• Sought after wooden chassis model. • Major overhaul in 2020 with minimal mileage since • Restoration completed in early 1990’s – averaged 1500 miles p.a. since. • Tax and MOT exempt • Realistic reserve price reflects condition
The Background
First shown at the Racing Car Show in 1964 the Marcos GT was met by an enthusiastic crowd who loved its futuristic body design and on-road capabilities. The car was designed by Frank Costin, famed for his work on Lister, Vanwall and Lotus aerodynamics, in conjunction with Jem Marsh - the combination of their surnames giving rise to the Marcos name.
Over the years the model was offered with a range of engines - the popular Ford 1.5/1.6l in line 4 cylinder, Volvo 1.8l, Ford V4 2.0l. Volvo straight six 3l and Ford 3l V6. In common with most other low volume sports cars of the era much of the running gear was sourced from proprietary manufacturers assuring continuity of supply and reasonable prices for spares and service items despite the cars exotic styling.
With its racing heritage and beautiful lines Marcos remains an enormously popular marque with motoring enthusiasts. Today they are few and far between and are kept alive by Marcos enthusiasts, owing to their rarity these could be the next classic car to explode in value.
With the huge box of paperwork and photo albums that come with this Marcos, it is pretty easy to piece its life together, and we owe the majority of this compilation of history to the previous owner who took immense pride in this Marcos.
The first owner took delivery of this GT on the 1st of September 1968 sporting a Ford 1600cc crossflow fitted with twin Webber carbs and a Ford four-speed manual gearbox. From the first owner in 1968, it spent the next decade in eastern England - Surrey, Essex and Suffolk, remaining in the latter county since 1987 and within this time it has only had two owners.
Not long after reaching Suffolk the car suffered some damage to the bodywork when its garage roof was blown off during the now infamous 1987 hurricane. Backed by the insurance claim, the owner decided to fully rebuild the vehicle, after which he nurtured it during his 20+ years of ownership, evidenced by the large history file that comes with the car.
The rebuild was to a high standard and the car was a well known attraction at many classic car shows in the region.
The car was purchased by the current owner in 2012 and since then has been used sparingly but well maintained by a local Marcos specialist. This rare classic car has had one extraordinary life, one that just makes it such an interesting car to own and love.
With a normal car of this age, you would expect a bit of paperwork to demonstrate some of its history but as we have discovered this hurricane survivor is more than a normal classic. With this Marcos there is a huge box of paperwork that is the culmination of 50+years of history, the new owner will need to put aside an entire day to look through the paperwork and photo albums.
There are folders full of receipts for works and parts bought, a plastic wallet full of original MOT certificates, original tax discs. There is also a list of every owner of the car along with copies of the original Log Books for many of the previous owners. You name it, this car probably has it somewhere in this mountain of paperwork.
It is not just the usual invoices, V5 documents, MOT certificates, but also a multitude of photo albums that give you a visual documentary history of where this car has been in its past. These photo albums are items that we don’t tend to see with classic cars - they are another piece of the puzzle that will help you piece together the history of this specific Marcos.
Once you lower yourself into the Marcos you are met with a bank of Smiths gauges, toggle switches and a wooden steering wheel. It is an immersive experience that isn’t rivalled by anything else on the classic market today.
Back in the day the Marcos was a racing-derived car for the road and once you get in and work out that your rear end is about two inches off of the ground you feel the racing pedigree and that’s before you start to drive it. The steering is light and it goes where you point it with no body roll and tenacious grip.
The interior condition could be improved – upholstery kits made to the original pattern are available, but these slight issues should not detract from the sheer pleasure that is driving this interesting classic. If you aspire to useable classic, that is fun to drive and will guarantee you plenty of discussions with other enthusiasts, here she is ready to go. If you aspire towards an immaculate show car, some additional investment will bring the car to standard and prove to be a good investment.
The analogue smith's dials on the dashboard not only add to the driving experience but also all work as they should.
Overall, the interior of this special car is in good condition, a little bit of attention would bring her up to a show quality once again. These small character traits do not detract from what is an excellent interior that you just don’t see anymore.
Describe by Jay Leno (he owns a 3L) as ‘the most unusual and prettiest sports car of all time’ the sculpted fibreglass body is the Marcos’ party piece. The striking design is a true child of sixties design ethos, the body is smooth and aerodynamic with huge rear haunches, a bonnet as long as a London bus and a super low stance.
It’s one of those cars that look fast, sitting still and once you get in and drive you feel like you’re driving a million miles an hour.
The exterior, like the interior, has a few little bits that the new owner may or may not want to address. With the car having been rebuilt in 1987 and the 40,000 miles it has covered since, the paint has started to show its age in a few places.
A benefit of the exterior being made from fibreglass, other than it being extremely light, is that the panels won’t corrode like a normal car of its age may want to, this is another plus point for the Marcos.
Overall the exterior of this Marcos is in relatively good condition, a respray is not needed right now, but if the new owner wants to enter it into car shows or Concours events then you may want to address it.
The mechanical aspects of this car are in great condition thanks to a recent overhaul from a Marcos specialist during the first of the 2020 lockdowns. The car was fully serviced, an electric fuel pump fitted along with new hoses that should minimise the risk of E10 issues.
The car was MoT’d until May 2021 since which it has only covered a small milage. It’s thanks to this recent mechanical work that it now sits in such great mechanical condition.
As the new owner will be able to see with all of the invoices that come with this car, it has had some serious money spent on it over the past five decades to keep her on the road in such fine fettle. Since the big rebuild in 1987, it has covered less than 40,000 miles, making it a low mileage classic car.
The majority of these miles were racked up by the previous owner taking it to car shows, within the current ownership it has only covered about 1,000 miles. However, it has still received the same love and attention as it experienced with the previous owner.
On the day of the photoshoot, it was a little cold, however, she still fired straight into life with a lovely soundtrack. It runs, drives and stops extremely well. Thanks to the low seating position and probable lack of sound insulation it feels like you are exceeding the speed of sound even in a 30mph zone.
The new owner will be picking up a car that is in great mechanical condition and ready to go anywhere, it will be as fun to drive around the town centres of the UK as it would be a track. A truly unique driving experience that every petrolhead should experience at least once.
Marcos are not as widely known as some marques, but therein lies the appeal - Martin Buckley’s article “Don’t buy this, buy that” favourably compares the Marcos 3l coupe to an E Type Jaguar and if you want something a little different a Marcos presents an interesting option.
With this article in mind and the endorsement of automotive legend Jay Leno coupled with the sheer rarity of this capable and stunning car the new owner will be assured of a fantastic ownership experience.
Whether the car is bought as an investment or as to use around the roads of Europe on big road trips, it will be a car that will never fail to turn a few heads and put a smile on your face. It’s a true character that will never be seen again.
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Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
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1968 Marcos 1600 GT Coupe - Wooden Chassis
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