Marcos (automobile)
Marcos Cars is a former British manufacturer of sports cars and kit cars.
History
The company was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin in Luton ( Bedfordshire, England). The two founders combined the first syllables of each of their surnames Marsh and Costin Marcos.
Frank Costin had earlier worked on fighter-bombers of De Havilland Mosquito and thereby had the idea to use plywood in the automotive industry for frame. The factory moved in 1963 to Bradford -on-Avon ( Wiltshire, England) and in 1971 in a factory in Westbury order.
Problems exporting vehicles to the USA and the move led in the 1970s to financial shortfalls and eventually out of business. But Jem Marsh remained in the automobile business, bought 1976, the naming rights to Marcos back in 1981 and ventured a reboot with the Marcos V6 Coupe that was sold as a kit for building your own.
In 2000, Marcos went bankrupt again, built since 2002, but due to the Canadian Tony Stelliga, who bought the company back cars. While the road vehicles in Kenilworth ( Warwickshire, England ) were prepared, the production of racing cars was moved to Zwaagdijk in the Netherlands. On 9 October 2007 it was announced that vehicle production ceased and the company is liquidated. The situation in the market has been estimated that there are insufficient profits can be made.
Models
Marcos asked many different models before, including Marcos GT (1960 /61), Marcos 1000GT Gullwing (1961 /62), Marcos Fastback GT (1963 /64), Marcos 1800GT (from 1964), 1500GT, 3 liter, Marcos Mantaray, Marcos Mantis Marcos Mantis GT, Marcos LM500 Marcos LM 600, Marcos Mantara Spyder 400, Marcos Mantula, Mini Marcos, Marcos TSO GT2, Marcos TS0 -GT Coupe, Marcos TSO.
Marcos GT
The first Marcos, the Marcos Xylon from 1959, was an unusual sight in the car with gull-wing doors, front open wheels and a four-piece windshield. For the construction only was Frank Costin responsible, for the first time realized his idea of a Sperrholzmonocoques racing cars here. The production car (1961 ) was compared to the prototype only less radical, but was covered with a hood and front wheels inboard headlights under Plexiglas covers. After only seven copies and leaving Costin from the Marcos project was led by the brothers Adams a revision of the body shape to a more pleasing appearance, the plywood chassis was now without a subframe for the engine, front and rear axle even more radically designed for lightweight construction. From this vehicle, the Luton Gullwing, 13 vehicles were manufactured, which have preferably been used in national and international motor sports.
1962 Marcos held its first meeting at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Luton Gullwing Coupe with drivers John Hine / Dick Prior, powered by a 1.5-liter Ford -Martin -12- valve engine, but had to be parked in the 9th hour with engine failure (oil pressure).
Starting in 1963, was an orientation towards something more road-going vehicles, which Fastback GT should be achieved with the model. With 18 units produced the Fastback However, this attempt was unsuccessful, the more successful, however, people were working in international motor sport by Marcos factory race car is increasingly used on the mainland began (including two factory cars at the 500 - km race Nürburgring 1963). The vehicles were either driven by engines between 997 cc and 1498 cc, which came from England Ford (Ford Anglia and Cortina ). In competition car preferably came from Cosworth or Martin prepared engines. Steering and suspension components derived from the standard 10 as well as the Triumph Herald. By 1964, a total of 18 vehicles of this model were produced.
In January 1964, the Marcos had its premiere in 1800 at the London Motor Show. A completely new design, the proven plywood chassis, which had to be completely redesigned however, and a robust engine of Volvo were the basic building blocks for the now successful entry into the serial production of a sports car, its development was continued until the 1990s. Until 1969 were given to the production of plywood chassis, because the immensely time-consuming production was no longer profitable and the small business operating out of business. As a substitute, the brothers Adams developed a robust, but it is very conventional trellis frame to which the proven fiberglass body was now screwed.