HAROLD MARTIN: THE M4, A DREAM REALIZED
Former GM Engineer and Pro Modified Veteran Enters A New Realm of Technology …
Pay every bit of attention to Harold Martin because he’s living out a childhood dream.
The accomplished Pro Modified driver from New Hudson, MI., has rolled out his first four production vehicles from his Martin Technologies production facility. However, it might just be the fifth car that draws the most attention for now.
The former GM engineer and electronic fuel injection pioneer will publicly debut his new 2010 Martin M4 coupe in Pro Modified competition, later this week, during an organized test session in Valdosta, Ga.
What would inspire a man to undertake a project of the magnitude of engineering a new street-driven car?
If John DeLorean, Carroll Shelby and Jack Roush can do it, Martin believes he’s fully capable of pulling off the same feat, designing and manufacturing a car that bears his name.
He’ll be the first to admit the ride hasn’t been easy to get to this point but the thrill of the hunt is half of the fun.
He’s as proud as a man can be of their team and their killer creation.
We’re not looking for a competitive advantage. We are in this to sell cars. This body will be available to others who want to buy it.
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Martin will also tell you that he and his team worked on enough outside projects to whet their
appetites to the challenge of building the 2010 Martin M4.
“We worked with enough projects outside of this enough to get that itch to want to do something like this,” Martin admitted.
Two years ago, Martin saw the handwriting on the wall and believed the timing would soon be right for such an endeavor if he began laying the ground work immediately. In light of developments over the last two years, his project appears to be nothing short of prophetic.
“We wanted to do it in a niche kind of a way,” Martin said. “The goal was to target more a luxury/sports car kind of buyer who was looking for something unique, new in technology, innovative in design and also had a racing flavor to it. We really want to roll out an intelligent approach with the Martin M4.”
So where does one begin in the development of a production, street-driven vehicle?
You start with the potential customers according to Martin. Then you develop and execute a survey to see what they’d like in a new car in comparison to their current high-end sports/luxury vehicle.
Martin admitted he drew inspiration from other high-end, low production manufacturer designs such as the DeLorean and the Callaway [high-end Corvette] and even went as far as to meet with Mr. Callaway for advice.
He also befriended a number of celebrities to learn their desires when it came to a luxury sports/car.
Martin also visited current auto dealers, many starving for something new to sell. He took notes of what they had to offer and what they believed was marketable.
The one point all parties unanimously agreed on was an overwhelming desire for a new car that was American made and conceived.
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Martin brought his notes home from the trip to California and threw out his biases and studied the different available eliminator opportunities within drag racing. He studied different venues and for him all roads led to one place he’s always been – Pro Modified.
Pro Modified rules dictate that a car must bear the likeness of a production model, although the rulebook doesn’t put a limit on the number of production cars a manufacturer must produce.
The flexibility and innovativeness of the class left no reason for him to consider elsewhere. Besides, there had been a Lamborghini in the class before and it was both quick and fast, not to mention a fan favorite.
He sees the same reaction from the race fans with the M4.
“Pro Modified has such exciting and different vehicles,” Martin proclaimed. “That’s the way the class has always been. That’s what attracted me to the class since its inception. The class has always such that you never could predict what was coming next.”
For Martin, the Martin M4 had to make a good race car as much as a street vehicle. Martin designed the body of the M4 with aerodynamic bodylines and a rear deck capable of accepting a large tire for racing applications.
It also had to cut through the air efficiently.
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Martin and his team first developed a clay model of the M4 to ensure that it would work. They first
used a quarter-scale model before advancing to a full-size clay model that enabled them to pull the first body mold.
There were no high level engineers or designers, just the in-house staff because as Martin aptly put it, “We couldn’t afford it any other way.”
They also spent some time in the wind tunnel, a move that helped in the development of the project.
Martin considers the M4 to be a baseline and has reportedly already looked in other avenues for spin-off potential. One of those spin-offs includes an EV vehicle. EV in automotive terms means electric vehicle.
