Robert Cumberford
Robert Wayne Cumberford (born August 4, 1935) is a former automotive designer for General Motors, author and design critic – widely known as Automotive Design Editor and outspoken columnist for Automobile magazine. Examples of Cumberford's critiques include: The dream cars of the 50s: "myths created to make people dream about the future." The $2,500 Tata Nano: "perhaps the most significant car since the Ford Model T was introduced 100 years ago." The Jeep Cherokee: "One of the 20 greatest cars of all time." the NSU Ro80: “A handsome, modern-looking car with much cleaner lines than anything of the time.” The Jaguar E-Type: "Elegant, extremely phallic and a great middle-aged man's compensation," and "the ultimate automotive expression of phalliform perfection." The Ford Five Hundred: "It's a pretty good trick to make a brand-new car look old, bland and boring right out of the box.