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After running in the first 3 Privilege rounds and damaging the car in practice at Donnington, a normally reliable source informs me that Ian McKellar Jr and Phil Hindley might not be seen in a MRI LM600 Evo again this season. I've not seen any other evidence, but keep your eyes peeled.
With the fledgling Interactive Sportscar Series shifting it's opening event to June, the NCK team have expressed an interest in running in some of the early Privilege rounds.
The NCK LM600 has been a regular front runner (and sometime race winner) over the last 3 seasons, in the hands of Thomas Erdos and Andy Purvis.
It's looking like 2000 all over again as poor Calum Lockie spends the first few races swapping seats! Some funding failed to materialise for the second Privilege round and it looked like he'd have to sit it out, until Porsche 911 GT2 runner, Dave Welz stepped in and offered a drive.
Calum returned the favour by running as high as third overall, and although the car dropped back to 5th overall by the end, that was still good enough for 3rd in class and valuable points for Calum's title defence.
The Hindley/Mckellar LM600 sadly retired after showing well.
The following article appeared on in Autoweek on 12th April :
Defunct sports car maker Marcos has been mothballed and could build road cars again in the future.As revealed in Issue 645, the firm has filed for insolvency and appointed a liquidator. Staff leaving the Wiltshire factory for the final time last week told us there are plans to make cars again, either under licence in the UK, or in Holland. But Eurotec, a Dutch consortium that owns the Marcos name, is remaining tight-lipped about them.
An 11th-hour attempt to save the company failed, but a skeleton staff of three is staying on to supply parts and service cars for existing owners.
Reigning champion Calum Lockie and co-driver Cor Euser, pipped fellow MRI LM600 runners, Phil Hindley / Ian McKellar to third place in the BRDC Privilege GT opener at Silverstone on April 1st. This was despite the two cars failing to make the grid after missing the time limit (or being misinformed of the time limit, depending on who you talk to) for getting onto the grid.
The following article appeared on Yahoo. Interestingly, I had a mail a day before telling me to 'watch for big news from Marcos', which implied something good, and there's a shot of a 'Mantaray replacement' with Pug 406 headlights in the last Classic Cars magazine.
Of course, Marcos has closed before, but I somehow can't see Jem picking up the reins again now... Maybe Rover could step in to buy a ready made Le Mans GT contender?
Keep watching this site and Yahoo! (with troubles of their own!) for more information.
End Of Road For Marcos?
The doors are set to close for the last time at British sports car builder Marcos. The Wiltshire-based company has filed for insolvency and unless a rescuer is found, it will appoint a liquidator on 6 April, leading to the loss of eight jobs.The closure marks the end of the firm's 42-year history of building wild-looking sports cars that have proved a success on and off the race track.
Founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin, who later joined with Mike Duckworth to form Cosworth (It was Frank's Brother, of course - MS), the firm produced sporting and road cars which were driven by a long list of famous racers - including former Formula One champion Jackie Stewart.
Despite facing a severe financial crisis in the Seventies, the company continued to expand, (Well, it actually went into liquidation for years - MS) and by the end of the Nineties had three models in its range - the Mantis, MantaRay and LM. Prices started at �37,553 and combined sales were reported to be around 100 cars a year.
The company was also believed to have been working on a smaller, more affordable model to be launched later this year. Although the prototype is finished, there is now not enough money to proceed with the project. Unless a buyer can be found, company sources have confirmed that the new car will never see the light of day.
Marcos directors have searched hard for a backer, but are reported to have failed to secure any interest yet. However, although the road car arm of the firm is closing, it doesn't mean that the badge will disappear completely. Because Marcos's racing arm was purchased by a Dutch consortium in 1997, it has been confirmed that it will remain unaffected by the closure of the road car business. That means the Marcos name will still have a presence in endurance racing on circuits throughout the UK and abroad.
The two Marcos LM600s finished 24th and 27th overall in the Daytona 24 hours, 4th and 5th in GTS. For the first half of the race, the lead car of Euser/Lockie and Buurman, battled with the eventual overall and GTS winners, the works Corvettes.
Totalmotorsport.com put it thus :
The Marcos story is an almost but not quite; the power and the glory for nearly 12 hours, then the frustration of watching the car being fixed, then slowed by overheating. Calum Lockie will remember the day he bested the Earnhardts - for nearly half the race.
A great showing for Marcos - watch for Calum's report soon and roll on Le Mans!
The two Marcos LM600s improved greatly in the second session at Daytona. Cor Euser / Calum Lockie / Herman Buurman are placed 23rd on the start grid (fourth best GTS car, behind a GT1 Porsche 911 and two works Corvettes) with a lap time of 1:49.590. The second car of Peter van der Kolk / Toto Lassally recorded a best of 1:53.450 for 35th.
