Marcos plywood chassis. The roof structure supported the gullwing doors.

Marcos plywood chassis. He went on to use his knowledge and experience to create a chassis made from plywood, with all the weight advantages over steel, and over this he would fit a lightweight aerodynamic body. The company was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. for high strength lightweight alloy or whatever the market has to offer. The unique design included a notch-back rear window, four-piece windscreen, gullwing-doors, fiberglass body, and frog-eyed front end. Also investigate modern reliable engines Very Kool car! Marcos Heritage Spares wrote: The most common reason for damage to the chassis is the fitting of oversize wheels and tyres, and too much power. The work included installation of a new fiberglass body and plywood chassis sourced Sep 13, 2022 · The Tavenor is a prototype and was made from a plywood chassis of a Marcos GT of Raymond Nash, it raced the 1000 km and 500 km at Nurburgring in 1968. Metal chassis and engines big and small powered Marcos into and out of liquidation many times. Below is a bare Marcos chassis. Obviously some steel is required up front for supporting the engine and front suspension, but from the footboxes back, this baby sports a wooden monocoque chassis. Costin would go on to form Marcos with the colourful entrepreneur and former racing driver Jem Marsh in 1959. Initially, the Marcos GT had been powered by sub-2. The seller purchased the car as a non-running project in a February 2018 BaT Auction and completed a subsequent refurbishment in 2020. Mar 14, 2006 · The man for the chassis in the Marcos in these days did restore & build new chassis on his own around 10 yrs ago. The most famous was the Marcos GT of the 1960s, which used a plywood chassis. Costin had earlier worked on the de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis. This was the Volvo-engined Marcos 1800, which stole the show, and even though it was very much a prototype and only just finished in time, it received acclaim from everyone for its styling and general conception as well as its finish and detail work. Apparently the only difference between exterior ply and marine ply is that marine ply has no Oct 18, 2011 · Marcos semi-monocoque plywood-chassis/bodies, especially the GT-1800, and I found, in Herb Adams' excellent book on chassis design, a stressed skin "2 box plus integrated monocoque side sills and bulkheads" design very much like that of the Marcos GT1800. Mar 2, 2015 · This is a later Marcos chassis, which appears to be predominantly 6mm single-skin plywood: Albeit with the floor made as a double skin panel, and with internally braced torsion boxes as the sills, as per this sketch (apologies for double posting a pic from the carbon fibre thread): Aug 22, 2019 · It was replaced by increasingly more conventional cars, although the unique laminated plywood chassis was retained. Apr 9, 2019 · Aside from the unique swoopy lines, the Marcos GT always featured the usual British parts bin engineering, with Triumph suspension bits, Lotus or Vauxhall taillights, and Ford, Volvo, or Triumph engines. The company used this design until 1969 The roof structure supported the gullwing doors. The British, who introduced their version of the… more» The Fastback/Breadvan The next step was to design a new car around the existing wooden chassis and this was to be a convertible or Spyder in Marcos speak. Could a race car really be made of wood? During World War II, metal was scarce, so some engineers experimented with wooden- bodied vehicles. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire in 1963 and in 1971 to a purpose 1968 MARCOS 1600GT - One of the last plywood chassis cars For Sale 1968 XGF164G Private seller Pulborough,, United Kingdom Nov 15, 2024 - This is a Marcos 1600 GT from 1968, a car that's remarkable for a few reasons, the most famous of which is that its chassis is made from plywood. 1967 Marcos 1500 in Hope Valley, United Kingdom - For Sale | Car & Classic, £26,500 Marcos rebuilt by marque specialists to a high standard Plywood chassis correctly repaired Marcos continued manufacturing the GT with a plywood chassis through 1969 and only changed over to tubular steel because it was less labor intensive to build than the wooden chassis that contained over 300 parts. May 21, 2020 · The Marcos 1600 GT sports a hybrid construction method—with plywood!