Photo : D.R. Archives ACO

 

Founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin, the Marcos marque, a combination of the founders’ surnames, had a roller-coaster life. The company went bankrupt twice before going under for good in 2007. Frank Costin abandoned ship after just two years. Yet thanks to its participation in historic races, the Marcos name remains well-known among enthusiasts.

Right from the start, the Marcos designs were different, with gullwing doors and a high roof—because Jem was a tall man. The Xylon stood out from the crowd so much that it was even nicknamed the “Ugly Duckling”.

Marcos first entered the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1962, with a Gullwing. To no avail. In 1966, the marque was back in Le Mans with the famous Mini, chosen by a French team. It was the only time a Marcos would cross the finish line, albeit modestly, in fifteenth place, over a hundred laps behind the winning Ford. But the team had never set their sights on an overall win, despite their talented drivers Claude Ballot-Léna and Jean-Louis Marnat. The next year, Marcos entered a Mini in its own name.

Marcos did not return to Le Mans until 30 years later, having gone bankrupt in 1971 due to disappointing sales in the USA and a move to costly new premises. Jem Marsh reclaimed the Marcos brand in 1976 but the marque was not re-launched until 1984, with kit cars at first and then with cars from 1993.

The first off the production line was the Mantara, the Le Mans version of which was the LM600. Despite a successful GT career in Britain, the Mantara only crossed the finish line at Le Mans once in three outings, in 1995, but was disqualified. The n° 71 car driven by David Leslie, Chris Marsh (Jem’s son) and François Migault had not covered a sufficient distance.

Following more cash-flow problems in 2000, Marcos was revived with backing from a Canadian but suffered another bankruptcy in 2007. A sad end for a particularly innovative carmaker whose avant-garde designs are regularly admired at car shows today.

Cécile Bonardel / ACO                         Translated by Emma Paulay

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SATURDAY 17 & SUNDAY 18 JUNE 1995. The Marcos LM600 crossed the finished line but was disqualified.