Marcos Motor Company has a remarkable history – of famous names, of pioneering innovation and of punching well above its (very light) weight. Founded in 1959, it quickly developed a following and, despite not having produced any cars for two decades, it still has a strong fanbase today.
The early models, built for competition, became a must-have for aspiring racing drivers. Created by co-founder Frank Costin using know-how from his work on the DeHavilland Mosquito fighter-bomber aircraft, Vanwall F1 car and Lotus sports racers, they handled brilliantly – thanks to ultra-light weight and innovative construction. They were the world’s first cars with monocoque chassis, establishing the global standard for modern race-car construction.
The first cars were raced in the early 1960s by several F1 drivers to-be including three-time world champion
“The early cars were a must-have for aspiring racing drivers including future F1 world champion Jackie Stewart.”
Jackie Stewart and Derek Bell, who also won the Le Mans 24 Hours five times. Later, a Marcos GT kick-started the career of another F1 driver, Dr Jonathan Palmer.
Between those times the giant-killing Mini Marcos was the highest-placed British finisher in the 1966 Le Mans race – subject of the Ford v Ferrari drama of the Hollywood blockbuster Le Mans ’66. The car set four land speed records for 1600cc cars, which it still holds.
“If this had an Italian nameplate on it, it might be $250,000.”
Jay Leno on the GT
It was enough to attract Gordon Murray, chief designer of the Brabham and McLaren Formula 1 teams and then the iconic McLaren F1 road car. Always a lightweighting fanatic, he developed further improvements to the Mini Marcos for Midas, which took over production in the late 1970s.
But it was the Marcos GT, as elegant as an E-Type or an Italian supercar, which became the brand’s iconic design, attracting actors and popstars. Rod Stewart famously celebrated by buying one after achieving his first major hits, saying he knew he’d arrived because he’d got a Marcos. The Walker Brothers
bought them, as did Marmalade. And Roger Moore drove one in an episode of The Saint, endorsing the GT’s increasingly cool credentials.
More than half a century later, celebrity car nut Jay Leno drove a GT for his Jay Leno’s Garage series, calling it “a wonderful piece of classic English engineering.” His take was that, “If this had an Italian nameplate on it, it might be [worth] $250,000,” adding it’s “one of the prettiest and most unusual sports cars of all time.”