—that's arguably cooler than this little sports car looks. Applying that concept to an automobile Jul 11, 2008 · With its frog-eyed front end, four-piece windscreen and notch-back rear window, the gullwing-doored Marcos was no oil painting, yet beneath its glassfibre skin was a plywood composite chassis, the latter's monocoque construction representing advanced thinking for a competition car at a time when steel tubing was the norm in Formula 1! Nov 27, 2021 · "In 1966 the Marcos GT changed from using the expensive Volvo 1800cc unit to more affordable Ford 1500cc and 1600cc ones. Oct 27, 2017 · Founded in Wales in 1959, Jem Mar sh and Frank Cos tin named their new company Marcos Engineering. A variety of other engines, mostly from Ford, but also from Triumph and 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. I would opt. Building I have long had an abiding admiration for Jem Marsh and Frank Costin's Marcos semi-monocoque plywood-chassis/bodies, especially the GT-1800, and I found, in Herb Adams' excellent book on chassis design, a stressed skin "2 box plus integrated monocoque side sills and The Marcos GT series of cars entered production in 1964, they had a lightweight fiberglass body designed by Dennis and Peter Adams, an engine supplied by Volvo, and a unique plywood chassis designed by Frank Costin. This is a Marcos 1600 GT from 1968, a car that’s remarkable for a few reasons, the most famous of which is that its chassis is made from plywood. Read the full story on Splinter, Joe Harmon's wooden supercar at Automobile Magazine online. The British, who introduced their version of the… more» The first product of the Jem Marsh and Frank Costin partnership was the Marcos Xylon of 1960. The British Marcos was founded by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin in 1959. Drivers reported it handled beautifully, though repairing splintered wood after I have long had an abiding admiration for Jem Marsh and Frank Costin's Marcos semi-monocoque plywood-chassis/bodies, especially the GT-1800, and I found, in Herb Adams' excellent book on chassis design, a stressed skin "2 box plus integrated monocoque side sills and Oct 16, 2024 · 1965 MARCOS 1800GT COUPE Haze Blue Metallic 79,200 Miles 2000cc Volvo B20 4-Speed with Overdrive Right-Hand Drive Introduced in 1964, the Marcos 1800GT utilised a development of Marcos’ revolutionary marine-plywood chassis. 73:1 rear end. Frank Costin, who had aircraft engineering experience, believed that wood was light, strong, and ideal for constructing lightweight race cars. History The company was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Now Sep 17, 2025 · The car that was made of wood. In 1964 the Marcos 1800 GT was introduced. Equipment includes 13″ Minilite-style wheels, front disc brakes Apr 22, 2006 · Since the body is bonded to the chassis it would be nice to be able to repair just the rotted bits. Sep 23, 2018 · Instead, the Marcos has a full monocoque chassis formed out of exterior-grade plywood, glued together. If this ratio is altered then problems will Marcos Heritage Spares wrote: The most common reason for damage to the chassis is the fitting of oversize wheels and tyres, and too much power. powerplants And ditch the plywood. The concept wasn’t nostalgia—it was strategy. An example of this is the Marcos GT, which was crafted by Marcos Engineering. The Plywood Le Mans Prototype That Wasn't: Marcos Mantis XP - Five Minute Guide Lenslr's Sardonic Sports Cars, Racing, & More 4. If the chassis is truly rubbish I hope to remake it in Carbon-Fibre, but since I am anxious to get on the road ASAP I would rather salvage what I have. 7-liter A lovely example of the original wood-chassis ‘GT’ shape, this 1965 1800GT sports beautiful metallic blue paintwork and sits on genuine knock-on minilite wheels. A glass fibre nose, and rear quarters were developed as an alternative to the original design – which was to laminate the double curvatures in plywood, but this proved too From his work on Mosquito combat aircraft, Costin drew inspiration for the unique Marcos plywood chassis. The WW2-era de Havilland Mosquito multirole combat aircraft was one of the fastest and most feared Aug 7, 2021 · This 1968 Marcos 1600 GT was acquired by the previous owner in a February 2018 BaT Auction, was subsequently refurbished, and was acquired in a May 2020 BaT Auction by the seller. Plywood perfection The Marcos 1800 was introduced at the 1964 Racing Car Show and featured a wooden chassis and Volvo P1800 Jul 30, 2017 · Plywood & Fiberglass: Restored 1969 Marcos 1600GT This 1969 Marcos 1600GT is described very briefly as a restored car in 2+ condition, but it looks great in photos and may even be early enough to feature the Warwickshire-based marque’s interesting plywood chassis. For quite some time now I have been wanting to do a scratch build of a Costin Nathan complete with actual wood chassis, but I know it is a project Marcos Cars Jem Marsh and Frank Costin founded Marcos Cars in 1959 based on a plywood chassis using construction methods from Mosquito bombers. Marcos Heritage Spares wrote: The most common reason for damage to the chassis is the fitting of oversize wheels and tyres, and too much power. 