Two Marcos LM600s are racing at Daytona. After first practice Cor Euser / Calum Lockie / Herman Buurman are placed 44th, with the second car of Peter van der Kolk / Toto Lassally 49th.
British GT champion Calum Lockie spent three days at the world-famous Daytona race track in Florida early in January, testing in readiness for an assault on the classic 24 hour sportscar race there over the weekend of February 3/4.
Calum is joining Cor Euser and Herman Buurman in the Memec-backed Marcos Racing International Marcos Mantara for one of the greatest sportscar races on the calendar. After three days of testing, Calum and the team came away hopeful of a good result in the annual Rolex 24 Hours.
"We lost a bit of time early on, but the test was a great success. We spent some time running in new 6.9-litre engines, which have been specially built in long-distance racing configuration. They feel really great and I was pulling over 300 kph at the fastest part of the track," reckoned Calum.
"We concentrated on working on a race set-up rather than chasing really quick laps, and we've got a really nice balance on the car. There's a bit more to come yet," added Calum after flying back to the UK in time to attend the Autosport International show.
Looking ahead to the race, Calum is hopeful of a strong showing in front of guests from Memec, but knows that simply getting to the end of a 24-hour marathon is a real achievement. "24 hours is a very long time, but our aim is to be the first privateers in our class. The opposition from the factory Corvettes and the Saleen is very tough," he says.
With Memec guests travelling to Daytona from all over the world, Calum and his team mates will have plenty of support in the Florida sunshine. "It's a wonderful opportunity for me to compete at Daytona. I can't wait for the race!"
Race date February 3-4 - Follow the action at Total Motorsport - The new name for www.sportscarworld.com
Miguel de Castro and Balbao Camino won the Spanish GT Championship, dominating their Championship rivals on November 12 at Catalunya circuit in Barcelona.
Marcos Racing International entered 2 Mantara LM600 EVOs with de Castro and Camino as the first pairing and team-owner Cor Euser and recent F3 driver Villaamil in the second. The cars showed their domination in qualifying on Saturday, securing 1st and 2nd and 1st and 3rd in the 2 sessions.
The 2 races on Sunday saw very conservative drives from de Castro and Camino, fully aware that their main Championship rivals, the Lister and a Porsche, were performing far less impressively. The car finished 5th in the first race and 2nd in race 2, enough to secure a comfortable Championship win for the 2 Spanish drivers and impressive results in themselves bearing in mind the extra time penalties imposed on the car due to its recent successes.
Euser, driving defensively to protect the lead car, secured 2nd in Race 1 and 9th in race 2 with a similar performance-related time penalty.
The Spanish title follows on from other success for the Marcos Mantara LM600 EVOs this season, winning the 2000 UK GT Championship, the 2000 Spanish GT Championship, the Suzuka 1000km and the Zandvoort 500km.
Marcos Cars is pleased to announce its domination at the Zandvoort 500km, the end of season flagship event in Holland.
Marcos Racing International fielded two cars which finished 1st and 2nd after approximately 4 hours of racing, astonishing baring in mind the introduction of two new drivers to the team.
The winning car was piloted by team-owner Cor Euser and a newcomer to the Marcos camp, Roberto Mangifesta. The car had spent the majority of the race slightly behind its sister car but a driver error lost the other car approximately 1 lap and it took victory by the smallest of margins.
The second placed car was piloted by Calum Lockie, Freddie Moss and Herman Buurman. 2000 UK GT Championship winner Lockie and regular Marcos driver Buurman's experience in the car were never in question but newcomer Moss particularly impressed, matching the pace of his more experienced team-mates very quickly.
All at Marcos look forward to rolling the recent string of successes on to the final round of the Spanish GT in Barcelona next month and then to Daytona, perhaps in the capable hands of some of the new, now proven, drivers.
Marcos will field a 2 car team in Zandvoort this weekend for the 500km race.
In addition the marque are looking strong for the Spanish GT - only 4pts behind with one double-header event left on November 12th.
Joe Cubitt has completely overhauled the service and production areas to improve service and Jeremy Kearns is now overseeing the new and used car sales. They are both available to answer technical and sales issues respectively.
This weekend saw a full assault for the Championship title in the Spanish GT from Marcos Racing International, fielding 2 Mantara LM600 EVOs.
Championship regulars Miguel de Castro and lady driver Balbao Camino took charge of their usual car and Cor Euser and F3000 driver Polo Villaamel secured a special entry for a second.
