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Marcos (automobile)
Encyclopedia
Marcos was a British
sports car
manufacturer
. The name was a combination of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.
, in Bedfordshire
, England
, in 1959 by Jem Marsh
and Frank Costin
. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito
fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood
for the chassis. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon
, Wiltshire
in 1963 and in 1971 to a £125,000 purpose built factory at nearby Westbury
.
Problems with exporting cars to the USA and the move to the expensive new premises led to financial troubles in the 1970s and by 1971 they were out of business. In July 1971 it was reported that the Rob Walker Group of Companies, a principal dealer, had taken over the stocks and assets of the business and established a new company, Marcos Ltd. The new owners insisted that production would continue, albeit, at least in the short term, only for the UK market. Marcos dealers in the UK had been heavily discounting new cars since the end of 1970, however, while a report at the time of the collapse stated that the company's stock of 35 unsold cars in the USA had had to be "liquidated": in reality there seems to have been a substantial stock of new cars still looking for buyers, and it is not clear whether, over the next few years, any more were built. Just a year later, one Saturday in June 1972, what was described as "a cash jumble sale of Marcos bits – prototype and shop soiled components, benches, tools..." took place at what was could now be characterized as the "old Marcos Cars factory" at Westbury
. The sale was occasioned by the company's reorganisation and move to a smaller factory.
Jem Marsh however stayed in the auto business. In 1976 he bought back the rights to the Marcos name, and in 1981 the Marcos was relaunched with the Marcos V6 Coupe that was sold in kit form.
Marcos went bankrupt again in 2000, but thanks to a wealthy Canadian, Tony Stelliga buying the company, production was again revived in 2002. The race car production was relocated to the Netherlands
while road car production moved to Kenilworth
, Warwickshire
, England
. By 2005 most of the designers from the near to bankrupt TVR
joined the company.
On 9 October 2007 it was announced that Marcos would cease car production and go into voluntary liquidation.
engines varying from 997 cc to 1498 cc and had Standard
10 and Triumph Herald
steering and suspension components. Thirty nine were made up to 1963.
In 1961 the brothers Dennis Adams
and Peter Adams started working with Marcos and they introduced a number of changes to the original design, so the Marcos Luton Gullwing, and the Spyder were introduced in November 1961, immediately transformed to the Marcos Fastback GT , was displayed at the London Racing Car Show in 1963. The chassis were glued of mainly 3 mm thin sheets of marine plywood, giving the cars a very strong monocoque and unbeatable low total weight (internationally homologated with 475 kg), resulting in a great performance in sportscar competition. Totally 39 cars were produced of these early Marcos models and nearly all of them were used for national and international racing purpose.
In 1964 the Marcos 1800 GT was presented. Originally this used the 4 cylinder Volvo
1800 cc unit with overdrive
gearbox and De Dion
rear axle but in 1966 this changed to a Ford engine in 1500 cc, 1600 cc or 1650 cc capacity and a coil sprung live rear axle. In 1969 this changed again to the Ford V4 engine as used in the Corsair and Capri. In 1969 the GT changed from plywood chassis to a more conventional steel one. This shortened the production time and also made it possible to use more powerful 6 cylinder engines with a choice of 140 bhp, 3 litre Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)
, 140 bhp, 3 litre Volvo straight 6 or more rarely the Triumph
2.5 litre straight 6.
The cars were sold into the North American market and for them to pass the exhaust emissions regulations the Volvo engine was used there, but there were delays and problems and this, along with the development costs of the Mantis, resulted in the company closing its doors – for the first time. The car had a wheelbase of 1956 millimetres (77 in), a height of only 1092 millimetres (43 in) and weighed 914 kilograms (2,015 lb). The Ford V6 version achieved over 120 mi/h on test and the Volvo engined model was not far behind it, but the heavy cast iron engines made the cars a little nose heavy, especially compared to the 4 cylinder variants.
bodied Mini Marcos
. With a wheelbase of only 69 inches (1,752.6 mm) the Malcolm Newell designed Mini Marcos was significantly shorter than the usual Marcos cars, but it was the only British car to finish Le Mans
the following year. It was powered by one of the Mini
A-series
range of transverse engines driving the front wheels and used Mini front and rear subframes and suspension. Production finished in about 1975 to be taken up by Harold Dermott, who went on to produce the Midas
. Cars were also made under licence in South Africa
, Australia
and Ireland
. Over 1300 have been made in kit and complete car versions.