An M4 will be available in both a piston-driven or electric powered version.
Martin believes the majority of cars on the highway in the near future will be EV, capable of providing an equally potent torque curve as the conventional automobile.
“If you look into the crystal ball, the experts believe there’s a day coming when the gasoline-powered car will be in the minority,” Martin explained.
Martin added that he’s assigned one of the divisions at his Martin Technologies center to study the concept of the EV.
“I think there’s a good chance you could see it in motorsports,” Martin believes. “But, that’s well on down the road.”
Martin has already begun production of EV versions of the Martin M4.
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He’s added that beyond the buzz surrounding the car in the racing communities, the M4 is being talked about in certain Hollywood circles and those circles have alluded that the car has the potential to make cameo appearances in movies, as well as a starring role in one.
Martin knows that time will tell on those kinds of aspirations but they sure do make for a bright future.
”That was a part of the vision … creating excitement around the vehicle so that it could be synergistic to our motorsports world,” Martin explained. “I envisioned this as being a win-win for us all.”
The drag racing community has been on fire with numerous message board rumors suggesting the ADRL rejected the car upon seeing the first rendering. Martin told CompetitionPlus.com that is absolutely false.
“We’re not looking for a competitive advantage,” Martin counseled. “We are in this to sell cars. This body will be available to others who want to buy it.”
The more cars on the race track will enable a small company of car crafters to expand their marketability, at least that’s how Martin sees it.
Martin isn’t so naïve that he believes everyone will welcome the innovation. He will be the first to admit from experience that innovation brings skepticism and concern more times than not.
“Everyone has apprehensions when you share something new,” Martin said. “I’m used to all of that. My whole career I’ve spent developing new things. My 20 patents have had apprehension and concern.”
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Martin told CompetitionPlus.com that various movers and shakers within the automotive industry recently attended his open house introducing the Martin M4. He originally planned for a group of 25 or so but ended up entertaining nearly double that amount.
“We just wanted some honest feedback from the industry,” Martin said. “The car received warm responses and they appreciated the innovation on it. They liked the direction we were taking and thought it was outstanding.”
The real question many are asking is whether or not this car will compete in the ADRL’s Pro Nitrous division or if Martin, after a year-long hiatus will return to his familiar stomping grounds of IHRA Pro Modified.
Martin refuses to get involved in the controversy adding that he loves Pro Modified racing but has missed competing on the quarter-mile. That’s all he will say on the subject.
Regardless, Martin will be banking on drag racing to help sell the M4. He’s ready to test the waters of racing on Sunday and selling on Monday.
Martin has visions of sending a message to an industry plagued with bad news amidst a sluggish economy. Nothing would warm his heart more than the M4 sending a signal that good news is on the horizon and positive change in the near future.
He would love to show that a man with a dream can build a car minus major corporate funds, on a shoestring budget with a group of dedicated laborers; that his team can deliver a car capable of playing a vital role in revolutionizing an industry, even if it is a niche market.
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Martin knows that even the small markets can inspire national markets.
“When you look at the current [economic] climate a lot of the companies I have worked with over the years have had to change their business approach in motorsports,” Martin said of his decision to use drag racing as a marketing tool. “As they reconstruct their companies, who knows how long it will be before they are able to return to motorsports and if it will be what it used to be.”
“We can no longer wait for the giants of the automotive industry to be the sole answer.”
Martin’s answer is the Martin M4.
“I think this car sends a message that you don’t have to have all of the large studios and the expensive scientific capabilities to do something of this nature,” he explained. “You just have to have a dream and be willing to take some risks.
“We have the hope and prayer that this can be a positive and motivational message at the races and for consumers, as well as for our country.”
Maybe one of Detroit’s own can inspire an automotive revolution – a kid who grew up studying an industry and believing he could make a difference.
Martin’s M4 is the difference of which he dreamed.
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