The cars secured 1st and 2nd in both training sessions, both qualifying sessions and both races, completely destroying the competition.
De Castro and Camino only trail the Championship leaders by 4 points with 1 double-header event left in Barcelona on the 12th of November.
I didn't even know there was a Spanish GT series until a few weeks ago, so check out the site if it's new to you too!
Calum Lockie, partnered by Cor Euser, took fourth place in the final race of the BRDC GT championship, which was enough to give him the championship. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Cor Euser put his LM600 Evo on pole for the BRDC GT finale at Silverstone. Calum Lockie, his team mate, needs only a fifth place finish to lift the title.
Marcos Cars released two press releases today stating :
Marcos is pleased to announce that Calum Lockie moved 11 points clearer of his nearest rival, Dave Warnock in the Lister Storm, after securing maximum points at Spa Francorchamps this weekend in the top category.
and
In addition, warmest congratulations to Shane Bland who has demonstrated his ability throughout the season, culminating in his securing the Championship on Sunday. We all believe that he has a great future in GT racing and look forward to working with him in the future. We hope to be able to announce a GT project with him shortly.
As the CSI team run Lister takes victory, but no points, Euser rushes home second to take a maximum 15 points for Lockie. Lockie leads by 11 points with one race left.
Marcos Cars released the following press release today :
Cor Euser and Calum Lockie prevailed at Snetterton against all odds to win the Privilege GT in what was indisputably the most exciting race this season. Having qualified 4th due to engine problems Euser and Lockie new that they would have their work cut out to catch the Lister and Viper on the front row of the grid. However, all in the Marcos camp had great confidence in the second grid pair of Marcos cars, Erdos and Purvis having qualified in 3rd in the NCK LM600. The start was strong for Purvis, however after a collision with the Lister on only the 2nd lap he was forced to retire. The Lister promptly completed 3 more laps while shedding oil and ensured that the remainder of the race would be contested in the most difficult of conditions. Lockie pitted early having lost a few positions, his caution was understandable and very astute. This allowed Euser to rejoin the race in 6th. For the next 40 minutes Cor Euser drove at 100%, underlined by an uncharacteristic spin that cost little more than seconds. Euser took the lead with only 30 seconds remaining of the race, demonstrating the reliability of the car that had, only the week before, won the Suzuka 1000km! Eclipse Motorsport overcame problems in the pre-race collecting area that led to them starting in the pit-lane to finish 4th in GTO class, both Ben Mcloughlan and John Griffiths drove impeccably. For further information on Marcos Cars' exciting race programme please do not hesitate to contact Marcos Cars on 0044 1373 864 097 or consult the website on www.marcoscars.com.
Initial reports suggest that Cor Euser's LM600 took class victory in the prestigious Suzuka 1000Kms today. In an eventful race, the Marcos lost some early time with off track excursions and a small fire, but came through to win as their international class challengers fell by the wayside.
More information on Sportscar World
Thomas Erdos and Andy Purvis took 4th at Silverstone on August 20th, but only a late puncture prevented Calum Lockie and Cor Euser taking 2nd (or even victory). They ended the race 6th, whilst Lockie's title contender, Warnock, took another victory in his Lister to open a comfortable lead. Erdos and Purvis were once again hampered by engine problems, despite their good result.
Following a review by the Working Panel of the British Racing Drivers' Club, a second engine restrictor change has been confirmed for the Marcos Mantis GTO cars.
The cars of John Griffiths/Ben Mcloughlin (number 61) and Charlie Butler-Henderson/Stephen Stokoe (number 69) have been granted a move to the next larger size engine restrictor. This takes immediate effect and the cars are likely to race in this specification at the ninth round of the championship at Silverstone on 20 August.
Cor Euser chose to miss the latest round of the FIA GT series at the A1-Ring in Austria.
Marcii were in action in both the UK and Belgium at the weekend. Sadly, a big crash in practice saw Calum Lockie unable to defend his BRDC GT series lead, whilst Thomas Erdos and Andy Purvis picked up 3rd in the race after leading for some while.
Meanwhile, Cor Euser and Harald Becker had their best race of the 2000 FIA GT series with a 5th overall at Zolder in Belgium.
Most owners of earlier Marcos cars are familiar with the sucking of teeth at the Motor Factors when they ask what car the part is for. Well to solve this problem someone at the CMI put together a list of parts and where they originated from.
I've scanned and OCR'd (and then corrected!) this and I'll exchange it for details of your car. If you want a copy E-mail me with the registration no, chassis no and model of your car.
