1969 Marcos GT3000

Founded by Jem Marsh and legendary aerodynamicist Frank Costin in 1959, Marcos Cars would become one of the many success stories in the history of British involvement in motor racing. Many famous drivers were to cut their teeth in such cars including Jackie Stewart, Derek Bell and Jonathan Palmer. Marcos pioneered the use of a wooden structure in a monocoque chassis and this principle turned out to work very well in practice. The chassis was both light and strong, and when Marcos finally turned to the more traditional steel, it was purely from a cost perspective as the wooden chassis was extremely labour intensive to build. Unveiled at the 1963 Earls Court Racing Car Show, the seminal GT was a sensation. 43 inches high at the roof, this was one of the lowest cars ever produced and its long bonnet and Kamm tail, although reminiscent of the E-Type and even the Ferrari GTO, were remarkable for their time, especially for a small manufacturer like Marcos. The GT was wooden chassised, fitted with a Volvo engine from the P1800 and had a complex De Dion rear suspension and heavily sculpted dashboard. In 1964, the GT1800 was announced, the first car in a long series of variations that would lead up to the 3000 GT. In 1969, the Ford Essex V6-powered 3000GT was born, significant in being the last model with the traditional Marcos wooden chassis, and only around 100 of these cars were ever built. The timber structure required considerable adaptation to accommodate the new mechanics and handle a power output of around 136 bhp and an estimated top speed of 125 mph, however these objectives were achieved. As well as the increased power output, the 3000GT was made distinctly more user-friendly with more comfortable seating, improvements to the ventilation and electric windows. This powerful, lightweight car was nimble and a natural rival to the Jaguar E-type in lots of ways, however the power of the Jaguar's engine was still out of reach. The company was sold in 1971, temporarily halting manufacture, and in 1976 Jem Marsh bought back the operating rights of Marcos and restarted production of the GT3000 in 1981 with a 2.8 litre Ford V6. The Mantula replaced the 3000 GT in 1984, ending the production of the Marcos GT3000 at a total of just 311 cars.

This example was exported to Denmark where it was registered and kept as an ongoing project for years, but sadly it remains 'not quite finished'. The bodywork and chassis appear to be in good order and the engine starts on the button and runs well. The interior is in fine shape and the car comes with a history of service receipts and maintenance records. This rousing project car truly deserves a bit of enthusiasm to bring it back to life. I am sufficiently ancient to have been at that 1963 Racing Car Show as a schoolboy, and I remember my reaction at the time as being" Wow". I hope there are a few enthusiasts who still feel the same way.