In 1991 the Mini Marcos was relaunched to meet demands from Japan
and was made up to 1995.
After the demise of Marcos Sales Limited, the Mini Marcos moulds were acquired by Rory McMath of Marcos Heritage Spares. They are able to manufacture/supply all fibreglass parts, from a nosecone to a complete shell.
Marcos Heritage relaunched the Mini Marcos in 2005 as the Marcos Heritage Mk. VI and Mk. VI GT
The GT Version was also included in the game Gran Turismo 4 for the Playstation2.
In 1968 came two different cars both called the Mantis
. One was a pure racing car, the Marcos Mantis XP, a sportscar-prototype with very aggressive appearance, powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8.Only one was made. The only race was the 1000 km race in Spa in 1968, were it was DNF because of electrical problems , as the race was hit by severe rains.
The other was the 2+2 Mantis M70, powered by a 2.5 litre Triumph TR6
six cylinder injected engine, but the design was not well received and only 32 were sold.
V8 and 5 speed gearbox. The alloy Rover engine weighed much less than the old six cylinder cast iron units and put the car back into serious contention against other Rover powered sports cars such as TVR and Morgan.
The Marcos Martina was externally a very similar car to the Mantula, but with flared front arches, however it was powered by a 2 litre four cylinder Ford Cortina
engine and used steering/suspension components from the same car. In 1986 the Mantula became available in convertible form as the Marcos Spyder with a design similar to the GT. Both the Mantula and Martina cars were made up to 1993.
small block V8). Only 30 road going LM cars were ever built and of these only one was a road going LM600.
The Marcos GTS was a version of the new Mantis, but powered by 2 litre Rover engines. The top version was the 200 bhp turbo version.
The only one LM200GTRS was ordered in 1997 from Mr. Stavros Galanakis and delivered in 1998 in Greece as a present to his son , George St. Galanakis ( he was only 16 years old !!! ) and he customized it and modify it solving the serious Engineering problems.
was launched in 2004 with a Chevrolet V8
engine in either 350 bhp or 400 bhp versions. The car's components were CAD designed in England
and its chassis engineering was completed by Prodrive
.
Also in 2004, the 5.7-litre Chevrolet Corvette
(LS1
) V8 TSO GT was announced, but solely for the Australian market. It was joined in 2005 by the GT2 for the European market.
In 2006 Marcos announced the TSO GTC, a modified version of the current TSO with a racing suspension, racing brakes and a rear diffuser. The car continues on with its Chevrolet
-sourced 420 bhp V8, but there was also a 462 bhp Performance Pack available as well. With the extra power from the Performance Pack the TSO GTC accelerated to 60 mi/h in 4.1 seconds and to 100 mi/h in 8.5 seconds. With the bigger 340 mm (13.4 in) AP Racing brakes, the TSO GTC delivered a 0-100-0 time of 12.9 seconds, and the extra power allowed it to accelerate from 50 to 70 mi/h in just 2.1 seconds. Its top speed was over 185 mi/h.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
manufacturer
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
. The name was a combination of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.
History
Marcos was founded in LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1959 by Jem Marsh
Jem Marsh
Jeremy George Weston "Jem" Marsh is an engineer, motor manufacturer and race driver. He is perhaps best known as a co-founder of the sports-car manufacturer Marcos, the name being derived from a contraction of his and fellow founder Frank Costin's surnames...
and Frank Costin
Frank Costin
Frank Costin was an automotive engineer who pioneered monocoque chassis design and was instrumental in adapting aircraft aerodynamic knowledge for automobile use. He was the brother of Mike Costin, co-founder of Cosworth. Frank Costin used his aeronautical knowledge to design and build a chassis...
. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
for the chassis. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in 1963 and in 1971 to a £125,000 purpose built factory at nearby Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
.