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 Here, Adams assisted Frank Costin on an innovative space-frame chassis and became inspired by Costin’s plywood chassis designs, influenced by his time working on the design of aircraft for de Havilland after the war. It was powered by Volvo’s B18 einline-four cylinder engine from the P1800 and backed up by a four-speed manual gearbox with overdrive and a De Dion rear axle. For real. 98K subscribers Subscribed Description This 1968 Marcos 1600 GT was acquired by the seller in May 2020. Nov 27, 2014 · Early Marcos featured a plywood chassis while later cars were given a steel one to cut down on production costs. 7-liter crossflow inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transmission and a 3. Intact Plywood Chassis: 1969 Marcos 1600 GT You cannot say that sports car buyers had few options in the late sixties. Dont know if he is still in business, but have his adress if anyone is interested. If I was of the means to undertake such project. Apr 22, 2006 · Since the body is bonded to the chassis it would be nice to be able to repair just the rotted bits. The company switched over to more traditional steel chassis as the 1960s progressed. Dec 17, 2019 · Credit the seller of this 1965 Marcos 1800 GT in Middletown, Ohio with his or her appreciation of irony, as the listing here on eBay touts this rare opportunity to own a car with a roll bar bolted "into genuine wood. The WW2-era de Havilland Mosquito multirole combat aircraft was one of the fastest and most feared warbirds of its time Mar 21, 2025 · Yes, that would be the work of Frank Costin. Nov 30, 2024 · Intact Plywood Chassis: 1969 Marcos 1600 GT You cannot say that sports car buyers had few options in the late sixties. With its unique plywood chassis and fiberglass body, the May 22, 2020 · This 1968 Marcos 1600 is a left-hand drive example that was stored outdoors on a ranch in Fresno, California for 24 years before being acquired by its previous owner in 2012. Jun 25, 2023 · In 1959, Jem Marsh and Frank Costin (whose last names combined to form the Marcos moniker) created a company in England to build fast, sporty fiberglass cars for road and track. The first production model was officially known as the Marcos 1800, but Marcos also applied the GT name to all vehicles it built before 1970. [4] It was a sensation when first shown at the 1964 Racing Car Show. From the start, the duo rejected conventional automotive materials, crafting early Marcos models with laminated plywood chassis instead of steel. The glass fibre bodied Marcos 1800 GT had been a sensation when first shown at the 1964 Racing Car Show. In fact, Costin was inspired by aeronautics and developed chassismade of wood! Surprising as it may seem, the use of plywood combined with lightweight, particularly 1969 Marcos 1600GT This is a Marcos 1600 GT from 1968, a car that’s remarkable for a few reasons, the most famous of which is that its chassis is made from plywood. So exactly how does one patch the plywood panels? Aug 18, 2015 · Frank Constin, of the cos in Marcos, was a master in the creation of rigid, aerodynamically advanced, lightweight structures, and a pioneer in the development of monocoque chassis design. So exactly how does one patch the plywood panels? The Marcos GT is a sleek, low-slung British sports coupe first introduced in 1964 as the 1800 GT, designed by Dennis and Peter Adams. The firm produced cars through 1959 using plywood for the chassis until 1969, wh Oct 14, 2024 · The Marcos GT series of cars entered production in 1964, they had a lightweight fiberglass body designed by Dennis and Peter Adams, an engine supplied by Volvo, and a unique plywood chassis designed by Frank Costin. