Description
TThis a long story but ............. it does represent 27yrs of this specific car's history
1997 This was originally 'Marcos Sportscars' outrageous V8 'raspberry fliptone' 327 Bhp Earls Court Motor Show Car.
I purchased this car in 1998 when we became the sole Scottish service/ sales dealer for this highly regarded Wiltshire based Marque.
Marcos had been producing bespoke low volume quality Sportscars in England since the 1959 with a fantastic race track record (Lotus / TVR/ Morgan era).
Their historical range of cars still has an enthusiastic following, and importantly spare parts are still available.
Latterly the pre Mantis 'LM model' (Rover V8 engined) was raced successfully in the 'Dunlop Marcos Challenge' & the often televised GT series against the likes of TVR
TV motoring presenter and race driver Vicky Butler-Henderson's brother Charlie was the popular and successful race driver for Marcos
Always heralded as reliable and futuristic the fibre glass bodied Mantis was developed using the expensive but brilliant Ford Cobra small block 4. 6 engine (352 Bhp).
1997 it was £46, 883 for a basic example + orc (these were totally bespoke built) quote from the motoring press;- "How a company that builds just 70 cars a year can... design, engineer and produce a car as good as the Mantis is beyond comprehension ...... delivering 0-60 in 4. 3 secs, 0 -100mph in 9. 6 sec and a top speed of 170 mph!"
However the Marcos factory's secret to reliability was due in part to their using well tried and tested stock parts eg mechanicals and electrics from Volvo, Ford or Rover,
unlike their competitors who at times designed and made their own often with catastrophic inherent faults !
The Marcos factory was a sight to behold as skilled craftsmen worked in very old airy buildings yet turned out some amazing workmanship.
They painted in the equivalent of a rickety home garage yet their paint finish was pretty flawless (in any colour you chose) !
Part built cars were moved around on trolleys between the buildings during assembly and their small sales team headed by Chris Marsh (founder's son & ex 24hr Le Mans driver)
From my experience with Marcos the factory it was evidently mainly driven by enthusiasm, and not by build numbers or even realistic margins.
1998 Marcos relaunched its UK image with the appointment of a dealer network, as each dealer had to order at least one car their production increased and the new Mantaray model was launched at the 1999 Earls Court Motor Show - this model never really captured the outrageous lines or drive of the LM or the 97> Mantis.
Nb. only 34 American Mustang Quad Cam engined Mantis cars were ever produced - I am told only 20 such of these awesome cars have now survived
There were also 5 off £65, 000 GT supercharged versions (0. 5sec quicker 0 - 60mph & 179mph) of which we sold one of these in Scotland.
2000 Marcos of Westbury went into receivership after a Dutch buyer offered to save the company with the intention of mass producing their precision chassis in Holland, but assembling cars in the UK.
This concept quickly proved most unfortunate for the Wiltshire based factory who swiftly then closed down .
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Marcos Mantis Technical - Ford Quad Cam ‘Modular’ V8 4. 6 Quad Cam engine mated to a Tremec T45 gearbox and a Hydratrak LSD
Many of the really nice quality GT trim modifications produced whilst we were still their representation in Scotland were purchased for our car eg alloy interior trims, rear boot and under spoilers.
2003 our car was stripped and the steel chassis was treated to reduce corrosion, when rebuilt by me it was upgraded using all new fully adjustable suspension and the interior was completely retrimmed using new cream Scottish leather courtesy of Andrew Muirhead (Glasgow based).
The lower area of the body was painted in deep purple to complement the original factory finish.
The uninspiring Rover 3. 5SD1 rear light clusters were replaced with modern round Led types (copied by the factory on the final built Marcos T250)
The traditional wooden dashboard was replaced with a more in keeping carbon fibre / stainless steel finish (as in the GT)
All of the suspension rubber joints were replaced with nylon bush race types in order to firm up the handling.
The heater & Air conditioning in this car work well .. a worthwhile factory option fitted on this car was the heated windscreen.
It has a quick release race type steering wheel which can be removed to ease access (if racing ) or as a great security deterrent!
The seats do not adjust but the driver's pedals move electrically (Marcos took this idea from the world of aviation) allowing easier access for the taller driver.
