Marendaz Special cars were made in Brixton

Brixton

Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....

 Road, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 SW9, 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...

 from 1926 to 1932 and in Maidenhead

Maidenhead

Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, England from 1932 to 1936.

DMK (Donald Marcus Kelway) Marendaz served as an apprentice at Siddeley-Deasy

Siddeley-Deasy

Siddeley-Deasy was a British automobile, engine and aircraft company based in Coventry in the early 20th century. It was central to the formation, by merger and buy-out, of the later Armstrong Sideleley Motor and Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft companies....

 before the first World War. He left to join the Royal Flying Corps

Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...

 in 1916, training as a pilot and serving in France until invalided out in 1918 with the rank of lieutenant. After 1918, he joined Alvis

Alvis Cars

Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd was a British manufacturing company that existed in Coventry, England from 19191967. In addition to automobiles designed for the civilian market, the company also produced racing cars, aircraft engines, armoured cars and other armoured fighting vehicles, the...

, but was sacked, and shortly afterwards started Marseel with a Mr Seelhaft; the company manufactured gearboxes for the Emscote car. Emscote did not take all the gearboxes they made, so the surplus were used with Coventry-Simplex engines to make complete cars. The company changed its name to Marseal in 1923, when Seelhart left. Between 1920 and 1925, when Marseal failed, as many as 1200 cars might have been made in the Coventry factory.

After a brief period in the City of London, in 1926 the 'Captain' started DMK Marendaz Ltd in the premises of the London Cab Company in Brixton, where the London agents for Bugatti

Bugatti

Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....

 and Graham-Paige

Graham-Paige

Graham-Paige was an American automobile manufacturer founded by brothers Joseph B. Graham and Robert C. Graham , and Canadian Ray Austin in 1927. Automobile production ceased in 1940, and its automotive assets were acquired by Kaiser-Frazer in 1947...

 were also based. The cars were attractive-looking with a Bentley-like radiator and mainly used Anzani engines. Model names were often confusingly complex with the 11/55, 14/55 and 14/125 also being called the 1½ litre. A strange departure was the 1495 cc straight-eight which used a special Anzani crank and Marendaz designed block. Although catalogued in normal and supercharged form, it is thought not to have got past the prototype stage. Although supporting an ambitious racing programme, very few cars were made and it seems that the company's main income derived from tuning and servicing work and the sales of used sporting cars. Somewhere between 20 and 50 cars were made between 1926 and 1932. Captain Marendaz had an aversion to journalists and so exactly what happened in the factory is often a mystery. He was also famous for threatening legal action against anyone who made remarks about his cars he did not agree with.

In 1932 the company was re-organised as Marendaz Special Cars Ltd and moved to Cornwallis Works, Maidenhead where GWK

GWK (car)

The GWK was a British car made in Maidenhead, Berkshire, between 1911 and 1931. It got its name from its founders, Arthur Grice, J Talfourd Wood and C.M. Keiller. The cars were unusual in using a friction drive system....

 and Burney

Streamline Cars Ltd

thumb|right|250px|Two versions were made; this one had a vestigial bonnetthumb|right|250px|The Streamline was not a small carStreamline Cars Ltd was the company responsible for making the Burney car designed by Dennis Burney....

 cars had also been made. The cars at first used American Continental engines with Marendaz cylinder heads and manifolding but later were probably completely built by Marendaz as he redesigned the block. The gearboxes might also have been Marendaz designed, but some by Moss were used. Sales were again supported by a considerable racing programme including entries by Captain Marendaz himself up to 1931 and his secretary Miss Dorothy Summers up to 1936. They were also raced by Mr and Mrs AE Moss, the parents of Sir Stirling Moss.

Production seems to have ceased in 1936 but possibly a few cars were made in 1937. Estimates of production range from about 80 to 120 cars in total, including those from Brixton. Survivors from the Brixton days are rare but several 13/70 and 15/80 range still exist.

The Captain went on set up Marendaz Aircraft Ltd in 1936 to build biplanes, but these never reached production. He was also a supporter of Oswald Moseley, leader Of the British Union of Fascists and this led in 1940 to him being jailed on security charges. He was released after a few days. After the war, he emigrated to South Africa where he built small diesel engines. He returned to England in 1972 and died in 1988 at the age of 91.

Models

Type	Engine	body styles	Year	Notes
Marendaz Special 11/55	1496 cc side valve 4 cylinder Anzani Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani , which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.-Overview:...	sports	1926-30	Three or Four speed gearboxes. Four wheel brakes, pedal opertaed front, lever rear. 75 mi/h max. 104 inch wheelbase. £495.
Marendaz Special 11/120	1496 cc side valve 4 cylinder Anzani Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani , which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.-Overview:...  engine	sports	1925-29	Supercharged version of the 11/55 litre. £750.
Marendaz Special 9/90	1094 cc side valve 4 cylinder	sports	1926-31	Probably a sleeved down version of 11/55. Took world class G 24 hour record in 1928.
Marendaz Special 14/55	1495 cc overhead input side exhaust valve 8 cylinder Marendaz engine	sports	1929-31	Eight cylinder version of 11/55. 114 in (2,896 mm) wheelbase. Few (if any) made.
Marendaz Special 14/125	1495 cc overhead input side exhaust valve 8 cylinder Marendaz engine		1926-31	Supercharged version of 14/55. Probably none made.
Marendaz Special 13/70	1869 cc side valve 6 cylinder Continental engine	2 seater, 4 seater, coupe.	1932-34	Produced in Maidenhead factory. 116 in (2,946 mm) wheelbase. Hydraulic brakes. £375.
Marendaz Special 13/85	1869 cc side valve 6 cylinder Continental based engine	2 seater, 4 seater, coupe.	1934
Marendaz Special 13/90	1985 cc side valve 6 cylinder engine		1935-36	Supercharged 13/70. Few (if any) made. There was also a similar 13/100.
Marendaz Special 17/97	2454 cc side valve 6 cylinder engine	tourer, foursome coupe, drophead coupe	1934	Large bored 13/70 engine. Single Zenith carburettor. 116 inch wheelbase. Unlikely that the coupe was ever made.
Marendaz Special 17/80	2454 cc side valve 6 cylinder engine	tourer, foursome coupe, drophead coupe	1935-36
Marendaz Special 17/100	2454 cc side valve 6 cylinder engine	tourer, foursome coupe, drophead coupe	1935-36	Zoller supercharged 17/97.
Marendaz Special 17/115	2454 cc side valve 6 cylinder engine	tourer, foursome coupe, drophead coupe	1935-36	Supercharged 17/97.
Marendaz Special 15/80	1991 cc overhead inlet side exhaust valve 6 cylinder Coventry Climax Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H... engine.	tourer	1936	Same chassis as 17/97 range. Servo brakes.
Marendaz Special 15/90	1991 cc overhead inlet side exhaust valve 6 cylinder Coventry Climax engine.	tourer	1936	82 mi/h on test. Supercharged model also available.