Autocar is still listing a 'small Marcos car' for release in Spring 2001. With Eurotech's involvement, perhaps this story has more to it than initially seemed? Watch this space.
The Donington GT race was delayed by over 2 hours (I had to leave before it ran!), but Calum Lockie and Cor Euser raced from a lowly 16th on the grid to 4th in the race, after only getting the car completed for a handful of laps in the second session.
If you were at Curborough or Donington, you'll know that the rally was a great success. I'm told there were many cars on Saturday for the sprint and over 60 cars turned out at Donington.
There was some rain late in the day (almost a tradition now!), but overall it was a good day.
See my photos of Marcos Rally 2000 at PhotoPoint
Don't forget that this Sunday, 2nd July, sees the CMI, MOC and MMOC get together at the GT race at Donnington for a grand Marcos Club rally.For more competitive owners, there's a sprint at Curborough on Saturday.
See you there, I hope!
The factory today announced that :
Marcos Cars is pleased to anounce that the latest version of the Mantara LM600 racecar that leads the Privilege GT Championship has been granted full FIA approval. Cor Euser, owner and driver of the first of these racecars, intends to launch a comprehensive bid for the FIA Championship after securing the top-class victory in the UK Championship with Calum Lockie. Photographs of this exciting car are posted on the new Marcos web-site at www.marcoscars.com
Numerous reports suggest that Chris Marsh has left Marcos Cars. Jem left his day to day involvement some years ago.
Cor Euser's LM600 finished second to TVR's Speed 12 in the Brands Hatch round of the BRDC GT series. Euser fought back to less than a second off the TVR by the finish in the most exciting finish in the series, so far, this year.
The result keeps Calum Lockie in the lead of the championship.
Calum Lockie and Thomas Erdos both got mixed up in a first lap incident at Silverstone, which say them both spin off. They both rejoined, but finished 7th and 8th respectively, behind 2 GTO Porsche 996s.
The Marcos Cars site has had an overhaul. As well as the standard history, dealer list and model spec (including one for the LM600 road car!! - No prices, I notice...), it includes a neat feature (I first saw on the Ferrari USA site), which allows you to switch colours of the cars!
Less gimmicky, but more interestingly, they now include a report on races involving Marcos cars (wonder where they got that idea?), with especially good coverage of the Mantis Challenge series, but strangely, no reports in the FIA GT series section...
The site can be found at http://www.marcoscars.co.uk.
The BRDC have decided that the Euser/Lockie LM600 Mantara is just too fast and have given it a 50kg weight penalty. There have been rumblings about the spec ('Full FIA' vs BRDC GT - anyone know the difference?) and the BRDC decided that it was showing too much speed in the series, having won at Oulton Park and running away from the field at the Donnington round.
The entry of the second car didn't happen and Harald Becker repeated his car damaging incident from Monza all on his own in the first test session for Silverstone, leaving the team with no cars to race in the FIA GT race at Silverstone on May 14th.
In past years, BRDC runners have run in the GT race. Any idea why the Azlan/NCK cars weren't out at Silverstone, anyone?
Cor Euser will be entering a pair of LM600s for the FIA GT race at Silverstone on May 14th.
Cor Euser's LM600 suffered front and rear damage at Monza, but will be repaired in time for the BRDC race at Donnington Park on May 7th.
Calum Lockie has taken the lead in the BRDC GT series, after taking a one-off drive in the second NCK car, usually co-driven by David Leslie and Martin Byford. With Leslie standing in for James Thompson in a BTCC race, Lockie shared the car and took second overall and in GT.
Cor Euser's LM600 was heavily damaged at Monza after being hit from behind by a Dodge Viper in the FIA GT race.
Cor Euser raced his LM600 Evo in the first round of the FIA GT series in Valencia, under special dispensation from the FIA. Apparently the car will be subject to reinspection in June, and then the road car with the relocated gearbox will need itself to be homologated.
LM600s showed strongly in qualifying for both the opening rounds of the British and FIA GT series. However, mechanical breakdowns and poor tyre choices saw the cars finish poorly on race day or retire.
Top Gear (on BBC2 at 8:30 PM, March 16th) will be showing the Supercharged Mantis GT as part of a feature on great sportscar still built in Britain. Meanwhile the latest edition of Evo has a 4 page article on the car. Lots of good photos and the closing quote "If the Evo car park plays host to a more exciting car this year, I will be very surprised indeed.".
As this magazines describes the 1.7 Puma as "For : Everything Against : Nothing" they obviously know a great car when they drive one.
Cor Euser has confirmed the entry of a car in both the British and Belgian GT series. Hermann Buurman is scheduled to drive with him in Belgium, whilst Calum Lockie will renew his successful partnership of 1999 in the British GT.
