A pair of Marcos GT competition cars.
I'm sure these two Marcos photos were taken at the same race meeting. Does anyone recognise the venue - Brands Hatch perhaps? The first car shows a Marcos GT, registration number GEB 175E, parked in the paddock area, with various eager enthusiasts milling around in the background. Note the jolly smart knock-on Minilite magnesium alloy wheels and rear view mirrors fitted to this example. Does anyone recognise the make of single seater shown in the background?
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The second photo shows a very similar car, this one registered as KJB 5D. There are some interesting cars in the background of this shot too, note the curious car number 167 to the left. With echoes of a Sunbeam and a bit of AC in there, this one-off 'special' rings a bell but I can't place it. To the right, a much more prosaic machine, in the svelte form of a BMC/Austin/Morris JU250 van.
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The "Adams" GT was an evolution of the Gullwing and Fastback GT sportscars built at the Marcos factory, a firm set up by aerodynamicist Frank Costin and Jem Marsh in 1959. The GT as shown here was first introduced in 1963, powered by a B18 (1800cc) engine more usually found nestling under the bonnets of the Volvo P1800 coupe, and the Amazon saloon. The distinctive styling would become synonymous with the name Marcos, undergoing many revisions to the core design as the decades rolled by. The early cars (pre 1969) featured a wooden chassis and a complex De Dion rear suspension setup. Later cars, from 1966 onwards, would switch to Ford power, although most of the Marcos GT's design eccentricities would remain for many years, including the adjustable pedal set, which could be moved in relation to the fixed driver's seat by rotating a dashboard control.
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If anyone can cast any light on the cars shown here (the race, or perhaps the drivers who piloted these two cars) please drop me a line and I'll update this page with the information.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 8.
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