Marcos Engineering · 1964–1990

Marcos GT

The Marcos GT is the name used by the British firm of Marcos Engineering Ltd for all of their cars until the introduction of the Mantis in 1970. Most commonly, the name is used to describe the very low coupé designed by brothers Dennis and Peter Adams. The car was first introduced as the Marcos 1800 in 1964, with a wooden chassis and a Volvo P1800 engine. Later models had a steel chassis and commonly Ford engines although others were also available. Most Marcos GT's were factory built cars until 1972, but some were supplied as kit cars, especially after the 3 litre Volvo engined cars were returned from the USA. The car was out of production from 1972 until 1981, when small scale component car production recommenced. The original GT continued to be built until 1989 or 1990, being developed into its altered Mantula form. This was further developed into more powerful and aggressively-styled designs, culminating in the 1994 LM600 (which competed in the 1995 Le Mans 24-hour race). As was the intent with most Marcos products, the GT series saw much competition use. The original 1800 and other 1960s and 1970s Marcos are still competitive in both FIA and HSCC (UK) historic racing series.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

All Marcos Engineering GT data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Marcos 1800 GT

In 1964 the glassfibre-bodied Marcos 1800 GT was introduced, using the cast-iron four-cylinder Volvo 1778 cc B18 unit with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle. It was a sensation when first shown at the 1964 Racing Car Show. This was to be the design that would become familiar to sports car enthusiasts for more than 30 years, even though the original plywood chassis would later be replaced by a steel chassis and the futuristic scalloped dashboard also vanished after a few years. The plywood chassis was glued together from 386 separate pieces and was not only light and strong, but also required a minimum up front investment to construct. The extremely low Marcos required a nearly supine driving position and fixed seats, mounted lower than the floor of the car. In return, the entire pedal set could be moved fore and aft with a knob on the dashboard. If this proved not to be enough Marcos also offered optional booster pillows. This setup, with the fixed seats, remained until the end of Marcos production in late 2007. The original Marcos 1800 had a two-spoke steering wheel and a novel dash with a prominent centre console, a rather expensive design which did not survive onto the Ford-engined cars. The entire nose portion, of a long and tapered design, was hinged at the front and was held down by latches behind the front wheel wells. The Volvo engine has 96 hp (72 kW), enough for a 116 mph (187 km/h) top speed and a 0-60 mph time of 8.2 seconds. Some sources claim 108 hp (81 kW) SAE. Successful in competition, the rather expensive 1800 sold very slowly, and after the first 33 cars the de Dion rear suspension was replaced by a live Ford axle. The price was dropped from £1500 to £1340, but it was not enough to make the car profitable. Cars were stockpiling in 1966, and afte

Return of the GT

Jem Marsh resurrected the Marcos brand in 1981 (having bought the moulds in 1976), offering the previous GT cars as kits only. The focus on racing cars had gone by now, not returning for another thirteen years with the LM series. The kit was offered in four different stages of completion. Engine options again included Ford's 3.0 Essex V6, 2.0 litre V4, and 1600 Crossflow. New were the 2.3 or 2.8 litre Cologne V6 and the 2.0 litre Pinto inline-four. Taking advantage of the existing design of the rare 2½ litre model, Triumph's 2.0 and 2.5 litre straight-sixes were also possible options. In 1983 a Rover V8-engined version was introduced, called the Mantula. This lighter and more powerful model was also available fully built up. In 1984 the Marcos GT saw a minor change, when a front spoiler was added to minimize high speed lift. About 130 Marcos Coupé kits were sold up to 1990, when Marcos decided to focus on the fully assembled Mantula and succeeding models. The Mantula Spyder's bodywork was never available as part of the GT kit range.

Works cited

"Happy 50th Marcos: The History of Marcos Cars" (PDF). Total Kit Car Magazine. UK. November–December 2009. Heseltine, Richard (2001). Specialist Sports Cars: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of a Very British Breed. Haynes Publishing. ISBN 1-85960-690-3. Lawrence, Mike (1991). A to Z of Sports Cars. Bideford, Devon: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-81-8.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Marcos GT
aka: Marcos 1500/1600/1650, Marcos 1800, Marcos 2-litre, Marcos 3-litre
Manufacturer: Marcos Engineering Ltd.
Production: 1964–1972, 1981–1990
Class: Sports car
Body style: 2-door coupé
Engine: 1.5 L Ford Kent I4, 1.6 L Ford Crossflow I4, 1.65 L Ford Kent I4, 1.8 L Volvo B18 I4, 2.0 L Ford Essex V4, 2.5 L Triumph I6, 3.0 L Volvo B30 I6, 3.0 L Ford Essex V6
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Length: 160.25 in
Width: 62.5 in
Height: 42.5 in
Kerb weight: ca 1800 lb, four-cylinder models, ca 2000 lb, six-cylinder models
Wheelbase: 89.5 in
Designer: Dennis and Peter Adams
Successor: Marcos Mantula

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3846640CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcos_GTCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1368387204 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcos_1600_GT.jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: Chris Sampson;cropped by uploader Mr.choppers · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.