Problems with exporting cars to the USA and the move to the expensive new premises led to financial troubles in the 1970s and by 1971 they were out of business. In July 1971 it was reported that the Rob Walker Group of Companies, a principal dealer, had taken over the stocks and assets of the business and established a new company, Marcos Ltd. The new owners insisted that production would continue, albeit, at least in the short term, only for the UK market. Marcos dealers in the UK had been heavily discounting new cars since the end of 1970, however, while a report at the time of the collapse stated that the company's stock of 35 unsold cars in the USA had had to be "liquidated": in reality there seems to have been a substantial stock of new cars still looking for buyers, and it is not clear whether, over the next few years, any more were built. Just a year later, one Saturday in June 1972, what was described as "a cash jumble sale of Marcos bits – prototype and shop soiled components, benches, tools..." took place at what was could now be characterized as the "old Marcos Cars factory" at Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
. The sale was occasioned by the company's reorganisation and move to a smaller factory.
Jem Marsh however stayed in the auto business. In 1976 he bought back the rights to the Marcos name, and in 1981 the Marcos was relaunched with the Marcos V6 Coupe that was sold in kit form.
Marcos went bankrupt again in 2000, but thanks to a wealthy Canadian, Tony Stelliga buying the company, production was again revived in 2002. The race car production was relocated to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
while road car production moved to Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. By 2005 most of the designers from the near to bankrupt TVR
TVR
thumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
joined the company.
On 9 October 2007 it was announced that Marcos would cease car production and go into voluntary liquidation.
Marcos 1000GT, Marcos Luton Gullwing; Marcos Fastback GT, Marcos 1800 GT
The first car, the 1960 Marcos GT was a rather strange looking device with gullwing doors and a windscreen in four panels. For production the body was made less radical but initially retained the gullwing doors. It was powered by a choice of FordFord of Britain
Ford of Britain is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex...
engines varying from 997 cc to 1498 cc and had Standard
Standard Motor Company
The Standard Motor Company was founded in Coventry, England in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay . The Standard name was last used in Britain in 1963, and in India in 1987.-1903–1914:...
10 and Triumph Herald
Triumph Herald
The Triumph Herald was a small two-door car introduced in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph Company of Coventry. Body design was by the Italian stylist Michelotti and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, van, and estate models....
steering and suspension components. Thirty nine were made up to 1963.
In 1961 the brothers Dennis Adams
Dennis Adams
Dennis Adams is an American artist internationally recognized for his urban interventions and museum installations that reveal historical and political undercurrents in photography, cinema, public space and architecture. Over the last three decades, he has realized over fifty urban projects in...
and Peter Adams started working with Marcos and they introduced a number of changes to the original design, so the Marcos Luton Gullwing, and the Spyder were introduced in November 1961, immediately transformed to the Marcos Fastback GT , was displayed at the London Racing Car Show in 1963. The chassis were glued of mainly 3 mm thin sheets of marine plywood, giving the cars a very strong monocoque and unbeatable low total weight (internationally homologated with 475 kg), resulting in a great performance in sportscar competition. Totally 39 cars were produced of these early Marcos models and nearly all of them were used for national and international racing purpose.
In 1964 the Marcos 1800 GT was presented. Originally this used the 4 cylinder Volvo
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
1800 cc unit with overdrive
Overdrive (mechanics)
Overdrive is a term used to describe a mechanism that allows an automobile to cruise at sustained speed with reduced engine RPM, leading to better fuel economy, lower noise and lower wear...
gearbox and De Dion
De Dion tube
A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. It is a sophisticated form of non-independent suspension and is a considerable improvement over the alternative swing axle and Hotchkiss drive types. A de Dion suspension uses universal joints at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a...
rear axle but in 1966 this changed to a Ford engine in 1500 cc, 1600 cc or 1650 cc capacity and a coil sprung live rear axle. In 1969 this changed again to the Ford V4 engine as used in the Corsair and Capri. In 1969 the GT changed from plywood chassis to a more conventional steel one. This shortened the production time and also made it possible to use more powerful 6 cylinder engines with a choice of 140 bhp, 3 litre Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)
Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)
The Ford Essex V6 engine was a 60° V6 engine built between 1966 and 1981 by the Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom at their engine plant in Dagenham, Essex, which gave the engine its name. It was produced in two main capacities, 2.5 L and 3.0 L, and was fitted to a wide range of...