Air con and electric windows were standard fit on these cars.
I had the idea to fit a Grill mesh behind each of the air intakes - which was later copied on the factory built GT series.
The notoriously stiff cable clutch system was upgraded to a much lighter hydraulically operated version (the Marcos clutch option conversion parts supplied kit was £1500 + fitting + Vat)
A full dual stainless steel exhaust system was fitted (no cat) which allows this mighty V8 to roar !
A remote operating ICELED spectacular car show light system has been fitted with all of the interior lighting & under car tubes featuring sequencing/ sound operated coloured leds... for show use only.
A talking Thatcham alarm system was added to better protect this unique vehicle at the various car shows we covered - it requests people to "stand back security protected" if they get too close.
The O. E. 18" Alloy wheels from Marcos were notorious for spectacular alloy porosity causal failures, so this car benefits from;
4 x New 18" multi spoke wheels c/ w new 235. 40 x 18" Good Year Eagle tyres (less than 100mls ago)
The car features a huge custom fit multi speaker Hertz Sound system driven by a Pioneer AVH 7500BT Head unit c/ w Motorised 7" Screen c/ w Bluetooth with rear view camera & Moving Map GPS AVIC-U250 options
Also fitted: a front 'Blackvue 490 HD camera/ recorder'
A mini storage box is sited (in front of driver's seat)
2018 I purchased car back from our customer
A new heavy duty battery and better boot lid struts were fitted.
An OBD2 connector was been ftted in order to facilitate modern diagnostic equipment connection
The cooling system was converted to use 'Evans Coolant'.... water and anti freeze free is a non corrosive low operating temperature coolant system alternative.
2022 Interior upholstery completely removed and all leather underwent a refurbishment and connolised to a high quality cream finish
2023 the fuel system was modified to provide a new high pressure fuel pump and the fuel filter inside the boot (below the fuel tank) - a BBK fuel pressure gauge system was added to the fuel rail in the engine compartment which allows for a far more accurate set up - a manual cut off valve was fitted with an 'inertia fuel cut off ' fitted in the cabin (a crash sensor as fitted to most modern cars).
A set of high energy race ignition coils, leads and plugs were also fitted to sharpen power take up
When new this car benefited from large 350mm dia floating Alcon race brake discs and alloy calipers on the front (expensive option fitted for the Motor Show ).
I replaced both front vented brake disc rotors (same size but a more modern version & larger than a Nissan GTR rotor @ £1000 the pair).
NB Floating rotors do not move as much as the term suggests but do allow for even piston pressure either side of the rotor, are less likely to warp than solid discs due to better ventilation and expansion tolerances and also are less heavy.... but pretty expensive !
2024 ... all four replaced dampers with the latest fully adjustable Krypton Gas coil over units from Spax c/ w new springs courtesy of 'Faulkner Springs'- 27th June 2024 @18, 506mls
The rear brake discs are Sierra Cosworth, which have been replaced with drilled and grooved versions with green high performance brake pads fitted.
Both rear Brake Callipers were also replaced with new Cosworth 4x4 types
Both the Brakes and Clutch fluids were at that time replaced with lifetime synthetic fluid ( does not absorb moisture hence lifetime)
With Lanoguard anti corrosion Treatments applied to the Chassis and any exposed metal surfaces
The previous owner during his ownership religiously had the car collected annually by trailer in order that we as an appointed Marcos Dealer could service & MOT it (regardless of the negligible mileage he covered annually).
I have rarely used it since buying it back - and then only ever in good dry weather
Unusually this car has a full & a very detailed 'Marcos Dealer' records from new, c/ w Sales literature, Receipts, Dealer Bulletins, MOTs & Leather Service Book, various Marcos book features and an applicable workshop manual.
Last Fully Serviced .... 27th June 2024 @18, 506mls
This car is a 'one off' and is in exceptional condition in every respect - It is outrageous, loud, radical, reliable and turns heads everywhere it goes !
If you dare to be different and want the very best radical Marcos Mantis available
++ There are only twenty of these cars known to exist out of the thirty four produced ++
** all photographs are a current representation of the car and are the sole intellectual property of Ronnie Cowan Specialist Cars **
