1971 Marcos 302 V8 Coupe

The Marcos coupe, brainchild of engineer Jem Marsh and aerodynamicist Frank Costin, was originally announced in 1964 with the novelty of a plywood monoque chassis, later changed to a multi-tubular steel chassis due to pressure from dealers, with a shapely fibreglass body. Early Marcos cars were fitted with Volvo 1800 running gear but later models adopted a wide range of proprietary engines, including Ford 1500/1600s, V4s and 3-litre V6s. The Marcos was sold in kit form in England to avoid punitive purchase taxes and was supplied with everything required to complete the car including the chassis, body, engine and suspension components. The interior was just as wild as the exterior, fully trimmed in tasteful padded leatherette with reclining bucket seats tucked down on either side of the transmission tunnel, with an adjustable pedal box to enable even the tallest of drivers to fit quite comfortably. The dash has a full complement of instruments and a factory-installed sunroof was standard equipment on later models. Standing just over 41-inches tall, the Marcos remains an eye-catching and very appealing sports car, one of very few still on the road in Australia.