, 140 bhp, 3 litre Volvo straight 6 or more rarely the Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
2.5 litre straight 6.
The cars were sold into the North American market and for them to pass the exhaust emissions regulations the Volvo engine was used there, but there were delays and problems and this, along with the development costs of the Mantis, resulted in the company closing its doors – for the first time. The car had a wheelbase of 1956 millimetres (77 in), a height of only 1092 millimetres (43 in) and weighed 914 kilograms (2,015 lb). The Ford V6 version achieved over 120 mi/h on test and the Volvo engined model was not far behind it, but the heavy cast iron engines made the cars a little nose heavy, especially compared to the 4 cylinder variants.
Mini Marcos
As the Marcos GT had got larger and more powerful, a return to smaller cars had come in 1965 with the glass fibre monocoqueMonocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
bodied Mini Marcos
Mini Marcos
The Mini Marcos was produced in limited numbers between 1965 and 1970 by Marcos, 1974 to 1981 by D & H Fibreglass Techniques Limited and again between 1991 and 1996 by Marcos. It was based on the DART design by Dizzy Addicott who finally sold the project to Jeremy Delmar-Morgan. Jeremy marketed...
. With a wheelbase of only 69 inches (1,752.6 mm) the Malcolm Newell designed Mini Marcos was significantly shorter than the usual Marcos cars, but it was the only British car to finish Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
the following year. It was powered by one of the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
A-series
BMC A-Series engine
Austin Motor Company's small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. Launched in 1951 with the Austin A30, production lasted until 2000 in the Mini. It used a cast-iron block and cylinder head, and a steel crankshaft with 3 main bearings...
range of transverse engines driving the front wheels and used Mini front and rear subframes and suspension. Production finished in about 1975 to be taken up by Harold Dermott, who went on to produce the Midas
Midas Cars
The Midas is a British made kit car initially using Mini running gear that grew out of the Mini Marcos.Harold Dermott and his company, D&H Fibreglass Techniques, of Greenfield, Oldham, Lancashire, England came to an agreement in 1975 with Marcos cars to take over production of their Mini Marcos model...
. Cars were also made under licence in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Over 1300 have been made in kit and complete car versions.
In 1991 the Mini Marcos was relaunched to meet demands from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and was made up to 1995.
After the demise of Marcos Sales Limited, the Mini Marcos moulds were acquired by Rory McMath of Marcos Heritage Spares. They are able to manufacture/supply all fibreglass parts, from a nosecone to a complete shell.
Marcos Heritage relaunched the Mini Marcos in 2005 as the Marcos Heritage Mk. VI and Mk. VI GT
The GT Version was also included in the game Gran Turismo 4 for the Playstation2.
Marcos Mantis
Marcos Mantis GT
The original Marcos Mantis is a sports car produced by the British car company Marcos. It was formally introduced in 1968 though production appears to have got off to a slow start. In February 1971 Marcos announced that the car could now also be purchased in component form, at a domestic market...
. One was a pure racing car, the Marcos Mantis XP, a sportscar-prototype with very aggressive appearance, powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8.Only one was made. The only race was the 1000 km race in Spa in 1968, were it was DNF because of electrical problems , as the race was hit by severe rains.
The other was the 2+2 Mantis M70, powered by a 2.5 litre Triumph TR6
Triumph TR6
The Triumph TR6 is a British six-cylinder sports car and the best-seller of the TR range built by Triumph when production ended in July 1976. This record was then surpassed by the TR7...
six cylinder injected engine, but the design was not well received and only 32 were sold.
Marcos Mantula, Spider and Martina
In 1984 the Marcos Mantula appeared, with a reborn company, still under the original founder, Jem Marsh, looking very similar to the old GT, but now powered by a 3.5 litre RoverRover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
V8 and 5 speed gearbox. The alloy Rover engine weighed much less than the old six cylinder cast iron units and put the car back into serious contention against other Rover powered sports cars such as TVR and Morgan.