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis. The Xlylon's successor, the 1800GT, was powered by a Volvo 1800 Born in 1959 from the meeting of Jem MARsh and Frank COStin, Marcos is the fruit of the good understanding between two engineers with a passion for cars, who wanted to enter competition cars with an unprecedented design. How ever, Mahogany Marine ply is perfectly OK. Key alterations included swapping the pricey independent rear suspension for a Ford-sourced live axle (a benefit was gaining rear discs) and replacing the plywood chassis with one constructed from conventional steel. It was a sleek, fast, modern sports car with a chassis made from 386 bonded plywood panels. Surprisingly, it was light, strong, and competitive on the track. The second and only other real problem with the wooden chassis is water. The lightness and rigidity of his creations allowed racing car manufacturers to produce cars with very high performance even whilst using a fairly small engine. The work included an all new fibreglass body and plywood chassis sourced from Marcos, a rebuild and overbore of its Ford Kent crossflow engine, new orange paintwork, and custom leather upholstery. The GT is interesting because the original chassis was made from high-grade plywood. This chassis was stiff, strong, and lightweight, but time consuming to produce. May 25, 2020 · This example is a 1968 Marcos 1600, which after being left dormant outside for 24 years has recently undergone an extensive restoration. 0 liter four-cylinder engines. Dec 22, 2008 · From God's own composite, Joe Harmon is making a renewable supercar. 7-liter May 11, 2008 · Hello Sorry for late reply The original ply wood used in the Marcos chassis was "Gaboon". A replacement body and plywood chassis were sourced Marcos Engineering Ltd, and the car is finished in orange over black. A close look at the plywood and fiberglass monocoque 1962 Marcos GT Gullwing Coupe Mar 18, 2019 · If you haven’t had that feeling in a while, savor the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage featuring a bright blue 1971 Marcos GT. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire in 1963 and in 1971 to a purpose built Marcos continued manufacturing the GT with a plywood chassis through 1969 and only changed over to tubular steel because it was less labor intensive to build than the wooden chassis that contained over 300 parts. [5] 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 Increase the power output by all means but limit the forces transmitted through the chassis by keeping the tyre size to a minimum. " That's right, folks; this pint-sized coupe uses supercar-like monocoque construction, with strong, lightweight plywood The chassis was fabricated from laminated 3 mm thin sheets of marine plywood, giving the cars a strong monocoque and low weight (the GT was internationally homologated with 475 kg), so they performed well in sportscar competition. Founded in 1959 by Jem Mar sh and Frank Cos tin, Marcos (get it?) was a British manufacturer that got its start making tiny sports cars with four-cylinder Volvo engines and laminated plywood chassis. 2 days ago · Marcos Engineering was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin —an aeronautical engineer who had worked on lightweight aircraft structures for de Havilland and Lotus. If this ratio is altered then problems will Dec 8, 2017 · A few corrections: (1) As noted below, it's Jem Marsh, not Jim, and this is nowhere near the last plywood car, as the steel chassis didn't start until 1969; and (2) Wire Wheel (cool place, by the way) is in Vero Beach, which is nowhere near Sarasota. One could imagine that the torsional stiffness around bends and under acceleration was questionable at best. In this video, we explore the incredible story of the Marcos GT, the rare wooden sports car that defied the odds and proved everyone wrong. This model is known as the 'Breadvan' because of In 1964 the Marcos 1800 GT was introduced, using the four-cylinder Volvo 1800 cc unit with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle. Made up of over 350 individual pieces glued together, the wooden tub was both lighter and stiffer than its steel counterparts, which, when paired with Volvo’s B18 4-cylinder engine, provided a unique driving experience. The wooden chassis Marcos is a finely balanced instrument and will not adapt kindly to “gross appendages” (wheels). Aug 8, 2018 · By 1969, Marcos replaced the plywood monocoque chassis with a steel frame. However, the chassis sets the Marcos GT apart. May 20, 2020 · Two decades’ worth of exposure to the elements had caused severe damage to the whole car, from