Appearances in the FIA GT series, however, have not been completely ruled out if the FIA grant the car GT homologation on March 15th.
With the runaway success of Lotus' Elise and the lower weight limit for 4 cylinder GTO (previously GT3) cars in the BRDC GT series, stories are circulating of a rumoured 'lightweight Marcos'. Whether these are press speculation or have basis in fact remains to be seen, but if Elises and Caterham's 21 set to the GTO pace, a lightweight GTS like Marcos may be produced. Watch this space...
Persistent problems with the FIA's homologation body mean that the LM600 evo is still not passed to race in the FIA GT series. The FIA say that they need to see a road going version of the LM600 evo, Cor Euser says they've seen it and can't decide, so he is now looking at other GT series throughout Europe, include the British and Belgium series.
It would be a great shame to see the Marcos marque no longer represented on the world stage, especially as the series looks in good shape for a revival at the moment.
Rumours suggest that the factory are to concentrate on the Mantis GT (launched at last year's Motor Show), with other cars only built to special order. The same, normally reliable, source also suggests that the factory are currently building 3 new LM600s...
There have been a number of rumours circulating about the status of Marcos Cars for a few months now. In the absence of any hard facts, I decided not to post any of them, but the latest CMI magazine has got some news and I feel that, with the factory press release, it makes sense to let readers of this site now what CMI members know.
The factory released this press release to owners and the Owners Clubs :
Dear Marcos Owners/Enthusiasts,
As I am sure you are aware Marcos has recently undergone a fairly comprehensive restructuring programme. Economics dictate that the company will in future put greater emphasis on out -sourcing, in line with most other low-volume manufacturers.
However Marcos will continue to assemble the cars, service the cars and undertake general and upgrade work in house. The effect of this change on existing owners will, therefore, be only a positive one. We have assembled the right team, combining knowledge, enthusiasm and customer-care skills to guarantee this is the case. Jeanne Ingham-Law remains the main service contact and Joe Cubitt, who has built Marcos cars for 10 years, is in charge of a team of our best mechanics.
We are confident that the improvements will become clear almost immediately. We stand by our commitment to give all Club members unrivalled value for money and look forward to caring for your cherished cars for many more years. The service department may be contacted on Tel/fax: 01373 825625.
Should you wish to discuss any of this further I am always at the end of a phone to answer your questions.
Kindest regards,
Tom Hulme. General Manager Marcos Sales Ltd.
To expand on the press release from the factory, Dave Chivers, former Secretary of the Club Marcos International and service Manager at Marcos, posted the following in the Christmas '99 CMI magazine :
As of 15 November approximately 2/3rds of the total work force at Marcos has been made redundant, including yours truly and my complete Service Department. Also hit were 3/4 of the Fibreglass Shop, 3/4 of the Metalwork Shop, all in the Fibreglass Trimming Shop, 3/4 of the Parts Department and l/2 of the Paint and Assembly Shop. In addition, Sales and Marketing staff were made redundant.
We have been told that the Company has been taken over by the Dutch Company 'Eurotech', sponsors of Cor Euser's GT2 LM 600 race car. Marcos will adopt a policy in the future of outsourcing major parts, i.e. buying in bodies and chassis etc. The new GT3 race Mantis will be made in Holland, with the road cars being assembled here in the UK.
This major reorganisation at Marcos is due mainly to lack of sales and the running cost of production. Sadly, the brunt of job cuts seemed to fall on the Service Department. Staff left in the Assembly Shop, when not building cars, will do warranty, sales and some service work.
The reorganisation was a total shock to all of us, especially the staff in our smooth running Service Department. All staff involved were given one month's paid leave prior to redundancy, this being the legal requirement as more than 20 staff were being made redundant. We were all told just a few days before the start of this year's London Motor Show. I believe the development of the GT3 car was delayed until a deal had been finalised with Eurotech.
In the meantime, it is my intention to try, if I can, to offer mobile service and repair, done at the owner's home or desired workshop throughout the UK. At the moment this is still in the planning stage and will depend upon demand, and of course cost. I know after working at Marcos for over 6 years how frustrating it is for you to get a good service from experienced people who know the product; without having to take days away from work travelling to a good service shop.
If you think this would be of benefit to you, then please call me on my mobile 0780 8444972, where you can always leave a message.
So, it would appear that the marque is safe for the foreseeable future and that production will continue, probably with a more race biased slant, in Westbury, albeit with parts bought in from sub-contractors.
If, and when, any new information comes to light, I'll pass it on through this page.
For recent news, see the Latest News page.