The Marcos Martina was externally a very similar car to the Mantula, but with flared front arches, however it was powered by a 2 litre four cylinder Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
engine and used steering/suspension components from the same car. In 1986 the Mantula became available in convertible form as the Marcos Spyder with a design similar to the GT. Both the Mantula and Martina cars were made up to 1993.
Marcos Mantara & LM200GTRS,400,500,600
In 1992 Marcos left the kit car business and launched the Marcos Mantara that was sold through dealers in limited numbers. The Mantara was powered as standard by a 3.9 litre Rover V8 or a 4.6 as an optional extra. For a return to GT racing, a range of modified Mantaras was also produced in the LM (Le Mans) versions. In order to qualify as a production vehicle, road going cars were also made. Several version of the LM were made such as the LM400 (with a Rover 3.9 litre engine), LM500 (Rover 5 litre) and LM600 (with 6 litre ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
small block V8). Only 30 road going LM cars were ever built and of these only one was a road going LM600.
Marcos Mantis and GTS
In 1997 the Mantis name was re-used on a 2 seater coupé or convertible road car based on the LM series powered by a Ford Cobra V8 and capable of 170 mi/h. Due to the use of the new Cobra Engine the bonnet of the Mantis was significantly remodelled from the previous LM range (that used the Rover V8). The engine produced 370 bhp. It cost £42000. In 1999 a 500 bhp supercharged version was announced, capable of 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. 18 road going cars were produced in total. A race variant was created and used in GT racing, as well as Marcos own single type Mantis Challenge.The Marcos GTS was a version of the new Mantis, but powered by 2 litre Rover engines. The top version was the 200 bhp turbo version.
The only one LM200GTRS was ordered in 1997 from Mr. Stavros Galanakis and delivered in 1998 in Greece as a present to his son , George St. Galanakis ( he was only 16 years old !!! ) and he customized it and modify it solving the serious Engineering problems.
Marcos Mantaray
In 1998 the GTS evolved into the Marcos Mantaray, but now with 4.0 and 4.6 Rover V8 as well as the 2 litre Rovers. Only 11 were made with the 4.0 litre, and seven with the 4.6 litre engine. In fact only 17 were finished the 18th was sold in chassis/body only form.Marcos Marcasite
In 2002, after a break in production caused by bankruptcy, a new company was launched to manufacture the Marcasite TS250 with a 2.5 litre 175 bhp Ford V6 followed in 2003 by the 5 litre Rover V8 powered TS500.Marcos TSO
The Marcos TSOMarcos TSO
The Marcos TSO is a sports car manufactured between 2004 and 2008 by Marcos. It features a Chevrolet V8 engine in either or versions. The car's components were CAD designed in England, while chassis engineering has been done by Prodrive....
was launched in 2004 with a Chevrolet V8
Chevrolet Small-Block engine
The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of automobile V8 engines built by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors using the same basic small engine block...
engine in either 350 bhp or 400 bhp versions. The car's components were CAD designed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and its chassis engineering was completed by Prodrive
Prodrive
Prodrive is a British motorsport and automotive engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Subaru, Aston Martin and Ford...
.
Also in 2004, the 5.7-litre Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
(LS1
GM LS engine
The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8...
) V8 TSO GT was announced, but solely for the Australian market. It was joined in 2005 by the GT2 for the European market.
In 2006 Marcos announced the TSO GTC, a modified version of the current TSO with a racing suspension, racing brakes and a rear diffuser. The car continues on with its Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
-sourced 420 bhp V8, but there was also a 462 bhp Performance Pack available as well. With the extra power from the Performance Pack the TSO GTC accelerated to 60 mi/h in 4.1 seconds and to 100 mi/h in 8.5 seconds. With the bigger 340 mm (13.4 in) AP Racing brakes, the TSO GTC delivered a 0-100-0 time of 12.9 seconds, and the extra power allowed it to accelerate from 50 to 70 mi/h in just 2.1 seconds. Its top speed was over 185 mi/h.