with the intended shape on the inside. I’ve been known to walk through a big box store with a tape measure looking for a suitable ‘mold’ for a particular part. I also have a second-gen Corvair hood mounted upside down on a table with the inner structure cut out. The subtle crowns and compound curves may match the intended desire on a deck lid or hood, at least as a starting point.”

To construct the CordVette, Marty used a combination of all three of the above methods.

Scaling up from paper plans

Marty explains the first step in building a unique custom-body project is to have a plan. Then, using the wheelbase of the intended chassis as the starting point, he says draw a straight line on paper of the wheelbase. Knowing the measurement of the intended chassis wheelbase, pick a scale that is easy to multiply and divide, yet will fit on the paper with enough room for overhangs. Divide the known wheelbase by the line length and that is the scale your plan will be. That scale will be used to draw the rest of the plan’s dimensions. Standard scales for this kind of work are 1/16, 1/12, 1/8 and 1/4. He says manufacturers’ design studios do a lot of models in 3/8 scale, but it’s more complicated and not necessary for limited work.

“The John Wills book taught me lofting, which is essential in sculpting a complete and new body form,” Marty says. “Lofting forms in scale can then be transformed to full-size with graph paper, etc.”

Even as early as his first custom, the 1957 Imperial he built as a teenager, Marty has put his ideas to paper before starting the customizing process.

“I first drew several sketches to get the look I wanted before I started cutting into it,” Marty says. “With help from a longtime friend who was an accomplished welder, the one-of-a-kind body panels I created were formed, then welded into place. When the body panels were completed, I had the foundation in place to finish the 1957 Imperial as a two-door ‘El Camino’ while implementing my unique custom enhancements to the project build.”

Creating the CordVette

The CordVette retains its factory 2000 Corvette drive-train and interior. The chassis’ Corvette exhaust was enhanced by the previous owner and its exiting point conveniently blends well into the one-of-a-kind Cord-style rear fascia.

Initially, the CordVette was rendered with the standard, factory-style A-pillar-attached door hinges. After studying the drawings in greater detail, Robert and Marty decided to integrate suicide-style door openings into the CordVette as on the original 1936-’37 Cord Cabriolet. This decision created the greatest challenge during the project. Designing and locating a single door hinge to the rear opening of the door proved to be a huge undertaking. Many days were spent implementing and improving the design to get it stable and fully functional. The end result is one of aesthetics and functionality that are perfectly tailored to fit the body lines of this truly stunning one-of-a-kind automobile. The door handle and mechanisms were relocated with custom enhancements to the door panel, locks and window switches.

Lewis Dmytryszyn applied a modern metallic base-clear-coat version of the 1936-’37 Cord “Rich Maroon” paint finish to the body that Marty custom built.

This project was truly a family affair, and without the special people whose unique talents were able to successfully pull it off, the CordVette would never have happened. Marty reached out (although not far) to world-class jeweler Susan Adams, his longtime significant other, to hand create the custom badging on the CordVette. Knowing the craftsmanship and skill set of his son, Roddy Martino, Marty kept things in the family by relying on Roddy to create the one-off, retro-style wheel discs that give the CordVette an updated Cord look.

When asked what it was like to build a concept car for his younger brother and his wife, Kerri, Marty said, “I feel very rewarded. The CordVette is the first full automobile that I have designed every square inch of. It’s also cool that it stays in the family and I get to enjoy it with my family. Robert and Kerri enjoy driving it regularly on the back roads of Virginia.”

Building an Impressive Resume

Marty Martino’s significant automobile designs and creations span more than 60 years, and a partial list of them is included below. Even all three of his current daily drivers have been what he calls “One Hour Martinised” with custom features. This partial list of Marty’s projects represents a diverse group that truly reflects the creativity, diversity and passion he has for his craft. His work is nothing short of brilliant.

• 1957 Imperial custom El Camino. (Built in 1969)
• 1961 Lincoln Continental X100 “John F. Kennedy limousine” used in most JFK-related films since ’83. (Two built, one in 1983 and the other in 1985.)
• 1963 Lincoln Continental shortened roadster using leftover clips from second JFK stretch. (1986)
• 1963 Lincoln Continental custom El Camino. (1987)
• 1952 Henry J convertible, a Chrysler LeBaron convertible reskinned with Henry J sheet metal. (1998)
• 1954 Chevrolet Corvette sedan delivery built on 1986 Chevrolet Caprice wagon, designed as though it was the chase car for the ’54 Motorama Corvette team. (1998)
• 1956 Pontiac Club de Mer complete recreation.
• (2006-2009)
• 1955 Lincoln Futura recreation. (Original sculpture began in 1989)
• 1955 Chevrolet Motorama Biscayne restoration, including recreation of most of the interior. (2011)
• 1955 Motorama LaSalle roadster, complete
• resculpting/reconstruction. (2012)
• Aerolux teardrop trailer, design and mold creation. (2013)
• Cadillac PsyClone, recreation of 1959 Cadillac Cyclone show car using a Corvette C5 chassis. (2015)
• Bat Boat (Aqua Bat), Marty’s design and construction of a phantom “Bat-Boat,” used for children’s entertainment. Built for the Colton Cowell foundation. (2017)
• CordVette, imagined ‘37 Cord as designed by modern Corvette designers on C5 Corvette chassis.

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