the plywood chassis to the engine, so it was sold as a non-working / restoration project. Adams' design is in steel, and was used for a high-end Cobra replica that This 1968 Marcos 1600 GT was acquired by the previous owner in a February 2018 BaT Auction, was subsequently refurbished, and was acquired in a May 2020 BaT Auction by the seller. It used an advanced plywood composite chassis with a Ford four-cylinder engine of various capacities. The majority of these sports cars were sold in kit form The 1600 proved to be the most popular model yet, with 192 cars built until early 1969. Frank Costin had worked on the De Havilland Mosquito, which had a largely wooden frame, during the war. Accompanied by an extensive folder of invoices, this car features numerous and highly-desirable improvements, including re-bushed and powder-coated suspension, trunnion-less uprights, larger brake calipers and Gaz For the first 8 years of its lifespan, the Marcos 1800 came with a plywood chassis. Marcos was founded in Dolgellau, North Wales, in 1959, by Speedex cars' Jem Marsh with aerodynamicist Frank Costin. Dec 23, 2011 · Why it gives us wood: Up until 1969, the strange little British sports car builder Marcos built nearly all of its cars off of a basic plywood chassis that actually turned out to be quite effective . They set out to build cars with a plywood chassis, similar to the World War 2 fighter bombers Coslin once worked on. In fact my understanding (from a professional source is that Good quality exterior ply with the WPB (Indicating water boiled glue) stamp is perfectly good enough. Nov 15, 2021 · The Marcos GT is best known for the highly-unusual plywood chassis used on the first series of production cars that was made from 386 separate pieces all bonded together into a complex 3D shape. Later models had a steel chassis and commonly Ford engines although others were also available. If this ratio is altered then problems will Upholding a Marcos tradition, the Mantis XP featured a central monocoque constructed from plywood. It might sound like something from an ad in the back of Popular Science magazine, circa 1962, but it was a serious approach to building a sports car, and a logical one, too. Frank was also the genius behind the Nathan Costin wood chassis. 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. The GT was first introduced as the Marcos 1800 in 1964, with a wooden chassis and a Volvo P1800 engine. Around a hundred of the plywood chassis cars left the factory, of which just over 30 were of the De Dion suspension type. Added to this purpose-built chassis were Cooper suspension components, used on the 1967 T81 Formula 1 cars. May 20, 2020 · By now you’ll recognize the Marcos as the car with the famous plywood chassis, and that’s no joke. Frank Costin had earlier co-developed the plywood de Havilland Mosquito multirole combat aircraft, the aerodynamic body for a Vanwall that won the first Grand Prix Constructors Jul 9, 2020 · Frank Costin did the Marcos chassis after successfully designing plywood BOMBERS! Modern composite can blow away wood for ultimate performance, but this a "Locost" forum. Most early Marcos models competed in national and international events. The chassis was designed to cope with up to aprox 125 bhp delivered through 175x13 tyres, which limits the torque reaction set up in the chassis to the adhesion of the tyre in contact with the road surface. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, in 1963; in 1971 they relocated to a £125,000 purpose-built factory at Marcos continued manufacturing the GT with a plywood chassis through 1969 and only changed over to tubular steel because it was less labor intensive to build than the wooden chassis that contained over 300 parts. Building a car with a plywood chassis sounds like madness now but it made sense when this car was developed in the early 1960s. It did lose some of what made it so special, but I have a feeling that most people are more comfortable with restoring steel than wood. 