In 1959, Speedex specialty automotive parts supplier Jen Marsh and recently gone-freelance aircraft designer Frank Costin got together to build yet another post-war British sports car. Using the first letters of each of their names, they badged their cars as Marcos.
Although Costin left after only six cars were finished, Marsh recruited Dennis Adams to design a sleek new body for the cars. One such car, a 1968 Marcos GT, is the Pick of the Day, being offered for sale on ClassicCars.com by its private owner in Eugene, Oregon.
“The GT was produced by Marcos Engineering in Britain and offered intermittently between 1964 and 1990,” the seller reports. “The car featured a fiberglass body over a monocoque chassis incorporating nearly 400 pieces of plywood, with a resulting curb weight of approximately 1,800 pounds.
“This example has been fitted with a replacement body that was sourced from Marcos Engineering, Ltd. and painted in a Lotus orange.”
The seller adds that the car rides on Minilite-style 13-inch wheels and has new aluminum front hubs sourced from the UK. Brakes are front discs and rear drums.
In the cockpit, the seller says you’ll find seats with “black Porsche leather with black metal grommets.” The seats are fixed, but the pedal placement can be adjusted via a knob on the left side of the dashboard.
During a “refurbishment,” the car was outfitted with power windows and air conditioning.
“A three-spoke Luisi steering wheel frames a Smiths speedometer and tachometer,” the seller reports. “Gauges for amperage, fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure are mounted in the center of the dash. 69,499 miles are shown on the five-digit odometer. Total mileage is unknown. Approximately 320 miles have been added since restoration.”
Marcos GTs were produced with various engines, including those from Ford, Volvo and Triumph. This one has a 1.7-liter Ford Kent inline 4-cylinder rebuilt with special Kent pistons, Maxspeeding connecting rods, ported big-valve cylinder head, Piper 300 camshaft and HPE finned valve cover. The engine is fed by new dual Weber side-draft carburetors, linked to a 4-speed manual gearbox.
The seller is asking $70,000. To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
When was the last time it was treated for termites?
What a beauty! A true “one-off.” Based on rarity and condition, asking price seems pretty reasonable. If you’re a collector of historic cars and have the $, this would be a good one. Otherwise, not so much.