1967 Marcos GT

Rare example of a 1967 Marcos 1500 GT.

This car is in original condition, having previously undergone a restoration at Marcos Heritage (photos are available on their website).

This car is an early (and rare) plywood chassis version, providing the car with a lightweight but incredibly stiff chassis.

Fitted with the venerable Ford Cortina GT 1500 pre-crossflow engine, this was rebuilt by Ford specialists Specialised Engines of Essex in 2024. Specification includes:

90 thou over bore (1600cc)

Lightened and balanced crankshaft, flywheel and pistons

Engine blueprinted

BCF2 fast road camshaft

Stage 3 large valve, gas flowed cylinder head

Rare period Ian Walker Racing inlet manifolds

Twin Dellorto DHLA40 carburettors (33mm chokes fitted)

Electronic ignition with programmable timing

Whilst tuned, and eager to rev, it starts easily and is tractable throughout the rev range.

Bodywork and paint is in very good condition, looking great in original white. Interior is original (except a new carpet set), in exceptional condition with real vintage charm.

Original knock off wire wheels, powder coated silver.

The chassis is solid, no damage or de-lamination of the plywood.

Full history file, including correspondence between the original owner and Marcos.

Marcos cars was set up by Jem Marsh (a contemporary of Colin Chapman) and Frank Costin (previous employee of Lotus) in 1959. The company name came from the first 3 letters of the founders.

Costin had worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter during the war, and took the knowledge of building strong and light structures from this into the racing world. Whilst early Marcos cars were not the most attractive they were fast, and helped establish the careers of racing legends Jackie Stewart, Derek Bell and Jonathan Palmer amongst others.

In 1964 Marcos unveiled the GT, designed by brothers Peter and Dennis Adams. This car became the iconic shape of nearly all future Marcos cars. The original car utilised the 1800 Volvo engine, but was re-engineered to take the Ford Cortina 1500 GT in 1966 to help reduce costs. The 1500 car was itself replaced in 1968 by the 1600 GT using the Ford Kent crossflow engine, before the company introduced 3l models at the end of the decade.

The wooden monocoque remained in production until 1969, when it was replaced by a steel tubular spaceframe. The plywood chassis is incredibly strong and lightweight but also very durable, with most cars remaining on the original chassis (more than can be said about the steel cars). They were used in period to race and remain active on the historic racing scene taking the punishment of the race track in their stride.

The GT uses fixed seats in a race car style laid back driving position. To allow the fitment of drivers of different sizes the pedal assembly moves on a carriage fore & aft, by using a large rotary knob on the dashboard.

Marcos went out of business in 1971, but was reformed and became a successful supplier of sports cars in the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s. There is an active owners club.