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. Too bad wood collided with steel, er fiberglass here though… I would bet plywood cica 1969 is of superior quality and durability. It seems that sports cars were being imported to the United States from all over the globe. Aug 14, 2016 · I don't know if marine ply is any better than other plywood, it's about twice the price of ordinary ply and presumably will last a bit longer, a wooden chassis car just sold on ebay today,1600 GT Jem Marsh and Frank Costin founded Marcos Cars in 1959 based on a plywood chassis using construction methods from Mosquito bombers. Jun 28, 2022 · Marcos evolved the specifications of the GT up through its end of production in 1972. The Xylon remains as the very first Marcos built and was also used as a crucial stepping stone in the career of a driver who would become a three-time World Champion. Then plywood of today. The British, who introduced their version of the… more» Apr 6, 2022 · This is a Marcos 1600 GT from 1968, a car that’s remarkable for a few reasons, the most famous of which is that its chassis is made from plywood. Marcos 1800GT Nov 30, 2024 · Intact Plywood Chassis: 1969 Marcos 1600 GT You cannot say that sports car buyers had few options in the late sixties. Apr 20, 2023 · Marcos pioneered the use of plywood chassis in their vehicles, which offered a lightweight, durable, and cost-effective platform. The steel chassis was cheaper and quicker to build, and many customers were weary about the plywood usage in the previous iteration. It originally featured an innovative laminated plywood chassis paired with a lightweight fibreglass body. Power comes from a modified 1. Feb 3, 2024 · When it was released in 1964, the Marcos 1800 GT caused a sensation. Apr 6, 2022 · The Marcos GT series of cars entered production in 1964, they had a lightweight fiberglass body designed by Dennis and Peter Adams, an engine supplied by Volvo, and a unique plywood chassis designed by Frank Costin. Fitted to both ends of the stress-bearing tub were steel subframes. The extremely low Marcos required a nearly supine driving position and fixed seats, mounted lower than the floor of the car. Costin, using techniques he learned in the aircraft industry, constructed the monocoque-style chassis of laminated marine plywood, which proved to be extremely light and strong. Frank Costin had earlier co-developed the plywood de Havilland Mosquito multirole combat aircraft, the aerodynamic body for a Vanwall that won the first Grand Prix Constructors The earliest Marcos models were famous for their wooden monocoque chassis, made from marine plywood. However, the demand from racers for a roof, caused Dennis Adams to hurriedly design a roof for the car, which is not a million miles away from the design now so familiar to Marcos afficenados. Nov 30, 2024 · Debuting in 1964, this low-slung sports car had a fiberglass body and a plywood chassis. Mahogany, spruce and birch marine plywood were used to build the entire body / chassis unit including the gullwing doors. Dec 11, 2017 · While the Marcos team suffered from indecision on the drivetrain front, their first serious attempt at a production car design managed to make a strong and decisive first impression on the public. Oct 25, 2019 · The plywood chassis wasn’t just a feature in the early Flying Splinter; it was a design feature in many of the company’s offerings, brought about as a result of Frank Costin’s faith in wood as a key material in the construction of the aeroplanes he designed, such as the de Havilland Mosquito. Recently subjected to a partial restoration by its owner, this 1600GT is a good example of the wood-chassis, classic Marcos GT. Introduced in 1964, the Marcos 1800GT utilised a development of Marcos’ revolutionary marine-plywood chassis. Mar 13, 2016 · Though a steel chassis was used from mid-1969-on, these early cars utilized one constructed of 386 individual pieces of plywood, glued together into one strong, lightweight, and inexpensively manufactured unit. This 1968 Marcos 1600 GT was acquired by the previous owner in a February 2018 BaT Auction, was subsequently refurbished, and was acquired in a May 2020 BaT Auction by the seller. Production took off after the Marcos GT designed by the Adams brothers had been exhibited at the 1963 London Racing Car Show. In 1961, brothers Peter and Dennis Adams (ex RAF) developed the Marcos Fastback GT, which in 1963 dazzled the London Racing Car Show with its futuristic aerodynamics. Wood always seemed to me like a heavy chassis material, but in fact they were quite light and very strong. Here is an in-depth look into the history of the Marcos GT. Marcos is a British sports car manufacturer. The chassis was fabricated from laminated 3 mm thin sheets of marine plywood, giving the cars a strong monocoque and low weight (the GT was internationally homologated with 475 kg), so they performed well in sportscar competition. g6 iuuku zlt8j rf0 jk77 dnw rebzx laqo2w oj3 5fgpb